Successful colostrum management requires careful attention to cleanliness. Colostrum, while it is still in a healthy cow, should have a bacteria count of essentially zero. However, by the time it gets into the calf, bacteria counts are often very high.

Many people know the length of the daily photoperiod signals chickens and other birds to start or stop laying eggs.

Fat is an energy-dense nutrient that is a major component in calf milk replacers (MRs) and dry feeds. Over the last 15-plus years, there have been an array of studies looking at MR formulas with different crude-protein-to-fat ratios.

“We have way too many calves with acidosis.” “Rumen pHs are low, must be acidosis.” “I need to switch calf starters; this one is causing acidosis.” Have any of these thoughts crossed your mind? If so, you’re not alone. But, you might be missing the real question – do your calves actually have acidosis?