Jerseys are the fastest growing population among dairy breeds, and it’s no surprise the industry is hungry for more data on how to better feed and manage them. With respect to feeding Jersey calves, there is still limited information available on nutritional strategies in the first four months of life.

With heifer raising accounting for roughly 20 percent of total farm expenses, paying close attention to heifer nutrition and management is essential for raising quality replacement animals without adding on unnecessary expenses.

Disease risks on the dairy farm constantly change. Therefore, it’s important to evaluate and update vaccination protocols regularly with your veterinarian to protect heifers and cows against the challenges they face as they enter the breeding herd.

How to raise healthy calves. It’s a subject that gets beat to death – I know that. But what if we are making it harder than it needs to be? What we often fail to focus on are the foundational pieces of healthy animals.

Let’s take everything you know about feeding pasteurized waste milk and set it aside for a moment. There’s a lot of information out there, and I think we can all agree, it’s good to take a step back sometimes and reevaluate.

Houses. Relationships. Businesses. What do all three have in common? They all are built from a solid foundation, and calf hutches are no different.

When it comes to raising calves, Mohomed Elsheikh, DVM, feed department and calf manager at North Florida Holsteins, a 6,000-cow dairy in Bell, Florida, believes that proper management is the key to their success.

When it comes to raising healthy, vigorous calves, Mohamed ElSheikh, DVM, feed department and calf manager at North Florida Holsteins in Bell, Florida, believes it all comes back to management.

Feeding calves high rates of milk replacer is common practice in many parts of the U.S. High milk replacer feeding rates have resulted in increased pre-weaning average daily gain (ADG). Improved feed efficiency has also been observed, most likely due to the greater digestibility of liquid feed compared to calf starter.

Drafts and pre-weaned calves – rarely is a topic so misunderstood. Many calf raisers are uncomfortable with the topic of drafts on calves, regardless of the outside temperature. Most people believe drafts are to be avoided at all costs.