Calf rearing

[EmilyKingston]

How are people rearing their calves?
I’m moving back to the family farm to work and looking at a few options to improve their calf rearing.
They currently are in groups of 4 and fed on a bucket feeder till weaned, with access to hay, cake and water after weaning.
Where I have been working we have the calves individually penned until weaned.
How have your systems worked for you?
Thanks.

 

[Zippy768]

Individual pens here. More work, but off calves are spotted instantly.
Weaned when eating 2kg of home mixed ration.
Pneumonia is still the standard problem.

 

[rc mx110]

Frisian calves are put in small batches when I get time. Roughly when they a week - 10 days
Beef sired calves stay on the cow till they are sold 4-6weeks. Cows are still milked twice daily when the calf is on them

 

[rc mx110]

Frisian calves are put in small batches when I get time. Roughly when they a week - 10 days
Beef sired calves stay on the cow till they are sold 4-6weeks. Cows are still milked twice daily when the calf is on them

And god have mercy on the poor soul who buys them and wants to put them on a bucket

 

[EmilyKingston]

Frisian calves are put in small batches when I get time. Roughly when they a week - 10 days
Beef sired calves stay on the cow till they are sold 4-6weeks. Cows are still milked twice daily when the calf is on them

That’s how they have it at the moment.

 

[rc mx110]

That’s how they have it at the moment.

Carry on then. Why make work for yourself. Cow can rear a calf too sell better than most humans can

 

[Devon lad]

3 weeks old out side on one of these, 2nd batch go out tomorrow, we are spring block calving though.

 

[ollie989898]

View attachment 637148 3 weeks old out side on one of these, 2nd batch go out tomorrow, we are spring block calving though.

Best way to do it. Far lower disease burden.

Best system I have seen is batches of 15 calves in pens, fed with a couple of huge plastic drums outfitted with a load of teats. Fed to appetite.

That or robot feeders.

 

[Devon lad]

Best system I have seen is batches of 15 calves in pens, fed with a couple of huge plastic drums outfitted with a load of teats. Fed to appetite.

That’s how we do it, batches of 18 adlib milk, 200l barrel with peach teats and pipe first 3 weeks.

 

[Zippy768]

View attachment 637148 3 weeks old out side on one of these, 2nd batch go out tomorrow, we are spring block calving though.

How many calves do you rear like that? Do you have any illness/disease issues? How do they do when it gets cold?

 

[Zippy768]

That’s how we do it, batches of 18 adlib milk, 200l barrel with peach tears and pipe first 3 weeks.

Do you have pics of this setup?

 

[Devon lad]

How many calves do you rear like that? Do you have any illness/disease issues? How do they do when it gets cold?

200+ in 9weeks, no illnesses, you have to be sensible, turn them out on a nice day, pick a sheltered well draining field, plenty of milk, they’re noses are straight down eating grass, We very very rarely have any illness issues.

 

[Headless chicken]

And god have mercy on the poor soul who buys them and wants to put them on a bucket

I was literally about to say farmers like you used to be the Bain of my life when we were tearing calves before ...... but I know have a regular person who wants cull cows because he keeps buying calves that have been on the cow. He has 2 that have done 29 between them so far

 

[Zippy768]

200+ in 9weeks, no illnesses, you have to be sensible, turn them out on a nice day, pick a sheltered well draining field, plenty of milk, they’re noses are straight down eating grass, We very very rarely have any illness issues.

I get worried when temps get below 0°c and ours are under a roof.
Sometimes they seem so fu#king fragile

 

[Devon lad]

I get worried when temps get below 0°c and ours are under a roof.
Sometimes they seem so fu#king fragile

It may well be our nz genetics, our calves just want to live, they always suck really well, but I think ad-lib milk first 3 weeks is key,

 

[Hill Dairy]

I really like your homemade concs feeder looks just the job. Going to make some!

 

[Zippy768]

It may well be our nz genetics, our calves just want to live, they always suck really well, but I think ad-lib milk first 3 weeks is key,

That is probably the difference. Our calves are just arriving when 3 weeks old. Of course one does not know what it has drunk in its first 3 weeks

 

[Princess Pooper]

Small herd rearing 20-25 heifers. Our dairy replacements are born Aug/Sept. Indiv pens for about a week, trained on a teated bottle. Powder after about day 5. Grouped max 12 on ad lib milk replacer after that. We vaccinate against respiratory disease. Step down milk intakes and weaned about 7 weeks, straw and 3kg cake until 20 weeks then 2kg cake and silage.
But the most important thing...3-4l tested colostrum in first 6 hrs. Get that right and you should have few problems.
All the rest of our calves are an extended block Oct-end Feb, beef breed crosses kept on cows milk in indiv pens and sold at 5 weeks when drinking 10l/head/day.

 

[EmilyKingston]

Small herd rearing 20-25 heifers. Our dairy replacements are born Aug/Sept. Indiv pens for about a week, trained on a teated bottle. Powder after about day 5. Grouped max 12 on ad lib milk replacer after that. We vaccinate against respiratory disease. Step down milk intakes and weaned about 7 weeks, straw and 3kg cake until 20 weeks then 2kg cake and silage.
But the most important thing...3-4l tested colostrum in first 6 hrs. Get that right and you should have few problems.
All the rest of our calves are an extended block Oct-end Feb, beef breed crosses kept on cows milk in indiv pens and sold at 5 weeks when drinking 10l/head/day.

Great thanks

 

[rc mx110]

I was literally about to say farmers like you used to be the Bain of my life when we were tearing calves before ...... but I know have a regular person who wants cull cows because he keeps buying calves that have been on the cow. He has 2 that have done 29 between them so far