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
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
Grain-Fed Veal – Producer Objectives
Why Higher Protein?
Capitalize on the rapid early growth potential of young calves. Meet the needs of the rapidly growing bone and muscle for protein. This encourages greater lean tissue deposition without excess fattening.
Why Specific Protein : Fat Ratio?
Provide the correct protein to fat ratio at these higher feeding rates, to better promote muscle and skeletal growth so that increases in stature are attained. The high digestibility of lactose and the requirement for energy by the calf must… Continue reading
Developmental Research – Grain-fed Veal Programs
Ontario and Quebec dairy herds produce approximately 400,000 male calves annually. These calves are destined for several hundred veal producers.The goal of grain fed veal producers is to achieve the desired finish at the desired weight and age. The market-ready calf is typically 250-295kg at an age of 25-30 weeks. Finished average daily gains should be 1.13kg or better and feed conversion should be 3.5-4.0 kg per kg of live-weight gain.
The Holstein calf has an ability to grow rapidly… Continue reading
Developmental Research – enhanced feeding programs
Numerous studies, back as far as 1968, have examined the effects of feeding increased rates of milk or milk replacer to young calves. Recent developments in this area of heifer rearing have led to enhanced feeding programs.
Conventional calf feeding offers milk replacer, of 18-22% protein and 15-22% fat, at approximately 500g/d. This can support approx. 400g/d live-weight gain (LWG). For dairy replacement heifers of high genetic potential, this is not sufficient to meet optimum growth potential. Recent studies have… Continue reading
Feed Economics
Feed represents a major cost item in any production facility. The feeding program and type of feed used must be an important consideration. Rations that are not correctly formulated will quickly impact on the feed economics of this short growing period. Average daily gain (ADG) and feed efficiency (FE) ratio are key factors in profit realization. The FE achieved in any system of production can be affected by several factors:
Nutritive value of the diet
1) Maintenance:
Both ADG and… Continue reading