Winter feeding – don’t just add fat!
The cold weather that comes with Canadian winters means that calf feeding programs need to be adjusted.
Maintenance requirements must be met for growth and development however ensuring strong growth has been linked to improved performance (earlier breeding and increased milk yield). In order to continue with setting a strong trend for growth, extra milk replacer needs to be fed during the winter. Wind, chill and wetness will demand more energy from the calf for maintenance.
Providing extra calories from… Continue reading
Calf – Winter Feeding
Understanding the basic concepts of growth helps improve calf and heifer management. Early postnatal growth is the most efficient time to develop skeletal growth, muscle growth, deposit protein and attain the highest feed efficiency. Mammary development can be enhanced by liquid (milk) feed intake prior to weaning (Brown et al, 2002). Calf raisers are advised to assess and adapt their feeding practices to ensure adequate growth while maximizing economic benefits.
Winter-feeding in cold climatic conditions requires additional attention to ensure… Continue reading
Optimizing your calf feeding program = Sound Economics
The terms accelerated and enhanced have been used over the past 15 years to describe an increased plane of nutrition in calves. However, calves require that increased nutrition in order to optimize growth. Moreover, production objectives such as decreasing age at first breeding, improving health status, and ultimately building a more efficient and productive dairy cow is now an expected outcome of a calf nutrition program.
The basis of the calf growth model
The calf’s digestive system is immature and… Continue reading
The Importance of a calf’s first meal
Colostrum is the first milk produced after a cow gives birth; it is a nutrient dense, immunoglobulin rich milk designed for the newborn calf. Delivering that milk with care is the key to ensuring that a calf’s immune system (immature at birth) starts to develop. Making certain that this first immunological base is provided to young calves in a timely fashion will have a critical impact on the defense against health challenges common to young animals..
During the past 2… Continue reading
Feeding Jersey Calves
General Recommendations:
- Always feed colostrum, the more the calf gets before 6 hours of birth the better
o Aim for 4 litres within 6 hours and then another 2 litres before 24 hours
o Colostrum can be fed for several days and there is some evidence that colostrum after 24 hours still has some immune benefits
o Consider colostrum replacer, such as Calf’s Choice Total, as a part of a strong calf program
- Transitions are always difficult but can be… Continue reading
Optimizing your calf feeding program
The terms accelerated and enhanced have been used over the past 15 years to describe an increased plane of nutrition in calves.
However, calves require that increased nutrition in order to optimize growth.
Moreover, production objectives such as:
- decreasing age at first breeding,
- improving health status,
- and ultimately building a more efficient and productive dairy cow is now an expected outcome of a calf nutrition program.
The basis of the calf growth model
The calf’s digestive system is immature and… Continue reading
Colostrum: The Most Important Meal
high quality PDF of this information
Newborn animals are vulnerable to infection and disease. Immunoglobulins (Ig’s) are the first defence against disease and necessary for stimulation of the immune system.
Young ruminants (calves, lambs, kids) are born with negligible circulating concentrations of immunoglobulins (antibodies). Ig’s do not pass across the placenta prior to birth. Since there is no maternal sharing, ensuring that calves receive these Ig’s at birth is the only way to protect a newborn from environmental and disease… Continue reading
Automatic Calf Feeders and Group Housing
Principles and Experience
Introduction
Producers have traditionally raised calves in individual pens or hutches. This rearing system has had advantages of individual feeding, observation and reduced risk of cross-contamination. It is however, still labour intensive. Dairy cattle are naturally group-living animals. Group-housed calves can enjoy an early social interaction and learn to understand group behaviour. Research is now proving that well-managed group housed calf rearing systems can provide advantages for both calves and producers.
Automatic feeding systems for group housing… Continue reading
Veal calf feeding and pre-feed checking
This information is inteneded for those raising veal calves, housed individually.
- Calves should be fed twice everyday.
- Missed feeding means missed growth.
- Calves should be fed as close to 9-12 hours apart as possible for optimum appetite and digestion. These times should remain as constant as possible as calves are creatures of habit. Irregular feeding times will result in more refusals, especially with older calves.
- Two hours after feeding give water to all calves that didn’t drink half or more of… Continue reading
Posted in Management | 
appetite, bloat, creatures of habit, general health, hydration, label changes, manure, raising calves, sick calves, veal calvesWater – an Essential Nutrient
Water accounts for 70-75% of young animal’s body weight and yet, is often overlooked as a necessary nutrient. Water is the nutrient required in greatest quantity by young animals.
What does the body need water for?
Basic metabolic functions need daily water intake to replace that which is continuously used or eliminated. I.e.: transporting nutrients (blood volume), excretion of waste products (urine and faeces), digestion of feed, maintenance of osmotic pressure, lubrication of joints and eyes, exchange of CO2 with… Continue reading