Farmers must prioritise the next generation of milking cows by ensuring that the target weights of their replacement heifers are realised over the coming months.

With this in mind, heifers should reach 30% of their mature bodyweight at six months of age and achieve 60% of mature weight when bred at 15 months.

Over the next few months, optimal average daily gain may be difficult to maintain when grass growth/quality declines and grazing conditions become more challenging. So it is important to consider where your replacement heifers are in relation to targets (% of mature weight) currently.

By weighing heifers in early autumn as opposed to weighing at the point of housing, farmers can identify which animals are behind target. The best advice is to group accordingly and make alternative plans for heifers below their target weights.

Underweight heifers are considered to be those that are 5% or more below target bodyweight. Therefore, the regular weighing of heifers can help farmers to keep track of performance through the season.

Heifers that are lighter than this should be separated and given priority access to the highest quality grass and be re-introduced to concentrates depending on their weight relative to the herd’s target.

Higher weight gains can be achieved from grass rather than from winter/silage diets and a good response to autumn supplementation can be achieved. Should grass be in short supply and quality or when conditions are deteriorating, under-target replacement heifers should be fed a supplement until housing time to maintain weight. To increase growth rates, 1-2kg of concentrate/head/day should be sufficient.

Research shows that youngstock at grass in summer can achieve a weight gain of 0.85kg/day on grass alone. Come the autumn, where 1kg of concentrate plus high-quality grass are offered, average daily gains of 1kg/head/day can be achieved.

For more information, contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor here.

As spring looms ever closer, we fast approach the influx of the next generation of calves on farm. Replacement heifers born over the next few weeks will calve down in February 2027, become the herds mature stalwart cows of 2030 and the influence we can have on the beginning of their lives will long be felt regarding longevity, milk production, and overall herd health.

Year on year we will discuss, read and write about 3-2-1 rules and how important colostrum management is. Yet conversations still arise around how best to avoid scour outbreaks in sheds, anti-scour remedies etc., and as we face into another spring a back-to-basics approach should be taken with colostrum.

Get the basics right

Its important to remember that the calf’s first opportunity for infection is via its navel or mouth – and its first contact from both will happen in the calving pen. Cows’ underbelly, teats and calving pen bedding become the first source of possible infection for a new-born calf. Hence the importance of good dry cow cubicle management. Prolonged time spent in calving areas are often a key issue with disease transfer in herds, especially where unhygienic conditions as also a factor. From here, all feed equipment must be disinfected before colostrum is collected and fed. Dirt contamination of colostrum is now known to have a negative effect on passive transfer and therefore cleanliness of the collection process is vital.

Storage is also imperative – it is an all-too-common sight to see open buckets of colostrum in the parlour/dairy – and where ambient conditions arise, bacterial counts can double every 20 minutes. A dam-to-calf systems is obviously the ideal, however during extremely compact calving periods this can sometimes be difficult to obtain. Colostrum quality will vary massively between cows depending on age/parity, volume produced, dry period length, and dry cow nutrition, etc.  If we can avoid pooling and use a 1-cow to 1-calf option. At the very least where pooling occurs colostrum must be Brix tested to avoid dilution happening with poor quality colostrum.

Vaccination of the dam is also a key consideration to help reduce risks around calf health. However, it is worth noting, that passive transfer from a vaccine only occurs from dam-calf via colostrum and transition milk, so all of the above applies to get full coverage from vaccinating the herd.

Research has shown where passive transfer is 100% successful mortality rates of <5% is achievable, in stark contrast where passive transfer rates of 85-90% is achieved, mortality rates can increase to ~ 8%.
Treat colostrum management with the respect and attention it deserves.

After a fantastic back end to the grazing season, the focus of farmers has increasingly turned towards nutrition levels from winter forage.

Hopefully for many herds, and where silage stocks are tight, the last number of weeks will have alleviated some pressure from the feed budget. However, it is still worth knowing what reserve is available for next spring.

