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Newsletter No.7
BONANZA CALF
NUTRITION
NEWSLETTER
MORE AWARDS, MORE
TIME IT MUST BE SHINE
An award-winning dairy farmer is achieving
target heifer calving dates more easily since
rearing replacements on a once-a-day milk
replacer regime.
Padraic Greenan, who runs the 80-cow pedigree herd of Greenlea
Holsteins, switched to Shine Once-a-Day milk replacer primarily to free
up time to spend with his family and enjoy off-farm activities.
But the benefits have extended beyond this. Padraic reports that calves
now eat more dry feed at a younger age and, as a result, they are
achieving target weights early. Most of his first batch of Shine Once-aDay heifers will calve this year at 24 months.
just once but on several occasions. His show-stopper – Greenlea Shottle
Pledge – was reared on Shine Once-a-Day and has won a string of titles,
including Breffni Oriel Holstein Friesian calf champion, a reserve calf
championship at the YMA National Calf Show and prizes at Castleblaney
and Virginia Agricultural Show and Tydavnet Agricultural Show.
“She capped off an extraordinary year in the show ring at the 30th RUAS
Winter Fair,’’ says Padraic.
Showing the cows and heifers and running the herd is a big time
commitment for Padraic but changing to a once-a-day feeding system
has given him more time in his day.
According to Christine Cummins of Bonanza, the increased weight gains
are partially due to accelerated rumen development in calves fed with
Shine Once a Day.
“Shine Once-a-Day certainly seems to have helped with achieving these
target calving ages more easily,’’ says Padraic, who farms at Ardaghey
in County Monaghan.
Newborn calves received 4.5 litres of colostrum via a stomach tube and
are housed in single pens until they are approximately 18-20 hours old.
From thereon, until they are 14-days-old, they are bucket-fed cows’ milk
twice a day in groups of between six and ten.
Calves then receive a 50:50 mix of cows’ milk and milk replacer before
they convert to Shine Once-a-Day fed at 600g/day increasing to 720g/
day 7 days later.
“The powder is very mixable with absolutely no sedimentation and calves
adapt to it extremely well,’’ says Padraic. “It is creamier than cows’ milk
and has the perfect palatability.
“The calves convert easily to Shine Once-a-Day and eat more dry feed
at a younger age.’’
By six weeks of age they are eating 1.5kg of pellets and also consume
more straw. “We wean out by size with a visual target of 90kg, with most
calves reaching this at eight weeks old,’’ Padraic adds. He aims to breed
heifers at 350-370kg.
Padraic Greenan with his children Zoe, Ryan, and Hannah and
Christine Cummins Of Bonanza Calf Nutrition
The bloom on the heifers has also caught the eye of the judges at
livestock shows. In 2015, Padraic won heifer classes for the first time, not
Freephone 080 1781017
Telephone (Ireland) 042 9336001
www.bonanzacalf.ie
LABELS CAN FLATTER TO
DECIEVE
Christine Cummins; Technical Manager
Bonanza Calf Nutrition
Feed labels contain information required by
law and show the levels of CRUDE constituents
contained in the product. Calves are infants
and the ingredients used in their diet are milk
ingredients not plant material. They cannot
use Crude protein or convert it, like ruminants,
into protein and calves cannot use crude fat.
It must have the right fatty acid profile. The
levels of crude protein or fat also have negative
effects on both health and dry feed intake
which increases labour and rearing costs
without any advantage for the calf or farmer.
To illustrate these points we have outlined two
trials below.
TRIAL 1
A
20% protein
(100% milk)
B
27% protein (
100% milk)*
C
27% protein ( of
which 20% is milk
and 7% is plant)
Feeding level g/day
454
681
681
Weight gain g/day
555
640
490
Scour days
4
10
11
Product
similar to the heifer focused products offered in the UK and
Ireland. The problem here is the calf has to try to digest and
process both the extra true protein and non-protein products
like urea and this utilises energy that could be used to fight
disease.
The second trial looked at exposing calves to coronavirus and
offering two diets fed at two different levels.
