The importance of the first few hours of a calf’s life and the long-term implications for the newborn animal cannot be underestimated. Our Head of Ruminant Nutrition, Maeve Regan has put together a list of our most frequently asked calf rearing questions and answers to help you set your calf up for lifetime success.  

What should be considered when it comes to colostrum management? 

The successful passive transfer of immunity from the dam to the calf via colostrum is the cornerstone of calf rearing. Research indicates that herds that achieve high levels of passive transfer (100%) result in significantly less mortality rates (4.95%) when compared to poor levels of passive transfer (70-75%), resulting in mortality rates of 9.31%.

High standards of hygiene are necessary when collecting, feeding, and storing colostrum, with research indicating that colostrum contaminated with dirt/bacteria results in reduced antibody absorption. A Teagasc Moorepark study involving 48 commercial farms highlighted that stomach tubes and bottles with teats had the greatest quantity of bacteria present. The pooling of colostrum on farms should also be avoided to reduce the risk of disease transfer within the herd, as well as dilution of high-quality colostrum.

What are the key elements to consider when choosing a milk replacer? 

Firstly, it must contain a high level of dairy content. Dairy-derived protein sources include whey and skim powder. Research indicates that from 0-3 weeks of age, milk-derived proteins are the only proteins a calf can digest efficiently. Plant-based ingredients/vegetable sources of protein are less digestible to the calf and therefore reduce the nutritional quality of the milk powder. Higher levels of fibre in a milk replacer, typically indicate a greater percentage of plant protein. This year where margins are tight, high vegetable-based milk replacers may appear ‘good value’, however, comparative average daily gains to whole milk shouldn’t be expected in the early weeks of life.

Our Vitalac Red and Blue Calf Milk Replacers contain a 89-90% dairy content, offering a well-balanced level of highly digestible fat and protein, using carefully selected high quality dairy ingredients. These quality ingredients are further enhanced using advanced techniques such as Low Heat Spray Cooling Technology so that the ingredients don’t denature during the manufacturing process.

What concentration of milk replacer should I be offering calves?

When it comes to milk replacer, we are trying to replicate in the calf’s diet the role of good quality whole milk (3.4% Protein + 4.3% Butterfat + 4.8% Lactose = 12.5% Milk Solids). Calf milk replacer is therefore generally fed at 12.5%. This equates to 125g of powder being dissolved into 875ml of water, to make up 1 litre of milk. When 6 litres of milk are being offered to the calf, 750g of powder per calf per day is being used. For accelerated feeding programmes, concentrations can be increased to 15%.

Does the environment calves are reared in affect their nutritional needs?

Having calves warm, comfortable, and feeding well is what we should be aiming for. Your calves will pay you back for getting this right. A cold environment will result in vital energy consumed by the calf being burnt to keep itself warm. In cold sheds, try to create a warmer micro-climate for calves, such as dropping a canopy area against the back wall, or using large square bales to protect calves from draughty areas. When looking at the calf pen, there should be an even distribution of calves across the lying area. Where calves are often lying bunched against the back wall or corner, the shed may be too cold.

A calf spends approximately 80% of its time lying down, therefore it’s essential to provide a deep, warm, dry bed. When giving the shed a bedding score, a good rule of thumb is to place your hand firmly onto the bedding. The straw around your hand should be up to your elbow. The base of the bed also needs to be dry – kneel on the bedding and when you stand up your knees should be dry.

When it comes to nutrition, for every degree below 10°C, an extra 2% milk replacer can be offered to compensate.

Apart from milk replacer, what other sources of nutrition should the calf have in its diet?

Milk should be seen as a feed rather than as a drink. Water is an often-forgotten source of nutrition in calf rearing and is a cheap ingredient for hydration and rumen development. Fresh, clean water must be always available to calves. Where water is limited, this will restrict dry matter intakes. Dirty/contaminated water sources can also be linked to bloat.

Fresh clean straw is also another critical component in early rumen development and must be offered ad-lib as a source of fibre in the diet. Straw is preferable to hay. Silage/haylage should never be offered to calves pre-weaning.

What sort of ration/nut should be offered to calves during the rearing period?

Starter rations should be introduced from 3 days of age and will play a vital role in rumen development and early weaning. They should be sweet-smelling, molassed and contain cooked ingredients – these 3 factors will help aid intakes and digestion. Once intakes start to increase (normally greater than 250g), a typical 18% crude protein calf ration or nut can be offered to calves.

