Table 2.

Answers given by the 1287 respondents on management regarding calving and care of the newborn calf

Variable	Answers	Overall (%)	Small farms (≤20 cows) (%)	Large farms (>20 cows) (%)	P
Presence of calving pen on farm	No	51.1	27.0	68.5	<0.01
	Yes	47.0	70.5	30.4
	No answer	1.9	2.5	1.1
Cow calf separation p.n.	Immediately	41.0	46.9	35.8	<0.01
	Within 1 h	47.6	44.7	49.4
	Within 4 h	3.4	1.8	5.2
	Later than 4 h	7.8	6.3	9.4
	No answer	0.2	0.3	0.2
Time of first colostrum feeding p.n.	Within 4 h	83.7	83.0	84.3	0.36
	4–6 h	13.5	14.6	12.3
	>6 h	1.1	1.1	1.1
	No answer	1.7	1.3	2.3
Quantity of first colostrum fed within the first 6 h p.n.	<2 L	13.3	15.4	11.2	0.11
	2–4 L	71.9	69.9	73.5
	>4 L	12.7	13.3	12.4
	No answer	2.1	1.4	2.9
Checking colostrum quality	No	78.7	80.3	77.7	0.21
	Yes	20.8	19.0	22.0
	No answer	0.5	0.7	0.3
If yes, method	Hydrometer	13.5	2.5	23.5	<0.01
	Visual inspection	86.1	97.5	75.0
	No answer	0.4	0.0	1.5
Use of an oesophageal feeder for first colostrum	No	63.1	67.5	58.0	<0.01
	Yes	6.0	8.9	3.1
	If necessary	27.1	17.3	37.6
	No answer	3.8	6.3	1.3
Frozen colostrum stocks	No	27.0	35.8	18.6	<0.01
	Yes	72.7	64.2	80.8
	No answer	0.3	0.0	0.6
Routine umbilical care	No	26.9	23.8	29.9	0.02
	Yes	69.5	72.3	69.6
	No answer	3.6	3.9	0.5
If yes, type of umbilical care	Dipping/sprayinga	28.4	28.5	28.6	0.64
	Stripping out	17.5	16.5	18.8
	Combination	54.1	55.0	52.6
	No answer	0.0	0.0	0.0

Data are given for all farms and for small and large farms, separately. P-value presents differences between small and large farms

p.n. post natum

^aDipping or spraying with iodine, chlortetracycline or foreshot