TRIAL 2
Treatment
Intake/day
Mortality
(%of calves)
Antibiotic use (%
of calves)
A 20% Crude
protein
(100% milk protein)
454g
8.1
47.8
B 27% Crude
protein (100% milk
protein)*
681g
23
61.4
The researchers concluded that the calves fed the high protein
powder ate less dry feed, needed more veterinary treatment
and had a higher mortality rate. If the typical European high
protein product was used mortality may have been greater.
These two trials show calf nutrition is not about numbers but
using the right ingredients and feeding the calf the right levels
of milk/day. The skim milk and buttermilk in Shine is highly
digestible and as it forms a curd in the calf’s stomach it can
digested throughout the day. Feeding Shine at 600-700g/day
meets any calf’s needs in terms of growth and health. It also
ensures good dry feed intake before and after weaning.
The first trial (table1) compared to high protein powders
with the same label analysis for crude fat and protein fed at
high levels. It is worth pointing out that treatment B is not
commercially available in the US or in the EU. Treatment C is
ANOTHER INNOVATION FROM BONANZA
CALF NUTRITION
Freephone 080 1781017
Telephone (Ireland) 042 9336001
www.bonanzacalf.ie
MORE GROWTH MORE TIME IT
MUST BE SHINE
Dairy heifers reared on a once-a-day milk
replacer are achieving daily average weight
gains of 0.86kg from birth to 12 months.
David and John Moore run the 200-cow high performing
Fowlerstowel Holsteins herd at Stamullen in County Meath and
Calves are weighed every six weeks and weaned when they
are eating more than 2kg of concentrates and the average calf
weight in the group is 100kg.
John says he noticed a visible improvement in the performance
of the calves as soon as they started feeding on Shine.
initially introduced Shine Once-a-Day into their system as a
Not only that but the initial labour saving objective has been
labour saving mechanism. The only reservation they had was
achieved also. “We are saving up to 50 minutes a day on labour
whether heifers on this system could achieve target weights at
every day and once calving is finished we only need one person
first calving.
on the yard at the weekend,’’ says John.
But these concerns were dispelled when the heifers not
David admits Shine Once-a-Day has surpassed all expectations.
only performed well but exceeded expectations, with heifers
“We would never have predicted the performance achieved by
achieving 0.86kg a day in their first year of life. “Exceptional
our heifers since introducing this product,’’ he says.
growth rates were achieved and the heifers are on target to
calve down at 21 months,’’ David reports.
In recent years, a focus for the Moore brothers has been
breeding for good fertility. They have achieved this with a cull
rate of just 5% and no negative impact on milk production, with
the herd achieving average milk solids of 600kg.
Protocols are in place for calf rearing. When calves are born
they are given four litres of colostrum via a stomach tube within
two hours and housed in individual hutches where they remain
for 14 days. The first six feeds of milk the calves receive are
from their own dams.
From day 10 to day 14, calves receive Shine milk replacer
twice a day until they are approximately 18 days old and are in
Christine Cummins ( Bonanza) with David Moore
Pat Dempsey (Glanbia) and John Moore
group pens, according to size and strength.
All calves have constant access to clean water, straw and
a wholegrain mix of concentrates for the first four weeks.
Thereafter, they have a standard 16-18% protein ration.
When calves are on a once-a-day feeding system they receive
3.75 litres of feed, which equates to 740g of powder daily.
ANOTHER INNOVATION FROM BONANZA
CALF NUTRITION
Freephone 080 1781017
Telephone (Ireland) 042 9336001
www.bonanzacalf.ie
MORE CALVES MORE TIME IT
MUST BE SHINE
The farming partnership behind one of Ireland’s top performing dairy herds has been able to expand cow
numbers without incurring additional heifer rearing labour costs thanks to a once-a-day milk calf feeding
system.
The Lauragh herd is among three Jersey crossbred dairy herds run at farms in County
Waterford, Ireland by Pat and Pauline Ryan, John Condon, Brian Ronayne and Andrew
Claxton. Generations of breeding have gone into these herds therefore maintaining that
level of quality and performance is paramount in every area of the business, not least
heifer rearing. For the last 10 years, the Lauragh herd has consistently been among the
top 10 EBI recorded herds in Ireland. Progeny include the top ranked bull, LHZ (Lauragh
Evert), which has an EBI of €254.