Once calves are turned out to grass, or have grass in the diet, a 16% crude protein concentrate will suffice.

When should I consider weaning my calves and how long should they be on milk?

A 70-day calf rearing period is the norm on farm. However, to have a uniform group of calves, weaning should ideally take place on a weight basis, coupled with concentrate intakes rather than an age basis. The target when weaning calves is to have doubled in live weight from birth to weaning (40–80kg in 10 weeks). However, weaning on a weight basis alone can create a false sense of security in terms of how ready calves are for the next stage of nutrition.

The success of the weaning process and the weeks thereafter will hinge around how the rumen has developed over the first weeks of the calf-rearing period. Weaning should never be considered until calves are consuming at least 1.5kg concentrate/hd/day in grouped pens – signalling that the calves’ dry matter intakes can cope with the transition to a 100% solid diet.

Further Advice

For further calf rearing advice or to learn more about our milk replacer range or post-calving minerals, contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor.

The importance of colostrum and the 3-2-1 rule are well known, however conversations still arise about how best to avoid disease outbreak in the calf shed. As we face into another spring a ‘back to basics’ approach needs to be taken with colostrum protocols.

Hygiene

Cleanliness is a huge dictating factor as dirt contamination is known to have a negative effect on passive transfer. With this in mind, it is vital that all feed equipment is disinfected before colostrum is fed, and that good hygiene protocols are applied throughout the colostrum collection process. It is important to remember that a newborn calf will first pick up an infection through its naval or mouth. Therefore, the teats and underbelly of the cow along with contact with the bedding are a source of infection for a newborn calf. Prolonged time spent in the calving area/calving pens can often be a key factor in disease transfer in herds.

Storage 

Excess colostrum can be stored in a fridge at 4°C, however it can only be refrigerated safely for 24-48 hours as bacteria can still grow. it is an all-too-common sight to see buckets of colostrum in the parlour/ dairy, where bacterial counts can double every twenty minutes. Pooling colostrum is also a topical debate on farm. A dam-to-calf system is obviously the ideal situation, however during a  compact calving period, this can sometimes be difficult to achieve in every situation. It is very important to remember that colostrum quality can vary dramatically between cows, leading to increased disease risk and poor quality colostrum entering the pool. Where pooling occurs, colostrum must be Brix tested prior to pooling.

Quality 

Factors that affect colostrum quality are short dry periods, high parity, high yielders (dilution effect) and poor nutrition in the dry period. Vaccination of the dam is also a key consideration to help avoid scour outbreaks, however, passive transfer from the vaccine only occurs from dam-calf via colostrum and transition milk, so all the above still applies.

For more information on colostrum management contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor.

The ultimate goal of calf rearing is to set up a heifer to achieve target weights over her lifetime in order to maximise profitability. These targets will include doubling her birthweight at the point of weaning, achieving 60% of her mature weight at breeding, and calving down at 24 months at 90% of her mature body weight.

To reach such targets, replacement heifers need to achieve a steady gain of approximately 0.75 kg/day from birth. Interruptions to performance over the calf-rearing period may offset such target weights being achieved. Therefore, adopting best practice calf rearing advice and protocols are of key importance over the next few vital weeks.

3-2-1 Rule

Good colostrum management is the most important factor in calf health and survival. Over the last 3-5 years, 70% of calves that presented for a post-mortem at regional veterinary laboratories, were found to have received either poor quality or insufficient quantities of colostrum.

When feeding colostrum, it is essential that the 3-2-1 rule is adhered to. This includes providing the calf with at a minimum of 3 litres (or 5-6% of a calf’s birth weight), within 2 hours of birth, using colostrum from the cows first milking. This process should then be repeated 8 hours later, however it is important to note that by the second milking, the dam’s immunoglobulin content will have halved.

Cleanliness of colostrum is a huge dictating factor, as the amount of dirt particles or contamination to the colostrum before entering the calf will limit the amount of immunity absorption available. Feeding pooled colostrum to calves is also not recommended as it can lead to major risk factors including increased disease risk and poor-quality colostrum entering the pool.

With this in mind, it is essential to ensure that all utensils are sterile and that milking protocols and good colostrum harvesting hygiene are applied.

Calf Hygiene and Facilities

Facilities ideally should be clean, dry, draught free, with good ventilation. A new-born calf will spend over 80% of their time lying down, therefore it is imperative to provide a deep, warm, dry bed always.

