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).

Although spring 2022 may seem a distance away, decisions around main herd nutrition over the next number of weeks will dictate how successful the calving period will be.

The aim in any spring calving herd is to achieve a calving season free from metabolic issues such as milk fever, ketosis, displaced abomasum, retained placenta, and reduced or delayed fertility. Therefore, ample planning is essential regarding correct dry cow nutrition and mineral provision.

Late Lactation Nutrition

Late lactation is the optimum time to manipulate body condition. Cows should be in a positive energy balance and be confirmed pregnant at this stage. Ideally, cows would be dried off in the same body condition as they aim to calve down in, resulting in a maintenance diet being provided to the dry cows.

Where cows have a BCS < 3.0, energy intake needs to increase. It is more cost-effective to build BCS now while a cow is milking. However, where cows are still below target BCS 80-90 days pre-calving (<2.75), these cows should be dried off early and fed accordingly to assist in achieving target BCS at calving.

Dry Cow Nutrition Planning 

Silage quality analysis will dictate dry cow feeding regimes. Where quality is high, dilution of energy using straw may be required. Where cows are below target BCS or forage quality is poor, supplementation may be required.

A dry cow’s mineral requirements are not being met via grass silage alone, therefore key macro and trace elements must be provided for an entire 60-day period to ensure she has a problem free calving. Mineral analysis of silage coupled with a herd history of deficiencies and/or metabolic issues experienced on farm can also create the basis for tailored dry cow mineral plans.

In Irish systems, feed space is often a limiting factor regarding dry cow mineral provision and supplementation where a TMR option is not available. Minerals can be provided via a diet feeder where being used on farm, or alternatively top-dressed over silage. If top-dressing silage with powdered mineral and feed space is limited, offer the mineral twice daily (half rate am/half rate pm) to ensure all cows receive the required amount.

Considerations around winter housing facilities should also be planned now, especially where cows are required to be batched depending on BCS.

Need help and advice?

For further information on dry cow nutrition planning, contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor. 

The aim of building grass over the coming weeks is to ensure a bank of grass is available in the autumn when growth rates start to decline.

It is hugely beneficial to have a grass bank available to extend the grazing season, with every extra day at grass in the autumn worth €1.80/cow/day. For farms with early turnout potential, closing the platform with sufficient grass will also help achieve early turnout next spring.

Current Grassland Advice

• Aim to extend the rotation to 30 days by September 1st. For example, the target for a 60-acre platform, grazing 2 acres/day (approx. 3% of the farm per day) = 33-35 days by mid-September.

• Make all land on the milking platform available for grazing to extend the rotation. Remove surplus livestock from the grazing platform to reduce demand where needed.

• If you are behind the target currently, increase supplementation by 1-2 kg to reduce overall grass demand.

• Achieve residuals of 3.5-4 cm to stimulate growth throughout the winter and avoid the carryover of dead material over the winter and into the following spring.

• Farms that are behind or on target should avoid taking out surplus bales from September 1st onwards. Where ahead of target and surplus grass is available (100 kg ahead of average farm cover targets below), do not delay in taking out surplus grass.

• Demand is your control when building grass. If you are behind target, decrease your demand on the platform by removing surplus stock off the platform, bringing back in additional ground/area, and/or increasing supplementation.

For further information on grassland management this autumn, contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor. 

Although spring 2022 seems a distance away, it is important to focus on setting up your farm to enable early grazing next spring.

There will be plenty of discussion in the coming weeks and months on building grass covers on-farm. The aim over the coming weeks is to ensure there is grass available in the autumn when growth rates decline. Every extra day at grass in the autumn is worth €1.80/cow. However, this is a balancing act as it’s also important to close off paddocks to have sufficient grass to achieve early turnout next spring.

Taking action

• Aim to extend the rotation to 30 days by September 1st.
• Aim to have all land on the grazing platform available for grazing to extend rotation.
• Remove surplus stock from main grazing platform and/or reduce their demand by supplementation.
• If average farm cover drops below the target at any stage, a quick reaction is vital to get it back on track.
• Aim for residuals of 3.5 – 4cm to stimulate growth throughout the winter and to avoid carryover of dead material into the following spring.
• Depending on growth, surplus paddocks should be removed in August. Removing paddocks after the first week of September should be avoided if possible.

For further information on setting the farm up for spring 2022, please contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor. 

Much focus since February has been centered on ensuring calves are healthy, achieving high levels of performance, and hitting target weights.

With replacement heifers, the main target is to reach 60% of mature weight at the time of breeding next spring. This typically equates to heifers achieving an average daily gain of 0.75 –0.85 kg/day from birth. Disruptions to performance during the lifetime of a heifer can offset target weights being achieved. As grass quality and availability will begin to decline in the autumn, it is therefore important to consider where your replacement heifers are in terms of hitting their weight targets.

