Calf & Youngstock

We have reformulated Start n Wean formula to increase the starch and energy content, helping to further promote rumen development and maintain gut health.

Weaning is one of the most important transitions for calves due to the increased reliance on rumen function.  The transition to ruminant digestion is a complex process that relies on water, concentrates and forage for microbial and physical rumen development. Calf Starter consumption is the most important factor for initiating rumen papillae development as the rumen relies on the end-products of bacterial fermentation from the concentrates.

In recent years, we have seen automatic calf machine becoming more popular on farm, and with recent government grants including machines, popularity has soared. Automatic calf feeders can be a great tool on farm, allowing labour time spent feeding the calves monitoring the calves health and performance.

“In June 2023 we started a complete overhaul of calf management at Bengrove Farm, in an attempt to combat calf disease and mortality rates. We did this while feeding Wynngold™ Bloom and were successful in our initial goals. 

In a further push for increased performance, we found that our growth rates would not exceed 0.55 kg/day DLWG. In August, the decision was made - with the help of the Wynnstay Youngstock Team - to switch to Wynngold™ Supernova milk replacer. The increase in vigour and reduction in nutritional scour was immediate with a gradual and consistent increase in growth rates.

We are very pleased with the overall results from feeding Supernova and are incredibly happy to end the year with a DLWG of 0.82 kg/day.”

"We cannot recommend OsmoFit enough, it is extremely palatable and has a pleasant aroma. It is a cost-effective, preventative method and minimises the costs associated with scour outbreaks and sick calves.”

Wynnstay customer, Andrew Wallis, from Dorset, discusses his experience following a switch to Wynnstay's Elixir Calf Milk formula. 

One in five sheep producers are still cross fostering triplet lambs onto single-bearing ewes and about 30% are continuing to bottle feed orphans. This is despite the significant extra labour required to carry out both traditional rearing practices.

With spring calving fast approaching, kickstarting one of the busiest, most demanding time of year, being properly prepared can relieve some of the stress for farmer, cow and calf.

Rearing heifers are a sizeable investment to a dairy enterprise, with rearing costs not being recouped until the cow reaches their second lactation. Studies carried out by AHDB show that on average 17% of milking heifers exit the herd before their second lactation (AHDB, 2023).

Back at the start of 2023, the acronym ‘CALF HEALTH’ was chosen by the calf and youngstock team to base their newsletter articles on. Each letter represented a topic that contributed towards improving calf health.