Reduced calving age from one year to the next may suggest improved calf and heifer rearing; however it is months later when we can make these assumptions. If a heifer is first served at 18 months old, it can be assumed that there are improvements to be made to allow future heifers to reach service weight earlier. But it is difficult at this point to then determine at which stage of rearing that this heifer didn’t meet her targets and fell behind.
If we dried whole milk to a powder the protein level would sit at an average of around 24% and the fat level 30%. At 23% protein and 27% oil our new Elixir+ is as close as it gets!
When selecting a feeding programme for your calves there are pros and cons to consider before making the move: disease risk, nutrient intake for growth performance, and economics. You may think that pasteurisation is the best option for your system and so it may be, but it might be worth reading on to consider some of the myths of pasteurising.
Colostrum is a concentrated source of nutrients, which includes fats, proteins, Immunoglobulins such as Immunoglobulin G (IgG), carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Ensuring that a newborn calf gets the correct amount of good quality colostrum as soon as possible after birth is paramount to produce a healthy calf.
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-effectivealternative 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.
