The Wynnstay Calf and Youngstock section of the AgriHub is written by specialist in the field. Our lambing news and advice is created to prepare you for the lambing season, making sure that not only is you lambing shed ready but also both lamb and ewe health is managed.
Our team of calf specialists are highly experienced in the field of calf rearing, their blog posts offer calf rearing advice and news for both dairy and beef farmers. Our calf news section looks at calf housing, feeding and health. It also offer advice on how to improve profits and margins on farm.
Making the most of grass, planning winter forage ahead of time and focusing on heifers are three non-negotiables for a profitable suckler business this year and longer-term.
In episode seven of the Wynnstay Agri-hub podcast, Tony and I discuss what suckler beef businesses should focus on to enable profitability. Although input costs are unprecedentedly high, the current price of beef is buoyant, with good cull cow, finishing and store beef prices.
Jon Miller of Hollins Farm has been using Bloom milk replacer for the last two and a half years and says "it is by far the best milk replacer we have been on". The heifers have performed exceptionally well on it and we are having heifers calve down at 24 months yielding 34.6L with the highest achieving 42L at 43 DIM, with a first lactation pregnancy rate of 36.2% and a whole herd pregnancy rate of 29% from heifers that have been reared on Bloom, something which they are immensely proud of.
Rob Noad of Woodhouse Farm says "Stellar is delivering the growth rates we want, and calves do love consistency and routine, so the winning combination of a good milk replacer product fed accurately through an automated machine makes such a difference".
Heat stress in the dry cow pen can have significant implications on both cow and unborn calf performance. Heat stressed cows have decreased dry matter intakes, increased metabolic stress, poor transition and decreased milk production and immune response. A factor which can often become over- looked is the impact heat stress can have on the calf in utero, which can impact its future on your farm.
Due to improved animal welfare, new regulations and an overall push in the industry, the next topic will not be a concern to all, but it is still an area for improvement.
Disbudding and castrating are painful procedures for calves. Recent research shows that calves experience a negative emotional response for up to 22 hours after for some time. However, these behavioural and physiological responses can be reduced greatly or avoided.
We all know the importance of quality colostrum, but it is easy to overlook the importance of dry cows and dry cow management when it comes to maximising colostrum quality.
The end of 2021 has arrived with colder weather, darker nights, and a storm brewing in the calf milk raw material market.
With the dairy industry increasing the use of sexed semen, and research indicating there may be environmental benefits to crossbred calves, rearing dairy-bred beef calves can be an attractive option.
Unfortunately, far too many farms are still losing too many calves to scours. Indeed, a 2017 study highlighted that in calves under two months of age, scour is the main cause of death.
What’s more, according to MSD Animal Health’s latest national youngstock survey (spring 2020), 81% of more than 300 farmers surveyed said they had experienced scour in their calves during the last 12 months and 50% of farms had suffered mortalities. On dairy farms, calf deaths due to scour had been seen by more than 65% of units.
Cryptosporidiosis is one of the most common causes of calf scour. Calves are usually affected shortly after birth and develop scour at around 5-7 days. Infected calves suffer permanent damage to the intestinal lining which reduces their ability to absorb nutrients and water. It can affect growth rates and push back the age at first calving.
