Pre-Weaning Nutrition

The developing microbiome and calf health

The gut microbiome in calves is important for growth and health, and has a key role in nutrition, immune function, and gut barrier integrity.
Read more...

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 […]
Read more...

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.
Read more...

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. [...]
Read more...

Vortex Holsteins won’t be giving up their skim and buttermilk-based milk replacer

Calf mortality rate from birth to weaning has fallen to just 1.5% at a Dorset dairy farm since a new milk replacer made from low heat skim and buttermilk was introduced.
Read more...

Tips for preventing calf bloat in automatic milk feeding systems

Performance and weight gain can be set back if a calf suffers bloat and, as the condition is more common in automatic feeding than conventional, it is important in these systems to get everything right from hygiene to feed concentration to prevent cases
Read more...

Why calves need the right fat levels in their diet

There are multiple and important reasons why calves need fat in their diet. Fat is a source of essential fatty acids, which form important membrane structures in the calf, and have a key association with vitamins. Fat is also a store of energy and can be converted to sugar when the calf most needs it. Calf rearing is about keeping the calf healthy and, as importantly, developing into a ruminant so it can be weaned successfully and grow.
Read more...

The power of buttermilk

As we learn more about nutrition and health, the value of natural flora, the prebiotic components and the enzymes in colostrum and milk are key to calf health and development. Low-heat fresh buttermilk is a key link between colostrum and milk as it contains many of the key health components of both and helps to protect the calf’s gut and improve digestion.
Read more...

Gut morphology

This article discusses the complex gut morphology and intestinal development of the new born calf.
Read more...

What is transition milk and why is it so crucial for calf health?

This article examines the crucial role of transition milk in supporting the gastro-intestional tract of the young calf. Transition milk is proven to have benefits for calf heath, growth and development. Unfortunately the practise of feeding transition milk has declined as modern farming techniques have made it more difficult to feed without spreading disease.
Read more...