The forgotton weaning

Another calf rearing season is drawing to a close and I’m sure you’ll be pleased to see the calf sheds empty out. WORDS AND IMAGES SUPPLIED BY RUMINATE.

Overall we do a great job rearing calves in New Zealand, setting them up well for future growth and performance. It is common place though to hear about that post weaning check and for calves to struggle for a period of time on a grass only diet. We all know grass is a great resource but it doesn’t provide a balanced diet on its own, especially for young developing ruminants. These calves go through major transitions in their first few months of life. Nutritionally they transition from milk to meal and then from meal to grass. We do an excellent job of that first transition and now there are new options to assist with the second transition onto grass only and avoid that post weaning check. WEANER Forage Balancer is formulated for NZ conditions and designed to support calves through that second feed transition supporting high performance by filling in the nutrition gaps in grass. Mineral, trace element and vitamin deficiencies combined with a shortage of carbohydrates mean your calves simply can’t extract the full value from your grass. WEANER Forage Balancer is a simple to use and cost-effective solution to keep your calves healthy and growing post weaning. WEANER Forage Balancer is a loose, free choice product to be fed at 100g per calf, per day. It’s simple to use, palatable, water resistant and cost effective. Field studies in NZ consistently deliver an increase in liveweight gain of greater than 200g per day when compared to a grass only diet. Avoid another year of that frustrating weaning check with WEANER Forage Balancer and Optimise your Animal. For more information on Weaner Forage Balancer contact your local Ruralco Representative.