The aim over the winter period will ultimately depend on the animal type, whereby youngstock/dry cows will be stored/maintained over the winter (target Average daily gain of 0.5-0.7 kg/hd/day youngstock). Cashflow animals will also be targeted to achieve optimum performance, be it winter milk herds or finishing cattle.

However, you cannot manage what isn’t measured, and the same applies in terms of what quality silage is available to you in the yard.

Silage analysis results will often signal the level of fermentation that occurred which can be used to predict the stability of the pit and therefore dictate feed-out management. However, the importance of completing forage analysis hinges around allowing farmers to make informed decisions regarding feed plans dependant on stock type.

For dry cows, silage analysis will also dictate feed plans:

Replacement heifers

Weanlings/replacement heifers should be offered the national average of 67% DMD well-preserved grass silage, while underweight heifers will typically require 1.5-2kg of concentrates/head/day. This can be reduced by 1 kg/day (0.5-1 kg/head/day) if silage digestibility is 5% higher or where heifers are at or above target weight.

For example, on target heifers (grass silage quality of ~ 70% DMD) require supplementation of 0.5 – 1 kg of concentrates. Early turnout for the lightest heifers in the herd will them help gain lost ground next spring. However, this should not represent the sole contingency plan with under-target replacements.

Separate heifers should be housed and fed in separate groups according to the requirements needed to achieve their target weight at breeding. The target at housing is 40% of mature body weight and 50% in early February when turned out to grass.

For more advice, contact your local Sales Advisor here.

Research has shown that calves reach similar weight gains on milk replacer as they do while being fed on whole milk. However, this is on the basis that the milk replacer is formulated correctly, using high quality dairy ingredients and that feeding instructions are followed. Milk replacer labelling and composition can, at times, be confusing, with large differences in specifications and price available on the market. However, it is important to keep several factors in mind when selecting a milk replacer to fit your system and to avoid any confusion.

Protein Sources

Many questions center around the percentage of protein on the label of a bag of milk replacer, which is important, but more emphasis needs to be placed on the origin of said protein %. As we are trying to replicate the role of whole milk, as much of the protein as possible should be coming from a milk/dairy-based source, relative to vegetable/plant-based sources. In a young calf’s first few weeks of life, dairy sources are much more digestible and result in greater performance. Plant-based protein sources are cheaper alternative sources of protein and where inclusions are high, similar levels of performance to whole milk should not be expected in early life. Increased fibre content can often be indicative of plant derivatives being used in milk replacers.

Manufacturing Processes

Another less considered factor in overall digestibility of a milk replacer is the quality of the raw dairy materials used. Low heat-treated milk powders will have natural immunoglobin content available in the product and have no protein denaturisation, relative to high heat-treated skim or whey. Low heat-treated milk products are often more expensive on the market, but again lead to increased performance/digestibility.

Fat Sources

Fat percentage and sources of fat in milk replacer are also important, as fat is the main source of energy to the calf. Coconut and palm fat are the more common sources, with great digestibility and energy respectively for young calves.

Feeding Rates

The percentage of solids in whole milk is typically 12.5% (approx), hence it is also the most common feeding rate of milk replacer on the farm. This equates to 125g of powder in 875ml water to make up 1L of feed. Fed at 6L, a calf will be consuming 750g of milk replacer daily.

Accelerated feed programmes are often used on farm where higher Average Daily Gain (ADG) is being targeted with replacement heifers – this would include feeding a higher concentration of milk replacer (5% milk solids) or increased volumes. Once-a-day feeding schedules are becoming increasingly popular. However, once a day feeding should only ever be considered once calves are greater than one month old.

Weaning should be gradual and only ever considered once a calf is consuming more than 1.5kg/hd/day in group pen scenarios. At this point, a calf is independently consuming enough dry matter from straw and concentrate to allow for a stress-free weaning period.

Learn more about our Vitalac Calf Milk Replacer Range here. 

For more information, contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor.