Fueling the Calf's Immune System-The Importance of Trace Minerals

Jerry Rusch, DVM

Trace minerals are an essential part of fueling a calf’s immune system even though they are needed in only small amounts.  Development of a calf’s immune system is essential to optimize health, growth and ultimately profit.  These trace minerals are copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Selenium (Se) and Manganese (Mn).   Collectively, these trace minerals impact a calf’s ability to respond to vaccine and disease challenges.  Copper affects the T cell response to disease and the ability of the body’s neutrophils to kill and consume invading bacteria and viruses.   In addition, copper is needed to develop hair color and strength.  Zinc is important for thymus gland development, which is the source of T cells which fight diseases.  Zinc is also important for skin health which protects against an invading organisms’ entry.  Selenium is needed for B cell response and antibody production.  Selenium is also essential for neutrophils to travel to the site of infection and to kill invading bacteria and viruses.  Manganese is associated with proper skeletal and joint formation.  All of these minerals are also involved in the body’s’ ability to handle oxygen free radicals which cause tissue damage.

During the last trimester of pregnancy, the cow pulls trace minerals from her liver to her blood stream which flows through the placenta into the umbilical vein of the calf.   The trace minerals are then deposited into the developing fetus’s liver.  This stacking is the reason MULTIMIN® 90 is given to the pregnant cow.  It will raise her liver trace mineral levels that she will be using for her developing fetus.

beef calf immune system



dairy calf immune system



When the calf is born, the colostrum is an immediate source of disease fighting antibodies, but it is a very poor sources of trace minerals and does little to impact the amount needed immediately for optimal development.  Other disease fighting cells come from the thymus gland.  Like colostrum, milk is also a very poor source of trace minerals.  Giving an injection at birth, when you are handling the calf to do such procedures as tagging and weighing, can help improve and elevate their trace mineral status.  In beef calves, this injection and one again at 70-90 days of age (branding) are also important because 75% of these trace minerals will have been consumed within the first 60 days.   A third injection at the first preconditioning shot or at weaning will be needed to fuel the immune system optimizing the response to the vaccines given at that time.

University studies showed that supplementing dairy calves with MULTIMIN® 90 injectable trace minerals, boosted their antioxidant levels and made the calves` own defense systems against disease stronger. This led to decreased scours cases and also less pneumonia, ear infection or both.

Studies also indicated that calves treated with MULTIMIN® 90 at the same time as vaccines had improved overall health and immune response to the vaccines and thus provide maximum growth and producer profit.

New study data indicated that treating pregnant cows and heifers with MULTIMIN® 90 along with scours prevention vaccine before calving, tended to increase the colostrum quality. The calves that consumed the better-quality colostrum tended to have more specific antibodies for better scours protection. MULTIMIN® 90 injectable trace mineral is an integral part of a herd health and calf vaccination program.  Talk to your veterinarian about MULTIMIN® 90. MULTIMIN® 90 should be given under the skin along the neck as the lowest injection following Beef Quality Assurance Guidelines.  This dose of MULTIMIN® 90 is calculated using the age and weight of the animal with calves up to one year of age receiving 1 cc per 100 pounds bodyweight subcutaneously.