Are you heifers on target for breeding next spring?

Supplementing heifers 

Prior to their first winter housing period, heifers should be weighed, ideally in August, to ensure that they are on target to achieve the desired bodyweight. By weighing now, compared to weighing at the point of housing, allows the opportunity to identify heifers that are not on target and make alternative plans where these targets are not being met.

Where heifers are not at their desired weight, concentrate supplementation should be provided. Generally, higher weight gains can be achieved from grass than winter/silage diets and a good response to autumn supplementation can be achieved. In cases where a cohort of heifers are below target, group according to weight and prioritise the lighter heifers over the next number of weeks before winter housing occurs.

For further information on supplementing heifers this autumn, contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor. 

As new-born calves are born with undeveloped rumens, the main objective over the next few weeks and months is to implement an early feeding strategy geared towards rumen development.

Rumen development begins within the first few days/weeks after birth and is advanced by exposure to healthy bacteria from the environment and the consumption of solid feeds. Therefore, it is vital to introduce a high energy/protein calf starter ration from approximately 3 days of age, with free access to fresh clean water and high-quality clean straw, offered above ground level to avoid contamination (no silage/haylage).

Importance of diet for early rumen development:

Rumen development at six weeks. When fed milk only (A) the rumen has no papillae and is white in colour, meaning there is little feed absorption possible. When fed milk and grain (C) the rumen at six weeks shows developed papillae and is dark in colour, allowing for significant feed absorption. Source: Penn State University

Managing digestive changes with Vitameg 

Once the rumen development process begins at two weeks of age, the subsequent change in digestion and gut function can make the animal highly susceptible to digestive upsets and pathogen challenges. This is where a product like Vitameg has many benefits.

Vitameg is an advanced feeding supplement for young calves. It contains botanical extracts which enhance digestion and stimulate feed intake by optimising the growth of gut microbial flora to outcompete pathogens. Vitameg also contains prebiotic and yeast cell walls commonly referred to as MOS, which helps fight against bacteria such as E-coli and salmonella. It also has added omega-3 which has shown to improve immunity and disease resistance, thereby preventing infection and stress.

What is happening to dairy calves at grass?

Year on year, in the proceeding weeks after turnout to grass, cases of calves suffering from setbacks such as summer-scour syndrome or calf wasting symptoms have been reported.

Spring grass is very high in oils like CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), sugars and potentially nitrogen, and to a young undeveloped rumen, this can be hard to adjust to. In addition, low covers of grass also have very little fibre, which is a key substrate for good rumen health.

Ensuring greater rumen development in early life will help combat these issues, alongside practices such as offering concentrates post-turnout, grazing slightly heavier covers and/or offering a fibre source at first to ease the transition.

At Agritech, we are available to support farmers throughout the calving season and beyond. For further advice or to find out more about Vitameg, contact your local Agritech sales advisor. 

As we approach calving 2021 the focus should be on final preparations that will result in a spring free from any upsets, nutritional issues or metabolic diseases during an already busy time on farm.

Several key factors will correlate directly to the success of calving 2021, including:

• A planned and well executed dry cow mineral programme
• Calving down the cow in the correct body condition score
• Excellent husbandry in the weeks pre- and post-calving
• Careful transition diet planning

It is always worth remembering at this time in the year, that key decisions made over the next number of weeks will have a direct e­ffect on the performance of the herd, especially herd fertility – submission and conception rates, ultimately a­ffecting the longevity of the cow within the herd.

Negative Energy Balance

In the weeks post-calving, cows will produce more milk than their feed intake can provide for, resulting in Body Condition Score (BCS) loss due to Negative Energy Balance. Research has shown NEB will firstly, reduce milk protein and if prolonged, have detrimental consequences on the breeding season.

The milking cow should receive an adequate diet to optimise milk solids production and keep body weight loss to less than 0.5 BCS between calving and breeding. Cows that lose < 0.5 BCS over this time (approx. 25 kg) typically ovulate 15 days earlier than those cows that lose 1 BCS during this period.

Dry matter intake typically increases by 0.75 – 1.0 kg/week for the first 8 weeks of lactation, therefore being 8 weeks post-calving before maximum intake is reached – highlighting the need for an energy-dense transition diet.

Every farm scenario is different, and tailored advice should be given where issues arise. However, early preparation and planning is vital to avoid added stresses on farm

On farm support during COVID-19

In order to keep our customers and staff as safe as possible, our sales team and distributors we will be minimising the number of on farm consultations. We are however, as always, available for FREE delivery direct to farm and over the phone consultations. Contact your local Agritech sales rep/distributor to place your order or click here.