manageruser, Author at Calf Chat

Get storm ready and protect your calves.

The first big storm of the autumn ‘Storm Ashley’ is predicted to hit the UK and Wales this Sunday with winds of up to 80mph and flooding risks. However, there are some things you can do now to help reduce stress on your calves during the stormy weather. Create a nesting area in pens Calves […]

Calves: How do you house yours?

Rearing of calves can come in many shapes and sizes and varies widely from farm to farm. It can often depend on several factors such as: • Labour• Resources• Feeding method• Space• Personal preference Regardless of choice, their accommodation must provide for the calf’s most basic needs if animal performance is to be maximised, and […]

The hidden values of providing calves with dry feed alongside milk or milk replacer during the pre-weaning period

Getting the balance right between milk and dry feed during the pre-weaning phase is vital to ensure you produce an animal that can grow and develop their rumen at the same time to avoid any post-weaning checks and ill-health later. Feeding large volumes of milk for too long during the pre-weaning phase can be detrimental […]

Milk Feeding Calves Once a Day Versus Twice a Day

Once a day milk feeding after 28 days of age is a very popular choice amongst many farmers across the world. But there are definitely a few things which must be adhered to so that the calves perform optimally.

So, what’s in transition milk that makes it so good?

Baby calves that are fed colostrum for their first two feeds and then abruptly switched to whole milk or a replacer miss out on a very significant nutritional stage linked to transition milk.

Lungworm control in calves at grass

Be one step ahead when it comes to calf health during the grazing season. The first thing to do is reflect on last year and plan how to best prevent any likely issues that might flare up again. Are there pneumonia or respiratory problems in your calves at grass? [...]

Once-a-day feeding proves very successful for rearing healthy dairy replacement heifers in County Tyrone

Father and son team Kenny and Kyle McIlwaine run a crossbred dairy herd of Fleckvieh x Holsteins and Montbeliard x Holsteins on the outskirts of Newtownstewart, producing milk at an annual average yield of 9,000 litres/cow from twice- a-day milking system. Calf morbidity and mortality is at an all-time low. [...]

Transition milk and its role in baby beef calf performance

Providing baby beef calves with the same colostrum and transition milk feeding as replacement heifers can have a positive effect on both the health and development of those calves and less risk of disease for the other animals on the farm as well.

Pre-calving preparation

From July onwards, we will be getting into pre-calving season and now is the time to start preparing. We asked one of our dairy farmers who runs an autumn block calving herd consisting of 120 Holstein-Friesians (80/120 cows due September), how they prepare for calving [...]

The importance of trace elements for calves at grass

It is a well-known phenomenon that nutrition will impact the health and immune function of young calves as well as adult cattle. Mineral and vitamin deficiencies, or indeed too much of a good thing can alter various components of the immune system. [...]