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Rearing Dairy Calves Calf Rearing The Aim: To rear strong, healthy, well grown calves that will continue to grow steadily after weaning Calves Require: Food – – – Milk Concentrate (pellets/grain) Straw/hay Clean water Shelter TLC (tender loving care) Milk Each calf requires – – – Daily milk must be a constant temperature – minimum 2 litres of good colostrum within 6 hours of birth. another 2 litres within next 6 hours and 2 litres within the next 12 hours warm or cold Don’t over feed Facilities Well ventilated Easily (and regularly) cleaned Sufficient room to prevent overcrowding Allow 1½ - 2 sq. metres /calf At least 5½ cubic metres of total shed volume/calf Bedding 1” wide woven mesh/wooden slats over a concrete floor or a deep litter system – – – rice hulls wood chips/shavings sawdust Penning Individual penning for 1st 2 - 3 weeks is an advantage Multiple penning according to weight and age Feeding Methods Rubber teats Trough Drum Rubber Teats No difference in growth between bucket fed and buckets with teats Easier to train calf to drink from a teat – can save time Some evidence scouring calves maintain fluid intake better if fed by teat Teats and tubes need extra washing up Trough May be used with/without rubber teats Must be 1 teat/calf If using without teats, allow at least 40cm of trough per calf Best to match calves for drinking speed and age Troughs ADVANATAGES Reduced labour Able to feed calves at any location DISADVANTAGES Possible greater range of milk intake More training required Not suitable to Ad Lib difficult to cover Drums Used with teats and tubes - similar to troughs Suitable for ad lib feeding because it is easily covered At least 1 teat per calf should be provided to avoid competition and a range of weaning weights Choosing a Feeding System Twice per day Once per day Ad Lib Twice per Day ADVANTAGES Able to feed more liquid/day - better growth rates Small calves do better with more frequent feeds Calves receive attention twice/day More even growth rates & weaning weights DISADVANTAGES Labour intensive, at a particularly busy time on the farm Once per Day ADVANTAGES Labour saving Greater flexibility of feeding times Greater flexibility of place of feeding Calves receive individual attention Even growth rates and weaning weights DISADVANTAGES Calves may be not looked at often enough Calves may not consume enough milk for good growth rates Ad Lib Calves have constant access to feed Ad Lib - Advantages Substantial labour saving Faster growth rates - earlier weaning possible Calves don’t need to be handy Calves don’t bellow Feeding can be done at any time of the day Ad Lib - Disadvantages More costly in terms of milk input Large variability in liveweight gains Calf growth can be poorer at weaning if rumen not developed well enough Calves not well observed for health problems Some calves slow to learn how to use system Early Weaning Calves can be weaned as early as 4 - 6 weeks Once daily milk offered to encourage pellet intake Access to good quality (20% protein) calf pellets from 1 week of age (or earlier) Exclusion from pasture until after weaning to encourage pellet intake Milk removed after 4 - 6 weeks, but pellets provided after weaning 500grams pellets/day consumed at weaning, Weaning SIZE AT BIRTH Jersey : 25 - 30 kg (67 - 70 cm) Friesian : 35 - 40 kg (73 - 77 cm) SIZE AT WEANING Jersey : 60kg (87cm) Friesian : 70kg (92cm) * Note: these are minimum weights Weaning AGE AT WEANING Jersey : 10 - 12 weeks Friesian : 9 weeks Whole Milk or Milk Replacer? Milk Replacer Fed at the rate of 650 g/calf/day Whole milk Fed at the rate of 4.0 l/calf/day Milk Replacer Cost for 16 kg bag ranges from $50 - $58 (for high fat replacers 20%) Calves require 650 g/calf/day At $50 At $58 Costs/day =$50 x 0.65 $58 x 0.65 16 16 =$2.03/calf/day $2.37/calf/day Whole Milk - Feeding 4.0 L/calf/day May Fat 4.55% Protein 3.52% Price = 0 .38c/ for 4.0 L = $1.52/calf/day June Fat 4.55% Protein 3.52% Price = 0.39c/L for 4.0 L = $1.56/calf/day July Fat 4.55% Protein 3.52% Price = 0.36c/L for 4.0 L = $1.44/calf/day August Fat 4.55% Protein 3.52% Price = 0.30c/L for 4.0 L = $1.22/calf/day Total Feed Cost (A) Whole Milk & Pellets = (B) Milk Replacer & Pellets = $60.06 $25.48 $85.54/calf $91.28 $25.48 $116.76/calf Calf Health Problems Diarrhoea “Scours” Worms Pneumonia & Respiratory Disease Clostridial Infections Umbilical Hernias & Abscesses Intestinal Accidents Bloat Broken Limbs Pink-eye Causes of Diarrhoea in Calves Nutritional Infectious Bacteria Protozoa Viruses Worms in older calves What causes calves to scour Nutritional – – Undigested milk entering the