Calves should spend minimal time periods in the calving-pen to avoid picking up infection or disease. To avoid carrying disease into the calf shed over the peak calving months, set-up a wash point at the entrance to the calf shed for staff, vets, etc. Early detection of sick calves and isolation to avoid spreading bacterial infections, is also of high importance.

Rumen Development

Once a calf starts to intake water and starter concentrates/ration, we introduce healthy bacteria into the rumen which will kick-start rumen development. Starter concentrates and ad-lib fresh water should be available to the calf from three days of age. A clean source of long roughage/fibre (e.g. straw) should also be available at all times to promote dry matter intakes This forage should be offered above ground level in racks/mangers.

Weaning should only ever be considered once calves are consuming 1.5 kg of concentrates/day. Weaning calves on a weight basis, compared to an age basis, will result in a more uniform batch.

Milk Replacer Choice

When it comes to milk replacer, the three main benefits include:

1. Cost effectiveness
2. Reduced risk of disease transfer in the herd
3. Consistency in the calf’s diet

Milk replacer should be dairy derived and contain a high dairy content. Dairy proteins are more easily digestible and available to the calf compared to plant-based proteins. Both Vitalac Red and Blue Calf Milk Replacers contain a 90-95% dairy content.

Milk replacer should replicate the role of good quality whole milk, typically offered at 12.5% milk solids (E.g. 125 g powder, into 875ml clean water to make 1 litre of milk). Feeding a calf twice-a-day at 6 litres/day would result in offering the calf 750 g of powder/day.

When mixing, adhere to the milk replacer guidelines outlined below using fresh clean, warm water and sterile mixing and feeding utensils. The optimal drinking temperature of the calf milk replacer is 39°C. To prepare the milk, dissolve the powder in two-thirds of the amount of water at 55-60°C and add the remaining water at room temperature until the optimum drinking temperature is reached.

See typical milk replacer feeding guidelines below:

More Information:

For more information, browse our Vitalac Calf Milk Replacer page or download the Agritech-Milk-Replacer-Brochure (2.5MB).

Planning ahead is the key ingredient for success. Below we outline a number of key tasks that farmers must address to ensure that they are ready for the New Year.

Silage Analysis

Favourable weather conditions created excellent autumn grazing conditions across the country, enabling many farms to bulk up silage stocks and reduce the risk of fodder deficits this winter. Despite this, it is essential not to become complacent, therefore we recommend that every farm establishes the quality and supply of silage in order to ensure that all animals are fed for optimum performance. Simply measure length x width x height (metres)/1.4 to give an accurate assessment of fresh tonnes of silage in the pit.

Cow Body Condition Analysis

Cow body condition analysis is one of the most important jobs to be completed on farms at this time of the year. We recommend that farmers segregate under conditioned cows, especially first time calvers and those carrying twins, and supplement appropriately. A simple mix of soya and a barley or oats blend will fit most situations with the ratios and feeding levels dictated by silage quality and cow condition.

Dry Cow Mineral Supplementation

Dry cow supplementation is essential for this time of the year. With a feeding recommendation of 100 grams per head per day, it is important that an increased amount of feed per day is given to cows who started their dry cow supplements late. A dry cow should receive a minimum of 6kgs of dry cow minerals in advance of calving in order to ensure that she is adequately replenished and prepared for calving and next year’s lactation.

Click here for more information or take a read of our brand new 2019 Welmin Brochure.

Housing Hygiene 

With herd sizes increasing, the pressure on calving facilities and calf housing has become intense on many farms. If you suspect that cryptosporidium is a problem on your farm, it is important to ensure that the disinfectant you use addresses this hazardous threat. Steam cleaning is also a very useful tool in the fight against this parasite. It is highly recommended to apply a suitable hygiene product such as our Sanitise Bedding Conditioner to the disinfected area.

Vaccinations

A ‘dry’ farm is not an assurance against fluke infection, therefore the herd should be dung sampled to establish if parasites exist. Many of the anti-scour vaccines have a recommended application time of between 12 and 3 weeks before calving, making now an excellent time to vaccinate the early calving portion of the herd. Be careful to adhere to the regulatory guidelines when addressing fluke infections.

