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Automatic vs. manual feeding – which is better?

Farming has changed dramatically in the last 10 years, with a big shift in attitude towards how we farm. Focus is now broader, incorporating the farmers needs as well as the animals needs. We are living in a faster-paced, more intensified industry with larger, more efficient herds and our calf rearing has had to try to keep up with this. 

Traditionally, even at this stage, it could be argued that historically, calves were fed 2 litres of milk morning and evening by the majority of farmers. At the time, the feeding method of calves was not as big an area of discussion as it is today. Presently, calf rearing is rapidly evolving. In recent years we have gone from a majority of farmers feeding calves twice daily to a variety of systems including feeding once daily, twice daily, and automatic feeding systems. 

While it was reported at the spring 2020 Animal Health Ireland/Teagasc Calfcare events that only 20% of farmers feed calves using an automatic feeding system, this is certainly a system that is growing and many are considering investing in. With much discussion on the topic among farmers, advisors and other professionals, it is important to have the right information. CalfChat, a group on Twitter and Facebook, designed by Bonanza Calf Nutrition to provide a platform for calf rearers and like-minded individuals to discuss various topics of calf rearing, recently led a discussion on automatic vs. manual feeding in which a change in attitude towards the role automatic feeders play in calf rearing is becoming apparent. 

In the last five years, automatic feeders have increased significantly in popularity and in this time a lot has had to be learned about them. In a poll led by CalfChat, respondents said that the biggest saving was in time. However, there was much discussion around the adjustment to the feeding system and the way in which time was spent. Training calves to drink takes longer in an automatic feeding system and, on block calving systems, this is often the busiest time of the season. Therefore, the experience of a farmer operating this system will be very different to that of a year-round calver. If there are large groups of calves in one pen, sharing a station, risk of disease is going to be higher that a smaller group of calves on a multi-teat feeder. 

One interesting theme that came out of the CalfChat discussion that needs to be seriously considered is that the machine does not rear the calves for you. It is enlightening to read that this is becoming apparent that machines can’t do all the work as it is the reality of the situation. The opinion among participants in the aforementioned discussion on CalfChat was that it is not necessarily the system, but rather the management of the system that can cause issues in the calves. If a person has trouble with calves on a manual feeding system with the reason unknown, it is important to take a step back and get some advice or perspective on what might be causing the issue. Purchasing a feeder will not necessarily fix this problem.

On the other hand, if a person is having issues in calves on a manual feeding system due to lack of ability to be there to feed calves at a set time, or that they just prefer the idea of an automatic feeding system, then it is certainly an option that should be considered. 

The big questions being – which is better, automatic feeding or manual feeding? Like with most calf-related questions, there is no simple answer. This is where a discussion like that hosted by CalfChat can be good. It is always good to talk to your calf advisor or vet to clarify points that come up in these discussions. 

A consistent consensus by Dr. Christine Cummins from Bonanza Calf Nutrition has been that each system is different and comes with its own set of pros and cons. Commenting on an automatic feeding system she said ‘the calves do the talking and, if you don’t listen to them yourself, your feeder won’t hear everything they are saying’. 

With a manual feeding system you could compare once daily feeding vs. twice daily feeding, something  Teagasc trialled in which they highlighted that feeding calves once a day, rather than twice a day reduced the time of feeding calves by one-third. It has also been reported that feeding once a day, rather than twice a day can reduce calf labour significantly so that a farmer rearing 80 calves once a day can save 100 hours of work over the rearing period. This is a simple system with very little investment and highlights that is not only considering manual vs. automatic feeding but the way in which these systems are operated.

The big drive towards investing in automatic feeders for the majority of farmers is to save time in calf rearing. While this is true when compared to once-a-day feeding, it is not entirely true when compared to automatic calf-rearing systems. The reduction in labour compared to feeding calves twice daily is much the same when it comes to once-daily feeding and automatic machines. The difference is in the type of labour. A study conducted in Teagasc, Moorepark in 2019 observed that there is a big difference in type of labour. This was confirmed on the most recent CalfChat when participants commented that training calves takes longer on auto feeders.

When automatic feeding systems started to become popular in Ireland and the UK, they were sold as an item that would essentially rear the calf for the farmer. This led to the farmers’ belief that, once the calf was on the feeder, they could walk away and forget about the calf. 

When we stop and take a minute to think about it, this can’t be true. We are dealing with living baby calves and a computer can only do so much. This is true regardless of what labour system we are aiming for. Calves still require manual attention. 

In a recent Twitter @calfchat debate about manual vs. automatic feeding systems, it came to light that the thoughts have changed and people are now beginning to realise it is not all about saving time, it is how the time is used. Although time is saved, it doesn’t mean you don’t put time into other jobs such as bedding, cleaning water and dry feeding. 

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