Calf Nutrition

Maintaining calf performance via a strategic electrolyte protocol

jmatschke@grober.com — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Calf hydration management is one of the most critical and often overlooked components of successful calf raising. In the first weeks of life, calves are highly susceptible to fluid imbalance caused by environmental stress, management transitions and gastrointestinal illness.

Research Review: From the Journal of Dairy Science: Effect of water quality on calf health and new insights on fatty acids

pedro.nogueira@trouwnutrition.com — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Researchers assessed the effects of municipal tap water compared with purified water on calf performance and health.

Small calves, big gains: Maximizing average daily gain in replacement calves

maxime_tarte@cargill.com — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0500

In an increasingly demanding dairy production environment, the performance of replacement heifers is a major factor for ensuring herd profitability and sustainability. A solid rearing program goes beyond genetics – it starts with measuring current growth results.

Day-old calf nonnegotiables

cthrasher@genex.coop — Fri, 30 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Through our experience of working with numerous dairies to troubleshoot early calf health challenges, we’ve identified several critical, nonnegotiable colostrum management practices.

Win-win opportunities for calf welfare: Enhancing nutrition and social housing for optimal health and productivity

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Calf welfare has been a key focus area of Drs. Dan Weary and Marina (Nina) von Keyserlingk’s industry research chair in animal welfare at the University of British Columbia. In a recent episode of the Dairy Farmers of Canada’s research podcast series, Paths to On-Farm Excellence, Weary and von Keyserlingk discussed milk feeding and group housing – two key elements of their research surrounding calf welfare and management.

Research Review: From the Journal of Dairy Science: Influences on colostrum production and nutritional factors on milk production in automated milking systems

pedro.nogueira@trouwnutrition.com — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0400

This article from researchers from Cornell University and Germany describes the individual, seasonal and herd-level variability of colostrum production and summarizes the association between animal individual factors – such as parity, sex of the calf, calf birthweight, as well as indicators of the cow’s metabolic status – and the yield and composition of colostrum.

How different rumen environments can affect health in dairy calves

alaarman@ualberta.ca — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Young calves are the future of most dairy herds, and their future production potential is directly tied to their growth and development pre-weaning. At birth, the rumen is non-functional, leaving the calf reliant on a liquid, milk-based diet.

Can your calves pass these tests?

jonathan.townsend@merck.com — Wed, 08 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

In the realm of calf raising, the adage holds true: "You can't manage what you can't measure." From birth to weaning, a variety of tests and measurements can help you evaluate the success of your calf-raising protocols, provide insights into calf health and highlight areas for improvement.

Productive life starts with calves

matt_dodd@diamondv.com — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Calves are not just a cost; they are the investment in the future potential of your dairy herd. As the promising carriers of our best genetics, they represent the assurance of future profitability.

G.I. tract health is key in pneumonia prevention

kimmo@novonesis.com — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 08:58:39 -0500

Raising calves in the winter brings many challenges, and feeding an effective probiotic is one tool that can help reduce the stress involved in calf raising.

Putting fun and efficiency into calf raising

bvincent@immucell.com — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Many producers turn to a custom calf raiser because they want to offload heifer-raising challenges. You might have other reasons for sending calves away, such as saving forage and labor for the milking herd or the lack of updated calf facilities.

Invest in the perfect calf

djdominguez@immucell.com — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Giving calves a good start can be expensive. However, not investing in your calf operation can cost you in the parlor. Too many dairies chase after pennies of efficiency on the cow side but trip over dollars of missed opportunities in their calf program.

Maximizing the beef-on-dairy paycheque

dmiller@immucell.com — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Beef-on-dairy calves are an investment. These calves should be treated just as well as a heifer calf that will be raised for the dairy. A poor-quality, unhealthy calf not only hurts your bottom line, it also jeopardizes your reputation as a quality calf supplier.

Scours: When and how it hits the fan

ccarter@immucell.com — Tue, 09 May 2023 08:22:58 -0400

When I visit a farm, my favorite question to ask is, “What part of the dairy you are most proud of?” Typically, the answers include some sort of cow performance measurements, such as milk production, pregnancy rates or genomics.

Extended colostrum and transition milk feeding: Pros, cons and implementation

Tue, 21 Feb 2023 09:38:20 -0500

There is no making up for the first 24 hours of a calf’s life. Consider extended colostrum feedings for the first couple of weeks and feeding transition milk for the first few days to level up your calf program.

5 steps to aid in dairy-beef crossbred growth and performance

tjwistuba@landolakes.com — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Treating beef-on-dairy calves with the proper care can earn you a few extra bucks at the sale barn. Read how to get the most out of your investment here.

Set up for success: 7 tips for getting the most out of your autofeeder

bradley.biehl@amsgalaxyusa.com — Mon, 19 Dec 2022 06:22:23 -0500

An automatic calf feeder is a great tool for many calf programs. As with any piece of equipment, management is a key contributor to the success or failure of your autofeeder.

Colostrum temperature: Not too hot, not too cold, just right

dmiller@immucell.com — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 17:06:57 -0500

Remember the children’s story “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” in which a young girl tastes three different bowls of porridge and discovers she doesn’t like it too hot or too cold but at just the right temperature? When it comes to preferences, calves and Goldilocks share something in common.

‘Y’ the best vaccine for scours may not be a vaccine

bbrockmann@immucell.com — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 18:35:03 -0400

If you could have any superpower, what would you choose? For newborn calves, their answer would most likely be immediate immunity.

Unintended consequences of early antibiotic introduction

kokaram@ahvint.com — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 15:26:13 -0400

As more research is being done on calf health, it is being discovered that common calf management practices that introduce antibiotics during critical development periods might be doing more harm than good.

Are your heifers all grown up?

andhil@swbell.net — Fri, 07 May 2021 13:00:01 -0400

When are heifers “all grown up?” Not really until at least the end of their first lactation. And cows are not considered mature until around their third lactation.

Choosing forage sources to feed the post-weaned heifer

andhil@swbell.net — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 19:42:49 -0500

One question commonly asked by dairy producers is: Which forage sources should I use when beginning to feed calves a total mixed ration (TMR) after weaning?

Create lifelong immunity starting with the newborn calf

kreed@diamondv.com — Mon, 31 Aug 2020 20:07:35 -0400

Creating lifelong immunity in baby calves has never been more important. A proactive approach to health, nutrition and management is a must from day one. Having a proper program in place not only improves the health of the animal, but it can also improve resilience to stress and disease.

Strategies to optimize calf rumen development, nutrition and health

alaarman@ualberta.ca — Mon, 20 Jul 2020 16:35:30 -0400

Nutrition is important at all stages of life for the dairy cow, but it is critical for young calves as they grow and mature.

How does feeding calves relate to a bank account?

aurora@afimilk.com — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Many producers report problems rearing calves without disease. First oﬀ, it is important to understand that they are living beings and, as such, some will get sick. Second, these are babies, so they are more susceptible to disease than adults.

A second look at management and environmental factors that impact growth of neonatal calves

mhill@provimi-na.com — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 11:34:32 -0500

There are probably as many ways to raise dairy replacements as there are people raising dairy replacements. Most of these methods are successful; however, everyone knows that some are more successful than others. At the most recent ADSA meetings in Denver last summer, we presented an evaluation of data we have collected to determine what impacts growth of neonatal calves through eight weeks old.