Soil Testing

Now is also a great time to carry out the required soil tests on your farm. Ideally, the optimum time to test is 12 + weeks following the application of chemical fertilizer or slurry. When soil testing, it is important to ensure that the test taken is an accurate representation of the area being tested. This is best achieved by using a soil core and walking the area in a ‘W’ formation. 250 grams is an adequate amount of soil to include for each sample.

For further advice on any of the above items discussed, please contact your local distributor. 

Wishing all our customers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Quality ingredients in calf milk replacer can have a huge influence in optimising the performance and growth rate of calves. Highly digestible ingredients of fat and proteins, with a broad range of trace minerals, vitamins, prebiotics and probiotics are of paramount importance to exploit the full genetic potential of the calf.

Agritech’s Vitalac Calf Milk Replacer range from Nukamel, the original company who developed calf milk replacers in 1954, has placed an importance on how these quality ingredients are manufactured.

According to Bil Ryan, Business Development Manager at Agritech, “Milk Replacers are produced by two distinctly different processes including spray cooling and spray drying”. The benefits of Nukamel’s patented spray cooling technology include improved fat digestibility, improved feed intake and improved milk powder solubility.

A trial by Nukamel on calf performance to compare the two differing manufacturing methods, showed that calves fed on the spray cooled product showed a significant 7.5kgs extra liveweight gain compared to those fed on the spray dried product.

Bil concluded, “We have seen first-hand how the Vitalac range from Nukamel is driving herd profitability. We are delighted to be able to confirm that the spray cooling technology is contributing to calf performances in a significant way further enhancing the high quality of the ingredients in Vitalac Calf Milk Replacers”.

For further information on the Vitalac range and general calf management tips, talk to your local distributor. To find your local distributor click here or go to the Vitalac page on our website.

Quality ingredients in calf milk replacer can have a huge influence in optimising the performance and growth rate of calves. Highly digestible ingredients of fat and proteins, with a broad range of trace minerals, vitamins, prebiotics and probiotics are of paramount importance to exploit the full genetic potential of the calf.

Vitalac, manufactured by Nukamel, the original company who developed calf milk replacers in 1954, and marketed in Ireland by Agritech, put increased emphasis on how these quality ingredients are manufactured.

Seamus O Slatarra, Technical Director at Agritech, “Milk Replacers are produced by two distinctly different processes namely spray cooling and spray drying.  Nukamel’s patented spray cooling technology, give the benefits of improved fat digestibility, improved feed intake and improved solubility of the milk powder.

A trial by Nukamel on calf performance to compare the two differing manufacturing methods at their research facility in Belgium to exclusively compare these two processes, showed a very significant 7.5kgs extra liveweight gain by the calves which were fed on the spray cooled product versus spray dried at 56 days old, consuming on average an extra 211 grams of concentrate per day.

Agritech’s Sales Manager John Kenny concluded, “We are delighted to be able to confirm that the Spray Cooling Technology is contributing to calf performances in a significant way further enhancing the high quality of the ingredients in Vitalac Calf Milk Replacers”.

For further information on the Vitalac range of Calf Milk Replacers and general calf management tips, talk to your local distributor.To find your local distributor click here or go to the Vitalac page on our website.

We’re putting together a series of Management Guidelines for advice on topics including Mineral Supplementation, Grass Management and Calving. The latest ones we’ve added to our website focus on Calf Management, Milk Replacer Feeding Guidelines and the technology behind our Vitalac range of Milk Replacers.

Successful calf rearing requires an understanding of the basic principles, as well as experience and good observation skills. At Agritech, we understand the challenges of the newborn calf and work with leaders in calf nutrition to bring an excellent range of calf milk replacers for the stable and efficient rearing of calves. The Vitalac range from Nukamel offers a well-balanced level of highly digestible fat and protein via carefully selected, high quality ingredients.

Milk Replacer is a consistent quality feed to meet the growth and development targets of the young calf. It reduces disease risk to the calf from antibiotics/mastitis milk, prevents disease transmission (Para-tuberculosis, Salmonella, Mycoplasma Bovis), ensures the calf gets probiotics, and the vitamins and minerals needed for maintaining healthy tissues, immune response and growth.

Table: Nutritional composition of Calf Milk Replacer vs Cow Milk (As % DM)

We’ve also come up with a Healthy Calf Checklist (0.4MB Download) to use when purchasing calves.

See our full list of Management Guidelines.

For more information about our products or to talk to us, contact our Head Office or your local Agritech Distributor.