Feeding cold milk to calves

[Water Wheel]

Are there any pro-cold feeders here that aren't spring/autumn calving? I don't doubt it works fine for those doing it now but I would venture nobody would start calves in the crap time either side of Christmas on cold milk?

120 calves since Christmas, 48 hrs on cow, bag a few, then cold whole milk in a 12 teat calf feeder.
I know I shouldn't say this, tempting fate , but no scour yet. Reaching that stages in the season when it has to start going wrong.
Broke the ice on milk several times, they still fight for it.
We do Rotavac all even numbered cows and feed colostrum milk, the first 4 days, to the youngest bunch as far as possible.
Sell very few calves below the market average price, all average or better.

 

[O'Reilly]

I would think that cold works better if you are ad lib feeding, so they take it little and often. I have fed cold twice a day, and I don't like them shivering afterwards because they have taken it in one big hit.

 

[frederick]

2 people on here feeding cold milk ,everyone else seams to have a way of feeding warm milk.says it all really

2 people on here feeding cold milk ,everyone else seams to have a way of feeding warm milk.says it all really

Yes two people are pushing the envelope saving money and rearing great calves. The rest are following the herd and doing what they have always done and some still getting problems.
I'm far happier being in the minority rather than following the herd.

 

[In the pit]

Yes two people are pushing the envelope saving money and rearing great calves. The rest are following the herd and doing what they have always done and some still getting problems.
I'm far happier being in the minority rather than following the herd.

I reared calves for 6 years on cold milk powder and all I saw was light weight at weaning ,light at bulling ,light at calving and not a lot of milk first lactation
All I kept getting told was these are grazing animals so they should be smaller
Our cold milk feeding was Adkin first 3 weeks( put extra powder in cause it won't mix and that way they should get enough) and then 5lts a day until weaning at 8wks ish
Calves would then be nearly but not quite double birth weight
Reared calves autumn and fed 1kg milk powder in a 5 lt mix and had double birth weight + 10/20 kg at 50 days
Nearly a direct comparison in feeding but not in growth rates

Thing made me laugh most was farmer next door asked how I was getting on with milk powder as he was using same,I said rubbish trouble mixing it with cold water, he laughed and said that's stupid it won't mix with cold water

 

[buttercup]

I take hot water of the steam cleaner, easy\cheap way to get hot water

 

[frederick]

I reared calves for 6 years on cold milk powder and all I saw was light weight at weaning ,light at bulling ,light at calving and not a lot of milk first lactation
All I kept getting told was these are grazing animals so they should be smaller
Our cold milk feeding was Adkin first 3 weeks( put extra powder in cause it won't mix and that way they should get enough) and then 5lts a day until weaning at 8wks ish
Calves would then be nearly but not quite double birth weight
Reared calves autumn and fed 1kg milk powder in a 5 lt mix and had double birth weight + 10/20 kg at 50 days
Nearly a direct comparison in feeding but not in growth rates

Thing made me laugh most was farmer next door asked how I was getting on with milk powder as he was using same,I said rubbish trouble mixing it with cold water, he laughed and said that's stupid it won't mix with cold water

It's good your happy with what works for you. But just because some are in a minority doesn't mean it won't work for them.

Are both herds your comparing autumn. An autumn calf is Born to perfect weather for a calf unlikely to see any cold weather until it's weaned. A spring calf is dealing with a 10degree weather deficit most days until it's weaned. The external temp difference would make a far greater difference than the temp of the milk.

 

[frederick]

I take hot water of the steam cleaner, easy\cheap way to get hot water

I don't have a steam cleaner so that's quite an expensive starting point.

 

[In the pit]

It's good your happy with what works for you. But just because some are in a minority doesn't mean it won't work for them.

Are both herds your comparing autumn. An autumn calf is Born to perfect weather for a calf unlikely to see any cold weather until it's weaned. A spring calf is dealing with a 10degree weather deficit most days until it's weaned. The external temp difference would make a far greater difference than the temp of the milk.

So if a spring born calf has colder weather to deal with then feed it warm tea rather than an ice cream

 

[ImLost]

I reared calves for 6 years on cold milk powder and all I saw was light weight at weaning ,light at bulling ,light at calving and not a lot of milk first lactation
All I kept getting told was these are grazing animals so they should be smaller
Our cold milk feeding was Adkin first 3 weeks( put extra powder in cause it won't mix and that way they should get enough) and then 5lts a day until weaning at 8wks ish
Calves would then be nearly but not quite double birth weight
Reared calves autumn and fed 1kg milk powder in a 5 lt mix and had double birth weight + 10/20 kg at 50 days
Nearly a direct comparison in feeding but not in growth rates

Thing made me laugh most was farmer next door asked how I was getting on with milk powder as he was using same,I said rubbish trouble mixing it with cold water, he laughed and said that's stupid it won't mix with cold water

Why did you keep doing it for 6 years if it wasn't working? I'm not having a dig at you, genuinely curious.

