Calf rearing set ups
- Thread starter Jdunn55
- Start date
Cows 'n grass
Member
- Location
- Modbury, South Devon
Get your tenant farmer head on
and remember you want to be able to take any money you spend with you.
Small calves
Slightly less small calves and feral children
This was the only photo I could find of our milkbar. This was our special needs group which is why they don't look that special.
and remember you want to be able to take any money you spend with you.
Small calves
Slightly less small calves and feral children
This was the only photo I could find of our milkbar. This was our special needs group which is why they don't look that special.
Last edited:
Spudley
Member
- Location
- Pembrokeshire
By that do you mean coccidiosis?
No it’s not cocci. It’s similar in how it presents. Have a look online about it. We have had some issues with it. And some farms locally have lost lots of animals to it. They still aren’t sure what causes it. And there is very little treatment for it. We don’t get it in autumn born calves. Just the springs.
I use 2 wydale 5 bar feeders so feed 10 at a time but I have to watch them drink and pull out the fast drinkers as they tend to finish and then knock the slow ones off which can mean 1 calf only getting half its milk. This makes the job time consuming and hard work.How do folks manage on shared milk bars/ drums? Do you use extra water so all calves feed until full or is it a case of every calf for itself and if some get more than others, tough luck.
jimmer
Member
- Location
- East Devon
They get put on a trough at 3 weeks old
- Location
- Shropshire
Send muck samples find out what it is
pine_guy
Member
- Location
- North Cumbria
£500 would buy 20 or more ibc’s,if your on grazing rats they’ll do till their milking.
yes, loved my IBC hutches, calves bounce in them. Still get dragged out from time to time as an overflow.
Shanty town or hutches. We reared ours in pairs and worked very well.
Admittedly we didn't have very good sheds for our calves but I still wouldn't spend money on putting one up.
If you have the money the calf-tel ones brilliant. If you don't buy some IBCs. Keep it simple and keep it cheap.
Admittedly we didn't have very good sheds for our calves but I still wouldn't spend money on putting one up.
If you have the money the calf-tel ones brilliant. If you don't buy some IBCs. Keep it simple and keep it cheap.
That’s the thing with it. There not sure what causes it. No high count for worm or cocci. I’ll try and put a link up to it. It goes on to cause pneumonia as well as the scours weakens them.
Summer Scour Syndrome
www.sruc.ac.uk
- Location
- Pembrokeshire
Cocci them 14/16 days after turnoutThat’s the thing with it. There not sure what causes it. No high count for worm or cocci. I’ll try and put a link up to it. It goes on to cause pneumonia as well as the scours weakens them.
Summer Scour Syndrome
Samples won’t show up cocci but it could still be there
Still using them here,b/w bulls go in them for a few weeks before we sell them,all beef soon so won’t be using them at all.
Do you find the calves do just as well on the milk bar as they do on the 5/10 calf feeders where the milk is distributed evenly? I'm curious as I'm thinking of using one of these for this spring. Cheers
Princess Pooper
Member
- Location
- East Mids
Not heard of it before you flagged it up but an Irish article suggests it is worst on top quality lush grass and may be due to the high N levels causing ammonia poisoning; rumens not fully developed in young calves which doesn't help. https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/summer-scour-a-product-of-our-success/That’s the thing with it. There not sure what causes it. No high count for worm or cocci. I’ll try and put a link up to it. It goes on to cause pneumonia as well as the scours weakens them.
Summer Scour Syndrome
- Location
- somerset
must be behind the times, still in pens, and follow on pens after 6 weeks. Dead simple,teat bucket per pen. Works well for us, 2 calves lost, 1 jx bull, and 1 that just 'died'. Not 1 calf tubed, very little coughing, no scours.
secret ingredient, lady comes in, and takes charge. What we pay her, wouldn't need to 'save' many calves to cover it.
Works well, so why change ? Can cope with about 100, but we wean virtually everything, to sell later on.
![IMG_0401[1].JPG](https://d1hu4133i4rt3z.cloudfront.net/attachments/1010/1010726-cd1e59f03847603033e93c67b9989612.jpg "IMG_0401[1].JPG")
![IMG_0458[1].JPG](https://d1hu4133i4rt3z.cloudfront.net/attachments/1010/1010729-a38a1f3b528f8bec690fbe65048d6566.jpg "IMG_0458[1].JPG")
![IMG_0461[1].JPG](https://d1hu4133i4rt3z.cloudfront.net/attachments/1010/1010730-19c31695223f8ac563b88a9fa05f7650.jpg "IMG_0461[1].JPG")
secret ingredient, lady comes in, and takes charge. What we pay her, wouldn't need to 'save' many calves to cover it.
Works well, so why change ? Can cope with about 100, but we wean virtually everything, to sell later on.
Cows 'n grass
Member
- Location
- Modbury, South Devon
When you rear in bigger groups you just need to regroup now and then. There will be some that don't do as well and we will run these as a separate group that stay on milk and cake for longer. Right through their first year we run a small group so even now theres a group of 170 grazing bales and a group of 10 still on grass and cake.
If you're going to use something like the feeder above then you may as well make one out of a 200l blue barrel. Also be prepared that if you are planning on filling it by walking through the pen with buckets of milk then you will very soon hate calves because they will beat the crap out of you each day.
Holsteinfriesian90
Member
- Location
- Cornwall
Jdunn55
Member
- Location
- Helston, cornwall
To panic because february is 20 days away and I am not mentally or physically prepared but very excited?
Planning on calving them here obviously staying here for a week-2 weeks in the traditional buildings for colostrum and so they can have their course of halocure. Then move them to dad's I'm hoping but I haven't told him that yet
