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Your calves deserve the best of both worlds – milk feeding balanced to deliver the right amount of milk nutrients and fresh calf starter that will contribute to their future as a ruminant.
Editor’s note: This article is part two in a two-part series on what to look for during a calf pen walk-through. Part one: Indoor calf pen walk-throughs: What you need to look for.
In the previous article, the focus was on looking at calves with some simple ways to identify a potential problem.
Keeping calf barns well ventilated during warm weather starts with the design of the facility.
The Dairyland Initiative’s preferred nursery calf barn design is a one- or two-row individual calf pen building utilizing natural ventilation.
Maintaining a healthy dairy herd starts with care and attention to calves. Not only do mechanical brushes help keep cows comfortable, they keep calves comfortable as well.
Q. Why is this a top resource article?
“Weighing milk replacer powder and measuring water volume is the best way to ensure accurate mixing,” says Tom Earleywine, director of nutritional services with Land O’Lakes Animal Milk Products. “While it’s easy to get into a routine, it’s always a good idea to brush up on your mixing skills to ensure you’re providing consistent nutrition to your calves. These step-by-step mixing instructions are a great resource when you need a quick refresher.”
It is easy to get into a habit of doing something the same way it has always been done. Mixing calf milk replacer is no exception.
In this video, Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus calf products coordinator, discusses many of the facility considerations needed to successfully feed young calves. From bottle angles to correct pail heights, many factors impact whether a calf can easily and comfortably get the nutrition it needs.
Chronic diarrhea. Weakness. Low bodyweight. Loss of appetite. Death.
For decades, Holstein calves not responding to treatment left animal health professionals perplexed while costing dairy farmers worldwide countless dollars in veterinary care and losses.
Dairy farms historically raised pre-weaned calves in hutches or individual pens. This made feedings easier, allowed for individual monitoring and curbed disease outbreaks. As more farms transition to group housing, this traditional method is being challenged.
Nutrition of dairy heifers is often talked about as a whole without referring to the age and growth stage of the heifer. Even though there is a lot of focus placed on feeding milk-fed calves, little research information is available regarding the best strategies for feeding post-weaned dairy heifers.
Mixing milk replacers for winter feeding of dairy calves
The total nutrients consumed by pre-weaned calves affects their average daily gain (ADG). What is even more intriguing is some evidence that the calf’s ADG before weaning impacts its first-lactation milk yield.
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