WestVic Dairy News - June 2010 Edition
Calf rearing: a key to a profitable farming system
By Janet Sloan, Dairy Extension Officer, DPI Warrnambool
Growing out great heifers has a huge impact on the overall productivity of dairy farms. This is why the South Ecklin discussion group focused on growing calves at a recent day held at Gerard and Dianne Meade’s farm.
Gerard showed the group his calf rearing system and discussed how he uses an auto calf feeder. Following this, Kurt Stein, National Dairy Specialist for Coopers, shared his wisdom on controlling typical diseases that affect calves. The following are some of the key points from the day.
The Meade's well set up calf shed
The Meade’s calf rearing system
The Meade’s rear their 85 calves in a well ventilated shed with a 50cm deep bed of coarse wood chips. The shed is fitted with four automated calf feeders with slides that exclude calves after they feed. Calves are kept in the shed until four weeks of age. Then they have access to a small sheltered paddock as well as the shed until weaning at about 8 weeks of age. Calves are supplied with calf grain mix and straw to aid with rumen development.
Prevention is better than cure
Kurt Stein pointed out that the Meade’s calf rearing system helps prevent sickness in their calves which was evident by the healthy well grown out animals.
Kurt presented the group with information about controlling disease outbreaks such as Salmonella, Rotavirus, Coronavirus (E coli)and Cryptosporidia.
Managing scouring problems
- Recognise the problem. Many people can see a problem is occurring but don’t know what they are treating which makes controlling the outbreak quite difficult. There are diagnostic tools available so speak to your vet to discuss options right for your situation. Always use fresh manure samples when testing for problems. Collecting samples from the shed floor can give misleading information.
- Treat sick calves. This will depend on the cause of the problem and advice from your vet. Always ensure calves have access to plenty of clean water and electrolytes.
Scour prevention
- A pre-calving vaccination of the cow will increase specific antibodies in the mother that will flow through into the colostrum. Antibodies from colostrum have a protective effect within the calf gut so it is then better equipped to fight diseases that it encounters in the first few weeks of life. Two important diseases that can be vaccinated for are Colibacillosis (E Coli) and Salmonellosis (Salmonella spp).
- Colostrum management. It is essential that each calf gets at least four litres of a good quality colostrum in the first 6 hours after birth. Note that heifer colostrum may not have as many antibodies as mature cows and a colostrometer can be used to measure quality so that it can be graded for later use. Good hygiene needs to be maintained when harvesting and storing colostrum and it can be frozen and thawed when needed.
Calf feeding in robotic calf feeder
Communication and planning the Key
If your system works well and you can consistently rear healthy, well grown calves, then don’t change anything! If problems do arise:
- Talk with your private vet to develop a tailored vaccination programme for your herd
- Time the vaccinations well as they will need time to work properly
- Keep good records so that you can trace information about your system such as how each calf is managed, any specific treatments etc
- Good colostrum management is vital
- Overall calf management must be good, in particular high levels of hygiene
For more information on discussion groups in the region please contact Janet Sloan on 5561 9906.
