Sam Ashcroft of Rosehill Farm, Chorley buys in two to four-week-old dairy bred beef calves; usually Blue and Hereford crosses. They are fed 2.5-3L of Wynngold SuperNova mixed at 150g/L either end of the day through Milkbar 3-teat compartment feeders.
If you are looking for the most cost-effective way of rearing pre-weaned youngstock, studies have now confirmed that whey protein concentrate and skim are equivalent sources of dairy protein in milk replacers for high performing young calves fed up to 1,050g of milk solids per day.
This latest independent research – confirmed in recent trial (2019) work by AFBI at Hillsborough in Northern Ireland – will be well received by farmers wedded to skim, who at times may be interested in a cost-effective alternative when global skim prices rise.
Colostrum management is the key aspect to any successful calf rearing system. We know the importance of feeding our calves colostrum quickly (within 2 hours of birth), quality (>50mg/l) and quantity (10% of birthweight) but do we know the detrimental effect of the contamination within colostrum if we were to leave it standing after harvesting.
Choosing a calf milk replacer (CMR) can be a minefield with so many available. The CMR market is easily divisible into two groups; whey-based powders and skim-based powders providing the two main sources of dairy protein. Choosing the right powder for your system is not only vital to the productivity of pre-weaning calves but the lifetime performance and profitability of each animal.
Calf Starter is something that I get asked about daily, whether its coarse mix vs pellets vs nuts, intakes or what’s “best” for calves. So, here’s a breakdown of the current guidelines and recommendations.
Current research has focused on feeding calves an elevated plane of nutrition during the pre weaning period. Research has shown multiple benefits to this choice of calf management programme, including increased average daily gains, early onset of puberty, improved longevity and potential for higher milk production in the future.
Those who have worked with me know my opinion regarding beef and dairy calves - a calf is a calf! Whether beef or dairy, it should be reared to the highest standard, and the first 3 months is when they are most feed-efficient, therefore enhancing higher daily live weight gains. Nutrition is not the only area we should focus on, we also have to consider health and housing in order to maximise calf performance.
The importance of a colostrum to a calf is well known and can’t be over stated. Guaranteeing a calf receives an adequate amount of good-quality colostrum soon after birth, is one of the most important things to ensure strong, healthy growth and will have a major impact on farm profitability.
Calf rearing is a forever-changing topic as we constantly learn and improve how calves are reared. Below is a summary of what’s new in calf rearing, some hot topics and buzzwords.
Far too often calf rearers get caught up blaming “uncontrollable factors”, mainly the weather, for poor growth rates or poor health in their calves. But arguably, doing a better job of things that are within our control would produce a stronger calf able to deal with additional challenges.
