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Managing autumn-born calves in an indoor environment can be tricky, as there are always disease risks posed by older cattle sharing the same airspace, or in adjacent cattle pens.
They are also more prone to disease such as scour, where shed hygiene is substandard.
Keeping on top of calf management can be time-consuming and tasks like cleaning out creep areas are often put off for another day.
But any effort made to improve calf management will be rewarded with healthier animals that thrive to their potential.
Outlined are some areas to focus on in terms of indoor management for calves this winter.
1 Calf creep
Calves should always have access to a creep area when housed. Creep areas provide younger animals with a clean, dry bedded area to lie, as cows on a silage diet will soil pens quickly.
If calves do not have a clean, dry bedded area, they will be prone to disease. Wet bedding reduces the calf’s body temperature, which can suppress immunity.
Another reason for providing a creep area is to target calves with concentrates and silage in a separate area.
Trying to feed concentrates without a separate creep area, or creep feeder, is difficult as cows will bully calves to get access to meal.
Creep areas can also be used to restrict calves from suckling their dam prior to, and during the breeding season, bringing cows back into heat much faster after calving.
2 Dry bedding
Ideally, calves should have a straw bed to lie on, but woodchips can also be used, provided they are kept clean and topped up as necessary.
When using straw, the more the better. As a rule of thumb, you should be able to kneel on a straw bed without getting your knees wet.
If your knees are wet, then more straw should be applied. Dry bedding means healthier calves and using more straw is a cheaper option than treating sick calves.
3 Clean out bedding regularly
While it will not be practical to clean out the bedding in creep areas every week, an effort should be made to clean creep areas at least once per month.
Removing soiled bedding will keep straw dry, meaning fresh bedding will last longer when applied.
Also, cleaning out the creep areas monthly will remove the build-up of pathogens that thrive in wet, soiled areas.
There is no need to wash sheds every time bedding is removed, unless there has been a scour outbreak, but dusting with hydrated lime is recommended.
4 Adjusting creep gates
As winter progresses, and calves get bigger in size, make sure creep gates are adjusted to allow animals to pass through unhindered.
Likewise, if there is a range in calf age and size, you may want to alter the gate to allow smaller calves access to the creep area first when feeding fresh concentrates.
Otherwise, stronger calves will bully smaller animals and eat more than their intended allocation.
5 No draughts
Creep areas should be light and airy, but there should be no draughts hitting calves. Check airflow in creep areas by using a smoke bomb, or by lighting a small quantity of straw and observing how smoke exits the shed.
All traces of smoke should have disappeared within five minutes of the fire extinguishing in a well-ventilated shed.
If not, alter tin or space boarding to increase airflow. However, be careful that you don’t introduce a draught.
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