An individual calf kit at Birchen Farms contains an ear tag, Inforce 3 single dose vaccine, syringe and paper to collect information on the calf. Photo courtesy of Vita Plus.

The calf kit items are pre-sorted into a sealable plastic bag. Photo courtesy of Vita Plus. 

The sealed calf kit bags are stocked in order by ear tag in plastic file folders to make it easy for someone working with a newborn calf to grab the next one to use. Photo courtesy of Vita Plus.

The file folders are kept in the refrigerator since they contain vaccines that need to be stored there. Photo courtesy of Vita Plus.

Birchen Farms has ice delivered to the farm. They go through 60 to 80 pounds of ice a day, using it in a cooler to cool down fresh colostrum. Photo courtesy of Vita Plus.

Colostrum is stored in individual bags. The bags are placed in a cooler of ice to instantly cool it down prior to being placed in a refrigerator or freezer for longer storage. Photo courtesy of Vita Plus.

Colostrum bags are labeled with the date it was collected and the Brix reading. Birchen Farms has multiple freezers full of colostrum. They take a regular inventory and feed excess colostrum to older calves. Photo courtesy of Vita Plus.

A sous vide is used to warm frozen colostrum without overcooking the valuable nutrients inside. Photo courtesy of Vita Plus.

When things get busy in the maternity barn, a white board is used to collect important information quickly. At the end of a shift or during downtime, this information is transferred to a sheet of paper specific to each calf. Photo courtesy of Vita Plus.