QFA and the Cortisol Surge

The stress that occurs in cattle by weaning, trucking, crowding, weather (hot, cold, snow, rains) triggers an unavoidable cortisol surge. It has become one of the biggest obstacles to finding sick animals in a timely manner in our industry today. Many articles recently have discussed the failure to pull animals by even experienced well-trained personnel in the first 21 days post stress because of the masking effect of the cortisol.

All cattle, dairy and beef, in the northern hemisphere are descendants of the original ancient Auroch or wild ox. When a herd member would become stressed and potentially ill, the herd would push it to the back where the predators would do their job. Slowly, through evolution, this ancient animal found a way to stall off the harsh reality for about 21 days. Much like we might get an injection of cortisone for a knee or shoulder in our world, it allowed the animal to hide it or fake health until it was no longer possible by the end of the third week.

If we think about what happened through evolution with the ancient Auroch, we can understand the cortisol induced behaviors triggered by weaning. If a calf was separated from its cow or even from the whole herd for that matter, what would happen? There would be constant vocalizations, calling out when lost and an almost endless amount of walking continuously trying to find its cow and herd group again. Survival would have well depended on it.

It turns out that the strongest trigger for the cortisol surge is the process of weaning combined with trucking, followed closely by weaning itself. The calf faces instant changes in diet and associated rumen bacterial, social structure, where to find water and food, and often a new strange world after one or more truck rides through the sales barn to a new facility. We ask the calf to master all these hurdles while struggling with this incredible cortisol surge.

The calf responds to the cortisol surge by increased vocalization, increased random walking activity, less laying down, and increased avoidance behavior. This results in reduced or often no initial feed intake. While this is going on, the calf also switches its immune system over to using its blood sugar reserves. Without this energy source available, the calf cannot gain weight and often loses during this period. Some recent studies suggest the weight loss may approach 5% due to the weaning experience.

To top it off, at the end of this process, we often see the inevitable immune suppression from the cortisol surge and the typical shot show at about day 21 post weaning stress as respiratory disease sets in. The industry is certainly not going to quit weaning and trucking each year’s new calf crop.

But what if we could modify/prevent this cortisol surge and resulting immune system issues from crashing the party? QFA is a feed additive fed at 0.1 lb per day for 21 days, top dressing the new bunk for the first 3 days. The bawling and frantic walking behavior can be gone in 1 – 3 days using this proven technology. You know that the cortisol is being controlled when the calves quit bawling and walking because the cortisol is what causes this behavior in the first place. Eating and weight gain can continue nearly uninterrupted at this point.

QFA is not a drug. It leaves no residue and gives us the chance to get off this yearly merry-go-round of overly stressed cattle that often ends in too many avoidable respiratory calves at 21 days post weaning. Today’s cattle are far too valuable to leave the process of weaning to chance.

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