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Transition milk and its role in baby beef calf performance
Are the beef calves second class citizens on your farm compared to the important replacement heifers in terms of their nutrition?
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.
Often beef calves are fed whatever milk is available at the time e.g. unsaleable antibiotic milk or mastitis milk etc that you wouldn’t dream of feeding to your heifer calves.
Every farm will differ in terms of when these calves leave the farm, some will be sold as soon as possible, and others will be kept reared on the farm. But whichever the case may be, by feeding the baby beef calves well at this extremely important stage in their development will have beneficial effects to their overall health and complimentary growth, both these things go hand in hand. A healthy calf is a thriving calf.

Several recent studies have highlighted the importance and value of feeding transition milk for extended periods of time. By feeding transition milk or a transition milk replacer for three weeks of age can positively influence weight gain, health scores and digestive tract maturity in the baby calf.
Time and time again we see calves scouring during their first three to four weeks of life and this is no coincidence. During this period, the baby calf is under great pressure as they are totally reliant on passive immunity from colostrum and transition milk to protect them against disease. Without the correct nutrition calves will struggle to kick start their own immunity and develop and maintain a healthy gut to aid with the protection against disease-causing pathogens.
Recent French research showed that calves fed a transition milk replacer (Transformula, manufactured by Bonanza Calf Nutrition) for three weeks had zero cases of scour compared to over a quarter of the calves fed a standard milk replacer. This finding correlates with other recent studies (Kargar et al., 2021). In addition, calves fed transition milk replacer grew significantly better (650g/calf/day), for the first 30 days of life compared to calves that were fed a standard milk replacer – these grew at 480g/calf/day. This meant that in their first month of life, the Transformula group gained an average of 5.1kg, 35% more than calves fed the standard milk replacer.
If we can achieve an earlier sale date by feeding the right levels of colostrum and transition milk/transition milk replacer, meaning animals are kept for a shorter time on the farm this adds to efficiency and profits. We have healthier calves so from a welfare and profitability point of view it makes perfect sense to provide baby beef calves with the best ingredients found in transition milk for their first three weeks of life.
Recent research from Teagasc Grange has highlighted dairy-beef production systems with younger finishing age supports high carcass output, are more profitable and have a lower carbon footprint than those animals which must be kept for longer.
If managed correctly, dairy-beef systems can achieve profits in excess of €1000 net margin/hectare.
Of course, calf health and development is multifactorial in that nutrition is not the only player but it does play a significant part. The calf’s environment and housing can be very variable from one farm to another ie, airspace, feeding space, how clean it is etc.
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