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Colostrum, colostrum, colostrum. The virtues of this life-promoting substance have been thoroughly researched and communicated in the dairy industry for many years.
As preparations are made for warmer weather, heat stress is often thought of as a problem that should be avoided in lactating cows due to lost performance and possibly lost cows.
However, the effects of heat stress on replacement animals tends to be overlooked.
Beyond the neonatal phase, calves face another large metabolic shift and a drastic leap in their development at weaning, where specific feed and housing management are again factors to be closely tailored to these animals’ needs.
A couple of weeks ago, I trained employees at a mid-size dairy farm. The place was well-run and the calf feeder had full support and trust of the farm owner. The guy liked his calves and cared about doing a good job.What surprised me about the farm was the lack of immediate hygiene.
As producers move away from hutches and look into building new or remodeling an existing barn to house nursing calves, they have the opportunity to consider two housing management strategies: automatic group feeders or individual pens. There are pros and cons to both types of management systems which need to be considered when deciding which is right for your farm.
As the mild spring temperatures creep higher each day, we’re reminded that summer, with its often relentless heat and humidity, is just around the corner. Now is the time to remember that heat stress can be very hard on your calves, but there are steps you can take to keep them comfortable and growing all summer long.
Water may be the most overlooked aspect of many calf-raising programs. Research has shown that it takes 15.3 days for the average U.S. dairy to first offer calves water. However, most experts agree that calves should be offered water at 1 to 2 days old to encourage calf starter intake.
Most people like consistency in life and work. Consistency should be a major goal in how we feed our baby calves. Here we will discuss how feeding consistently can improve your calf-rearing program.
In a study we published in the Professional Animal Science Journal, calves were fed a low-fat milk replacer (17 percent fat) more typical of the industry and a high-fat milk replacer (30 percent fat) more typical of cow’s milk at an average rate of 1.5 pounds of solids daily.
Dairy calves are extremely susceptible to gastrointestinal disease during the pre-weaned period. The risk for enteric disease decreases as the calf ages.
When a calf is born, it has been exposed to very few if any micro-organisms, and some aspects of its gastrointestinal immune system are not fully developed.
Recent research by Cornell University is taking a fresh look at the first 60 days of the calf’s life. The focus of the research is on perinatal programming, or what happens after birth that determines the ability of a calf to achieve its genetic potential for growth and production. The research has concentrated on three areas:
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