Rates and risk factors for contagious disease and mortality in young dairy heifers

Dairy heifers, particularly when <3 months, are at high risk for mortality and morbidity. Accurate data are lacking because of poor recording on farm, difficulties over disease diagnosis and potential bias of farm selection. Mortality during rearing varied from 6 to 14% between studies. The range from 0 to 30% on individual farms suggested that deaths are preventable with good husbandry. Contagious disease was the major cause of mortality at