Feeding cold milk to calves

[lazy farmer]

Seen calves reared on cold milk powder last few years,absolute crap
Different milk powders and non of them mixed properly.
The fats in the milk powder don't dissolve into a liquid by instead drop to the bottom of the feed drum
Then there's growth rate
1.2 kgs of milk powder per day /growth rate average .4/.5kgs
Just reared autumn born calves on warm milk 1kg powder per day average growth rate .8 /1.2kgs per day
You have to realise that a calf has to warm that milk to body temperature before it can be digested so why not help it along
Ask yourself how much weight gain you are loosing with the energy of warming milk to body temperature

We regularly have our calves weighed by our vets. .8 to 1kg would be our avg our the last 5 yrs. more than one way to skin a cat.
if I get chance and I’m brave enough I will go in with them
Tomorrow morning and take a picture of an empty drum.

 

[lazy farmer]

The calves look great,do you have to put weight in the bottom of the barrel to stop them pushing it over ?

We use a lot of straw so tend to find this stabilises the drum.

 

[In the pit]

We regularly have our calves weighed by our vets. .8 to 1kg would be our avg our the last 5 yrs. more than one way to skin a cat.
if I get chance and I’m brave enough I will go in with them
Tomorrow morning and take a picture of an empty drum.

So you were getting growth rates like that in that cold spell we just had feeding cold milk with water probably just above freezing temperature
How does the fats in the powder dissolve??

 

[lazy farmer]

So you were getting growth rates like that in that cold spell we just had feeding cold milk with water probably just above freezing temperature
How does the fats in the powder dissolve??

I’ll take a picture in the morning and you’ll be the judge.the powder is mixed in an old milk tank with the agitator running. It is then pumped around the pens.

 

[In the pit]

Exactly the same as we did for 6 years
Shine oad for 2 years
Shine twice a day for a year
Coop own brand for 2 years
There's not one year when the milk was mixed in an old tank ,agitator running ,pump running that the milk felt powdery and unmixed
We would feed the calves and there would be powder left in mixed in tank
It was left mixing for 4odd hours one day and it still didn't mix
2 nd year of using shine oad we had the people from bonanza came over and took pallets of shine back and swapped them
Still didn't mix
I'm not having a go but on the same system how are you getting double the growth rates

 

[lazy farmer]

Who knows why. There are very many variables to Calf rearing.
here’s a picture of a drumming this morning. They will be cleaned out once a week

 

[dinderleat]

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??

Generator and steam cleaner?

 

[Ducati899]

This is what I use

 

[Jamer]

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?

 

[Ducati899]

Might want one of these to give that drum a mix

 

[In the pit]

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

 

[In the pit]

Brilliant kit

 

[pappuller]

Who knows why. There are very many variables to Calf rearing.
here’s a picture of a drumming this morning. They will be cleaned out once a weekView attachment 946768View attachment 946768

Used to something akin to that littering our local towns pavements after a heavy Friday night on the lash in my younger days

 

[lazy farmer]

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

https://www.jarvm.com/articles/Vol5Iss3/Gleeson%2097-104.pdf

 

[Headless chicken]

We use an ibc with an immersion heater in the side . Works brilliantly
If no electric at site we just have it in the back of our pickup. Plug in at home drive to location job done

 

[In the pit]

https://www.jarvm.com/articles/Vol5Iss3/Gleeson%2097-104.pdf

You need to reread that article
Cold WHOLE milk
I've googled the web for last 6 years and have never found anything about feeding milk powder colld,(whole milk yes) because the powder doesn't dissolve properly

 

[In the pit]

Another for heated milk

 

[sidjon]

All cold here, but whole milk only

 

[Spudley]

Cold whole milk here too

 

[lazy farmer]

You need to reread that article
Cold WHOLE milk
I've googled the web for last 6 years and have never found anything about feeding milk powder colld,(whole milk yes) because the powder doesn't dissolve properly

It’s fine. You didn’t make work we do. 16 Angus x out of crossbred cows left today at around 14 days old £140 for the bulls £100 for the heifers happy(repeat) buyer happy seller.