With the abolition of quotas, the business saw an opportunity to expand cow numbers
but labour resources associated with rearing additional replacements was seen as a
potential obstacle. The solution was to implement a once-a-day milk feeding system
using Shine Once-a-Day. “With the size and diversity of the operation, once a day milk
feeding was the logical solution,’’ says Pat.
The partners first trialed a range of milk replacement powders, took on board feedback
from other farmers and compared the ingredients of different products.
“We chose Shine Once-a-Day because of its unique ingredients, the excellent back-up
and our knowledge of farms that had used the product,’’ says John.
If implemented correctly, the Shine Once-a-Day system will produce liveweight gains
superior to twice-a-day feeding and enhanced rumen development. The first heifers
reared on this feeding method are now in their first lactation and their performance is
testament to a combination of better breeding and feeding. The empty rate for heifers
after 13 weeks of breeding is just 1%.
Across the three herds, the six week in-calf rate averages 79% and the empty rate at
13 weeks is between 4%-5%.
First calvers are predicted to produce a milk solids average of 420kg at 4.81% butterfat
and 3.86% protein. Third lactation crossbreds are predicted 550kg milk solids at 4.75%
butterfat and 3.88% protein.
The calf rearing team has been very impressed with how well Shine mixes with water.
“We don’t get lumps floating around the top of the mixer and feeder and there is never
any sediment in the bottom of the feeder,’’ says John.
“The powder smells like proper milk, the calves absolutely love it. We have had no
difficulties with intakes when the calves switch to Shine from cow’s milk.’’
Captal Farms has developed a simple management system to allow calves to thrive.
Groups of 40 have access to a 50-teat feeder as this ensures all calves get the optimum
opportunity to access milk. All young calves have access to paddocks and are turned
outdoors by day from day 15 to day 21. From there on, calves are out at grass day and
night. Calves that are slow drinkers, shy or physically smaller are held back in individual
or medium sized pens until day 10, when they are grouped with other calves in groups
of 40.
Throughout this period, the calves have access to ad-lib dry feed, clean water and
straw. Calves are weaned by weight, at an average of 90kg. Of the 550 calves reared on
Shine in 2015, only 12 that were either the offspring of very young heifers or were small
at birth, needed additional milk and dry feed to reach target weights at weaning. There
were no losses when the calves were transferred to the rearing units at three days old.
The success of the feeding system has given Captal Farms the confidence to continue
expanding cow numbers organically and to maintain, if not increase, the status of their
dairy animals as among the best in western Europe.
“I firmly believe that the Jersey crossbred herd makes more money per animal per
lactation than a similarly valued Holstein Friesian EBI herd,’’ says Pat.
“I firmly believe that the Jersey crossbred herd makes more money per animal per
lactation than a similarly valued Holstein Friesian EBI herd,’’ says Pat.
“Shine Once-a-Day is able to harness the increased genetic potential from better
breeding and heifers express this with milk quality and quantity,’’ says Pat.
When Captal Farms made the transition to once-a-day feeding in the spring of 2013,
Joe Murphy, of Bonanza Calf Nutrition, manufacturer of Shine Once-a-Day, guided the
calf rearing staff - John, Pauline, Eamon Phelan, Krystyna Piskorz and Anthony Nolan –
on how to get the best from the new system.
“The feed plan was discussed and agreed upon by all members of the calf rearing team
and I particularly stressed the importance of colostrum and transition milk,’’ says Joe.
Newborn calves are manually fed between two and three litres of their mother’s
colostrum within two hours of birth, depending on their size; calves weighing less than
30kg receive two litres and calves over 38kg, three litres. In line with best practice for
Johne’s prevention, transition milk from the dam is fed at a rate of two litres twice a
day for three days before the calves are introduced to Shine, fed twice a day initially.
From day 3 to day 21, calves receive three litres and from day 22 to weaning, four litres.
Pauline Ryan, Krystyna Piskorz, Anthony Nolan, Joe Murphy ( Bonanza) and John Condon
THE CREAM OF THE CROP
ANOTHER INNOVATION FROM BONANZA
CALF NUTRITION
Freephone 080 1781017
Telephone (Ireland) 042 9336001
www.bonanzacalf.ie