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. [...]

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. [...]

We were delighted to see this article about Vortex Holstien in British Dairying in April 2024 https://www.britishdairying.co.uk/

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.

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

Changes in weather conditions can have an effect on calf health and performance, it is common to see a rise in pneumonia and rotavirus cases after a sudden change in weather conditions.

There is good reason why farmers are keen to improve calf rearing, to ensure heifers produce their first calf at 24 months and remain in the milking herd for as long as possible. In the Netherlands a recent survey found that most farmers use age as the main determinant for serving maiden heifers, targeting 25-26 months as age at first calving.

A new calf feeding regime introduced on a Lancashire dairy farm has eliminated incidence of pneumonia in heifer replacements.John and Graham Robson produce milk from 220 cows on a robot milking system at Roe Farm, Preston.Newborn calves receive four litres of colostrum as soon as possible after birth and are initially reared in hutches.They are on a twice-a-day feeding system and gradually transition from colostrum to Transformula on the fourth bucket feed.

A good calf that gets the best start in life will mostly produce a good cow. It all starts with birthweight. As the digestive system is the last part of the calf to develop, size may be an indicator of when the gut is ready to begin digesting food. This digestion and the calf immune system also need a vital feed – colostrum – and they also benefit hugely from transition milk for a number of days post-birth.

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.