www.wynnstay.co.uk
WORKSHOPS HIGHLIGHT THE CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS FOR EFFECTIVE DAIRY CALF REARING Calf rearers across Wynnstay’s trading area now have an improved understanding of the important nutrition, health and hygiene practices so necessary for calves to hit optimum development and growth targets. Thanks to a series of interactive workshops held earlier this year – organised by the Wynnstay Calf & Youngstock Team which involved a mix of classroom-based discussion and practical on-farm demonstrations – attending farmers left better equipped to improve their dairy calf rearing operations and realise the full performance potential of youngstock entering the adult milking herd. “Whenever we get farmers together to talk about calf rearing, there is always an appetite for information exchange. Everybody participated enthusiastically and I’m sure they all went away eager to make at least one change at home,” says Jessica Yeomans from Wynnstay. A member of the Wynnstay team opened each workshop by highlighting the crucial importance of ensuring newborn calves receive an adequate intake of good quality colostrum, either via a teat or by stomach tubing.
The quantity of colostrum fed is also vital, and the aim should always be to make sure a newborn calf receives at least 10% of its birthweight in colostrum within the first few hours of life. “Calves are born without the antibodies that are essential to prevent disease and colostrum is the sole source of these antibodies. Calves need a first feed of three litres within two hours of birth, followed by another similar sized feed within 6-12 hours of birth,” she says. Asking your vet to blood test calves within a week of birth can also help to indicate whether they have received adequate colostrum.
EFFECTIVE DAIRY CALF REARING
“Timing is everything. As soon as a dairy calf is born, whenever possible, try to harvest the colostrum quickly from the dam so that it can be fed to the newborn calf. This is where many farms struggle. Once you have obtained the colostrum, test its quality using a refractometer or colostrometer to ensure it is good enough to feed to the calf. If it’s not, draw on your stored colostrum that does make the quality grade,” says Jessica.
When it comes to managing the impact of disease, vet Mark Hickinson says that vaccination programmes, good hygiene and husbandry will often tip the health balance in a calf’s favour.
Follow the heifer roadmap Volac representatives highlighted the company’s heifer roadmap, explaining the nutrition dairy calves require to be able to calve down at 24 months of age in a ‘fit not fat’ condition, as well as being primed to achieve their genetic milking performance potential.
Wynnstay calf specialist Jessica Yeomans explains how to use a simple weigh tape to measure calf growth rates.
“Heifers need to be growing at an average rate of 800g per day to produce their first calf at 24 months of age. Any growth setback due to inadequate nutrition or disease will impair optimum development efficiency and delay this recommended first calving age target,” says Volac’s global technical manager Ian Watson.
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