We expect a lot from heifer calves in today’s modern dairy world, which requires more efficiency and consistency for success. Populating the milking herd with any heifer is no longer viable.

Electrolytes are a staple of successful calf-raising. If we were to make a list of necessities for raising healthy calves, electrolytes would be on it. 

“We need to make things as simple as possible, but no simpler.” This quote, which is often attributed to Albert Einstein, accurately sums up our quest to deliver optimal nutrition to pre-weaned calves.

You’ve probably heard or read it 100 times or more – cows love consistency. Numerous research studies and on-farm experiences show dairy cows perform better with day-to-day sameness in their care and routines – the way they are milked, the stalls they lie in, the number of hours they rest and even the number of times they drink water.

In 1975, I learned a valuable lesson in newborn calf health. It was the first spring after my father passed away, and I was solely in charge of calving our beef herd in northern Minnesota.

Milk replacers come in a variety of formulations from a variety of manufacturers. With so many different products available, it’s important to know what’s really in the bag.

Many dairies and calf ranches report show-stopping results for growth and health when raising calves on whole milk. In fact, nearly half of all dairy calves raised in the U.S. are fed a ration containing whole milk during at least part of the pre-weaning stage.

You don’t need to look far in mainstream life to see evidence of concern regarding antibiotic resistance. It seems every week, a new fast-food chain touts its products are “raised without antibiotics,” and media stories about antibiotic resistance in human health appear just as regularly.

When you’re raising replacement heifers, your goal is to build animals that will achieve long, healthy, productive lives. The care and nutrition they receive in their first days and weeks of life can have lasting effects on how well they fare in the longer race.

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.