Patience

Patience may be a virtue, but it’s a necessity when it comes to calf rearing. Young calves take time but they also take patience, especially when one is trying to get them to suck from a teat for the first time. Some calves will take to it fine and others just won’t.

There is definitely a genetic link as dairy breeds are usually good to suck, while beef breeds can often be slower to suck. A big factor is how much time the calf spends with the cow.

When the cow/calf bond is formed, it can be hard to get a calf to suck from a bottle so early removal is a big help.

Where the calf has drunk from the cow or has definitely had enough colostrum, a bit of appetite can be a good sauce, but patience will still be required. This can be in short enough supply when one has 1,001 other things to be doing.

Feeding newborn calves with a teat takes time and patience.\ Philip Doyle

Colostrum

It’s almost a cliché at this stage but the importance of colostrum cannot be overstated. Insufficient colostrum is the single biggest cause of calf mortality and it is so easy to be avoided. Everyone has their own way of feeding colostrum and many will say “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it”.

In terms of efficiency and quality it’s hard to beat the stomach tube. I know some farmers don’t like them because they think it’s uncomfortable on the calf.

In my view, there has to be a trade-off and if a small bit of discomfort ensures they get sufficient colostrum which will then ward off life-threatening diseases then I think it’s a good trade-off.

Colostrum should be kept in a fridge.

Plus, stomach tubes are much quicker than sucking with a teat and you can ensure that the calf gets as much colostrum as they require.

Many calves (and those feeding them) will get tired when the calf has 70% to 80% of their required amount of colostrum drunk. That doesn’t happen with a stomach tube.

Bedding

Poor or inadequate bedding sucks the life out of calves. A wet or a cold bed will drain them of energy meaning they have less energy for growth and less immunity to fight off disease – the risks of which are increased when the bedding is poor as pathogens live in faeces.

A good deep bed of straw is the gold standard but woodchip and sawdust can be used also, more so with older calves. Margins are tight when it comes to calf rearing, but definitely do not skimp on good bedding for calves.

Consistency

Like babies, calves like consistency and gradual changes in the diet built up over time.

Some changes have to happen instantly, such as moving from twice-a-day feeding to once-a-day feeding but feeding nuts in the evening time will help with the transition.

The key thing is to keep feeding times relatively consistent. Make sure milk replacer is mixed consistently, particularly if different people are doing it.

Calculate the total amount of mixed milk that you need. For example, if you are feeding 10 calves 2l of milk you need 20l of mixed milk in total.

If the feeding rate is 15% the calves need to get 300g of powder each at each feed, or 3kg of powder for the bunch.

Thrive Farm. \ Philip Doyle

Because milk powder will displace water, you should reduce the amount of water used by the quantity of powder. So instead of mixing 3kg of powder into 20l of water, you should mix 3kg of powder into 17l of water to make 20l of mixed milk.

When mixing, pour the correct amount of milk powder into half the desired amount of water and mix with a whisk or other mixing device. Then add the rest of the water. Never mix with boiling water as this could corrupt the proteins.

Only ever mix and feed with water at or below body temperature. Milk replacer can be successfully fed cold.

Hygiene

If something is important and easy to do, there’s a good chance it’ll be done more often.

As humans, we wash our hands, plates and cutlery regularly because it’s important and it’s easy to do. Use the same thinking when it comes to calf rearing.

Many calf sheds don’t even have coldwater taps available for washing feeding equipment and utensils, never mind hot water. This means that calf feeders are not being kept clean and calves are having to drink milk from contaminated containers, ingesting bad bacteria and other bugs.

In many cases, less is more when it comes to calf-rearing equipment as if there are a lot of calf feeders being used, it means there are a lot to be washed and cleaned morning and evening.

Most farmers are only able to feed two or three pens of calves at any one time, so why bother having additional calf feeders?

Best policy is to rinse out feeding equipment in warm water after the calves are fed.

Do not use piping hot water because when this comes into contact with milk and colostrum residues it can break down the molecules which then form a biofilm on the plastic surface of the feeders and equipment. This biofilm can harbour bacteria and can be very difficult to remove.

Use hot water and disinfectant and scrub the equipment with a suitable cleaning brush after the initial rinse. After washing, rinse and soak the feeders in water with paracetic acid to prevent bacterial growth.

Thrive Farm. \ Philip Doyle

Best policy is to hang feeders and buckets upside down to allow them to dry out before the next feed as bacteria need moisture to grow. Farmers who adhere to this routine have all the equipment necessary for the procedure to be carried out routinely and without too much hassle.