Moorepark trial outdoor rearing

By Jack Kennedy

This year Moorepark are intensively monitoring how calves perform when reared outdoors. While many farmers have been rearing calves outdoors for years close monitoring of bodyweights, temperatures and growth rates has never been recorded in Moorepark.

This year, researcher Emer Kennedy is following the performance of 42 calves reared outdoors full time and 42 reared indoors full time. Calves are randomly assigned to either treatment when they are born.

Outdoor

Calves on the outdoor treatment are outside at one week old. They get four weeks fed whole milk twice a day (4.5 litres/calf) and then four weeks of milk fed once a day (3.5 litres/day). At nine weeks old they are weaned. At all times they have access to ad lib meals (coarse ration) and hay. Meals are fed in an outdoor feeder that has flaps to prevent bird entry.

When the outdoor calves are changed to once a day feeding they move paddock thus the younger calves are not at a disadvantage trying to compete with the older calves at the milk feeder. Once changed to once a day feeding the outdoor calves are offered fresh grass every day (strip grazed).

The paddock where the outdoor calves are reared is pretty well sheltered and they also have a make shift shed which gives shelter no matter what way the wind is blowing. Hay is fed in nets hanging near the shelter.

Milk is fed with a mobile tanker that has 50 nipples giving plenty of room to feed 42 calves. Milk is taken directly from the milk line during milking. Normally calves are fed about two hours after the milk is poured into the mobile tanker so it's not warm but not very cold either. In Moorepark, 'Milkshake' is added to the milk.

Indoor

The indoor calves get the same milk routine and also have access to hay and meals. They are bedded with straw in the conventional manner and are in groups of 20. Weaning etc is the same as the outdoor group.

Progress to date

The first of the calves on trial are ready for weaning next week. Emer said she is not yet ready to present the results, as she wants to wait until all calves have finished on trial. So far there have been no major problems with the calves, outside, even during the cold and wet weather in early March.

February weather was excellent outdoors and the calves got a great start allowing them settle into outdoor rearing.

Once calves are weaned off milk they will be taken away to another group and will be fed grass and meal only. They will get meal for three weeks and at this stage they will be moved off to another group for grazing only. Looking at the results so far, there is no major difference in live weight between the groups and no major sickness differences between the groups.

What's happening?

Many farmers have been rearing outdoors for years very successfully. Respiratory problems seem to be much reduced. Labour required for bedding etc is also much reduced. Some form of shelter is required and you still have to be very careful to spend time with the calves to pick up sick calves etc. Some farmers find it easier to feed calves twice a day so that they can monitor calf health easier.

Once a day feeding further reduces labour but research both in New Zealand and Ireland tells us that twice a day feeding with milk is better for the first three weeks of the calf's life.

At this time of the year calf sheds are getting over full as calves get bigger and the majority of cows have calved. It is advisable for most farmers to try and reduce the numbers in sheds by trying to get some calves outside. Even if you can let them in and out it will help.

Calf scours etc can easily take hold at this time of the year unless the air and space pressure is reduced. There have been some reports of dogs attacking calves outside.