intestines Due to overflow Malfunctioning of stomach cannot digest milk Overfeeding Infectious – Due to excessive leakage of fluid from the body into the intestine The Basics of Scour Treatment Milk Restriction Fluid therapy Antibiotics Scour Powders Warmth & Care Worms Worms can be present in the intestine or in the lungs Picked up from paddocks (in faeces) Can cause disease by themselves and make calves more susceptible to other diseases As a guide, calves should be wormed every 3 months after weaning until they enter the herd Alternate between oral and pour on drenches Pneumonia & other Respiratory Diseases Individual cases often occur. Large outbreaks are more common if calves are housed Calves will often appear sick and will usually exhibit coughing and/or shortness of breath if exerted Often very wet around mouth Treatment is best aimed at firstly correcting problems with housing etc. and secondly antibiotics to prevent lung damage and death Clostridial Diseases These are a group of diseases that will usually result in sudden death Vaccination against these diseases is essential life insurance for your calves Umbilical Hernias Hernias are non-painful, soft swelling around the navel area that usually are present from the time of birth If felt carefully, a hole can be detected through the skin Larger or persistent hernias may require veterinary attention to allow closure If at any time a hernia becomes sore or suddenly larger seek veterinary attention. Umbilical Abscess Painful to touch swellings around navel area Some evidence of discharge may be seen Usually require veterinary attention Correct treatment usually involves surgical drainage and possibly treatment with antibiotics Intestinal Accidents Calves may appear bloated and the bulging usually involves the whole abdomen Calf is normally distressed and often in pain May pass black or obvious blood in faeces Immediate veterinary attention is required Bloat Occasionally calves bloat for what appears to be no specific reason Calves bulge initially on their left side and are not normally distressed about it Administering oil (paraffin or cooking) by mouth, about 100-200mls, is often sufficient to resolve the problem A higher rate of bloat occurs in calves that are fed from buckets at ground level If calf appears to be distressed seek urgent veterinary attention Broken Limbs Not too hard to pick these These injuries are often amenable to casting and usually heal well Best if simple fracture below the knees with little or no damage to the skin Pink-Eye Bacteria spread by flies Early signs include reddening of eye with excessive tear leakage Later stages of the condition involving whitening of the eye and possible ulceration or damage to surface of the eye Treatment consists of antibiotics, eye, protection and reducing fly numbers (ie Fly Repellants) Veterinary attention should be sought in cases with ulceration or apparent damage to the eye Preventing Disease 1. Colostrum Colostrum is full of antibodies to fight disease Calf can only absorb these antibodies into blood for 24 hours after it is born Without colostrum calves cannot fight diseases….like having AIDS Must ensure that calves get enough enough colostrum Preventing Disease 1. Colostrum Aim to feed – – – 2 litres of good colostrum in first 6 hours 2 litres of good colostrum in following 6 hours 2 litres in next 12 hours Continue feeding fresh colostrum for as long as possible as to help calves fight disease Preventing Disease 1. Colostrum Studies have shown that in most cases leaving the calf on its mother is not enough Most calves need to be given extra colostrum Use good colostrum which is obtained from middle aged cows. Avoid heifers (Too little antibodies) and big producing cows (Too dilute/watery colostrum) Preventing Disease 2. Environment Calves should be kept in a dry and draughtfree environment Adequate air movement should occur above the height of the calves Bedding should be clean, deep, dry and regularly changed or added to Each calf should have a minimum of 1.5m2 of space Preventing Disease 3. Vaccination Presently we can vaccinate against – – – E coli scours Salmonella Clostridial Diseases ( “5 in 1” or “7 in 1”) Vaccinating is an aid in preventing disease Vaccinating is not a substitute for good management, planning and hard work Where does Johne’s Disease fit into all this? Calves are most susceptible to infection with the bacteria that causes Johne’s disease from birth till 1 year old The first 30 days is the highest risk Most likely source of infection is faeces from infected cow Minimise the contact that the calves have with adult faeces in the first 12 months of life