Feeding the calf to weaning (dx of growing calves 2)

What is your target mortality for dairy calves?

<5%

What are the weight targets for dairy calf?

• Weaning >65kg

• 3 months: >120kg

• At 13-14 months *for service: >300kg

What is the usual age target for first calving?

24 months

In order to calve at 24 months what are you '400' day targets?

• Serve at 400 days @

• Weight 400 kg

• Birthweight 40 kg so must

• Grow 360 kg in 400 days = ~ 0.9 kg/day

What are the possible contraints on calf growth?

• Disease (ex- neonatal scours, pneumonia)

• Suboptimal nutrition

• Sub optimal environment (ex- inc stocking density will inc disease risk)

How does nutrition in the first stages of life impact the animals lifelong output and health?

• Correlation between milk yield and average daily gain pre-weaning (key in 1st 5 weeks)

• Impact on early mammary development

How much milk should be fed to the calves and for how long?

• Feed more milk for longer than the traditional 2L twice a day

• Milk is highly efficient

  • Feed: Gain ratio higher in milk than solids

How do you make up milk replacer and why?

• 125 g/L

  • Milk is 12.5% solid and rest water so keeping normal constituents of milk

What are the different ways you can house dairy calves?

• Hutches (paired or individual)

  

• Individual pens (need to have tactile contact)

  

• Group housing (inc risk of disease)

  

When do calves need to be group house by law?

from 8 weeks of age

What are the rules for group housing?

• Keep age range as small as possible (14 days minimum)

• Group size- max 8 recommended

Compare group vs single housing for dairy calves?

Single penned

• Disease less

• Social dec

• Growth

• Inc Labour

Group house:

• Better growth

• Welfare – social interactions

• Increased disease risk

• Less labour cost

What is the lower critical temperature for calves?

15-20°C

• Also dependent on humidity

What happens in the calf goes below LCT?

• Calf uses energy to keep warm so less energy for growth, need to provide more feed

At what point do you wean dairy calves?

• When eating at least 1.5kg/day for 2-3 days

• At least 8 weeks old

• At least 65kg

What are the two ways you can wean dairy calves?

1. Dilute the milk replacer (same volume, but fewer calories)

2. Reduce the volume of milk replacer but keep at same concentration

What is the timeframe for weaning?

At least over 1 week

• Two or more weeks if fed largre volumes prior to weaning

What should you also provide access to aside from concentrates during weaning?

Forage

What is the maintenance energy requirement at weaning?

11 MJ/kg

How do you monitor calf and heifer growth?

• Weight

• Withers height

What is more important in the development of the gut concentrates or forage?

Concentrates