Transcript Rearing Dairy Calves

Rearing Dairy Calves
Calf Rearing
The Aim:
To rear strong, healthy, well grown calves that
will continue to grow steadily after weaning
Calves Require:
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Food
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Milk
Concentrate (pellets/grain)
Straw/hay
Clean water
Shelter
TLC (tender loving care)
Milk
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Each calf requires
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Daily milk must be a constant temperature
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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
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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
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1” wide woven mesh/wooden slats over a
concrete floor
or
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a deep litter system
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rice hulls
wood chips/shavings
sawdust
Penning
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Individual penning for 1st 2 - 3 weeks is an
advantage
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Multiple penning according to weight and age
Feeding Methods
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Rubber teats
Trough
Drum
Rubber Teats
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No difference in growth between bucket fed
and buckets with teats
Easier to train calf to drink from a teat
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can save time
Some evidence scouring calves maintain fluid
intake better if fed by teat
Teats and tubes need extra washing up
Trough
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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
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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
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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
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Calves have constant access to feed
Ad Lib - Advantages
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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
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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
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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)
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* Note: these are minimum weights
Weaning
AGE AT WEANING
 Jersey :
10 - 12 weeks
 Friesian :
9 weeks
Whole Milk or Milk Replacer?
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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
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=$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
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(B)
Milk Replacer
& Pellets
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$60.06
$25.48
$85.54/calf
$91.28
$25.48
$116.76/calf
Calf Health Problems
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Diarrhoea “Scours”
Worms
Pneumonia & Respiratory Disease
Clostridial Infections
Umbilical Hernias & Abscesses
Intestinal Accidents
Bloat
Broken Limbs
Pink-eye
Causes of Diarrhoea in Calves
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Nutritional
Infectious
Bacteria
Protozoa
Viruses
Worms in older calves
What causes calves to scour
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Nutritional
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Undigested milk entering the intestines
Due to overflow
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Malfunctioning of stomach cannot digest milk
Overfeeding
Infectious
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Due to excessive leakage of fluid from the body into
the intestine
The Basics of Scour Treatment
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Milk Restriction
Fluid therapy
Antibiotics
Scour Powders
Warmth & Care
Worms
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Aim to feed
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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
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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
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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
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Presently we can vaccinate against
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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?
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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