EFFECT OF TRANSPORTATION ON FATAL FIBRINOUS PNEUMONIA AND SHRINKAGE IN CALVES ARRIVING AT A LARGE FEEDLOT

A retrospective, epidemiologic field study was performed to determine whether calves that were transported greater distances from the auctio n market to the feedlot were at significantly higher risk of developin g fatal fibrinous pneumonia (shipping fever). The study involved all 4 5,243 spring-born steer calves that were purchased from auction market s and moved into a large commercial feedlot between September 1 and De cember 31 over a 4-year period (1985-1988). For all 4 years of the stu dy, the distance calves were transported from the market to the feedlo t and their shrinkage or subsequent death loss from fibrinous pneumoni a were not correlated. The risk of fatal fibrinous pneumonia for calve s arriving from near-by markets was just as high as that for calves tr ansported much greater distances. The results suggested that calves ca n be puuchased from more distant markets without having to discount th eir price for higher expected death losses. Differences between short and long hauls explained little, if any, of the variation among truckl oads of calves in the risk of fatal fibrinous pneumonia.