A difficult birth can have a negative impact on health, performance, and survivability of youngstock. We must aim to not only reduce levels and severity of dystocia but also put protocols in place to manage calves from difficult births.
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.
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.
Weighing calves on an electronic scale sounds like good practice – but who has got time for that?! I caught up with a couple of dairy farmers who have bought an electronic scale within the last 12 months to ask their thoughts so far on using it.
There are many targets that we set on farm to assess the success of the business and calf operating system. Many targets have become outdated with the emphasis now on producing bigger, stronger heifers that we are rearing for longevity and lifetime production. Below are some thoughts on the targets that we should be re-evaluating to streamline the rearing operation further.
There is no doubt that cryptosporidium (Crypto) is a major calf health problem, with it being the most commonly diagnosed pathogen in preweaning calves. 40% of infectious diarrhoea is caused by Crypto. So what is it and how can we tackle it?
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.
Losses caused by pneumonia in calves arise from: - veterinary attention, cost of treatment, reduced weight gain, increased feed requirements, increased labour. As well as longer finishing times and lower milk yields.
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.