 

[In the pit]

Boss wouldn't change
Had three helpers to help with calf rearing over the years ,all moaned about the milk not mixing
Every year it would be I've got a different powder which will mix with cold water this year ,never did
Milk powders contain up to 20% oils/fats which will not mix with cold water(water was anywhere between 1-5 degrees)
Have you tried getting milk fats of a bulk tank with cold water

 

[steveR]

I’m renting a shed for calf rearing 15mins from home..Iv no
way of warming water at the shed..has anyone fed cold milk replacer to calves??
These calves come to me at 4 weeks old.
Or is it a non starter??

Reared bought in calves from Market for 10+ years on ad-lib cold....

Good pens with a huge slope in the pens was vital to drain liquids/ All in- All out, then a fortnight to clean down and sterilise pens.

Grew well, but expensive. It was essential to use a hard feed that was very palatable to get them eating asap. No hay, only really good straw under them.

 

[In the pit]

We just kept dropping target heifer calving weights
Start 500 kg full grown cow
Then 490
Then 480
And finally 460

 

[In the pit]

Reared calves for 15 years on cold....

Cold whole milk or cold milk powder

 

[steveR]

Cold whole milk or cold milk powder

Powder, I cannot recall the powder I used, but it was a brand that would mix well with cold water. I did try cheaper alternatives once or twice, but always needed a bucket of hot water when mixing the batch in the morning! Soon moved back on the next batch.

 

[Full of bull(s)]

Powder, I cannot recall the powder I used, but it was a brand that would mix well with cold water. I did try cheaper alternatives once or twice, but always needed a bucket of hot water when mixing the batch in the morning! Soon moved back on the next batch.

My father tried an acidified powder years ago designed for cold feeding but I have no idea what it was called. It worked and mixed ok I think but they got the shivers afterwards and they all lost the hair on their muzzles where they stuck their noses in it (bucket feeding) and round their backsides so he stopped using it. They were reared to sell and it did nothing for their looks

 

[steveR]

My father tried an acidified powder years ago designed for cold feeding but I have no idea what it was called. It worked and mixed ok I think but they got the shivers afterwards and they all lost the hair on their muzzles where they stuck their noses in it (bucket feeding) and round their backsides so he stopped using it. They were reared to sell and it did nothing for their looks

MIne were on ad-lib, through teats fitted to the tin side walls of the pens I built. Plastic dustbins outside the pen fed the teats through poly pipe. First time they "locked on" the milk, they would overfeed, but never again! AS you describe, they would stanbd there shaking!

I would put in lukewarm the first feed, but in all honesty, they were fine, sometimes it would take until the following morning after purchase before they would find the teat, but a pen of 6/7 calves, one would find a teat quiuckly, the rest would follow, other than the odd one who was a sod, often I suspect, as it had been on a bucket!

No hair loss as they were on teats!

Calves looked superb, as they should on the milk they drank!!

 

[Ffermer Bach]

Do you heat up their water and hay too?
You never drink water out of the tap or coke out if the fridge then?
Stop making silly comparisons, you sound like a vegan!

had a downer cow the other day, and the vet said give her a bucket of water and feed, and give her warm water as cows prefer to drink warm water.

I remember being told in college, about rearing calves on cold acidified milk by the way. I think the important thing is, consistency in temperature rather than hot good, cold bad.

 

[steveR]

had a downer cow the other day, and the vet said give her a bucket of water and feed, and give her warm water as cows prefer to drink warm water.

I remember being told in college, about rearing calves on cold acidified milk by the way. I think the important thing is, consistency in temperature rather than hot good, cold bad.

Alternating temp is a recipie for scours....

My biggest problem was really cold weather. I used a fish tank heater to stop the milk freezing!! The main thing then was to keep the tanks filled up so it did not operate dry, and burn out... IR lamps also were tried.

 

[Ribble]

If a dairy feeds their own whole milk, would it be cold / pasturised?

 

[steveR]

If a dairy feeds their own whole milk, would it be cold / pasturised?

Unpasturised, I guess.... Temp will depend on their preferred methods