My out wintered sucklers will be coming home from their winter field in the next week or so. Only get haylage in a ring feeder. Due to calf in a month. Never seem to get a colostrum or milk problem even with heifers. Will give some high mag lick. Hereford X.
Improving suckler cow colostrum quality
- Thread starter twizzel
- Start date
nails
Member
- Location
- East Dorset
Yes i cant see the necessity to go down that route. All our spring calving ped simmentals have hay and mollasses pre calving and then go on to good haylage/ silage, some years a fair bit of spring barley straw if not enough hay. Never had an issue with poor colostrum and always have plenty taken from the cows for freezing. sucklers with not enough milk are not much good imo.
- Location
- West Somerset
similar here,
Calve April may,
calves weaned Christmas
cows out on kale till april
brought closer to home to calve
Bolused twice a year (minerals-trace elements)
No worries.
- Location
- Buxton, Derbyshire
Since going onto Lifeline Pre Calver buckets we've had a massive improvement in colostrum quality and quantity. Also seen an improvement in calving ability.
We had a really crap year, particularly with heifers, having crap calvings and not bagging up. We fed Lifelines the year after and the difference was amazing, we swear by them now!
Cows get dry haylage over winter plus mineral buckets, heifers kept as a separate group on the same diet.
We had a really crap year, particularly with heifers, having crap calvings and not bagging up. We fed Lifelines the year after and the difference was amazing, we swear by them now!
Cows get dry haylage over winter plus mineral buckets, heifers kept as a separate group on the same diet.
That's why we use cold press rape meal....much more sustainable
ShooTa
Member
- Location
- Denbighshire - In the vale of Clwyd!
anyone using brix testing to test colostrum quality?
I use them too but they arent cheap, surprising what it all costs when your vaccinating for bvd ,scours, worming twice a year plus mins etc
Can’t see much point in testing colostrum at point of birth.Most important
is to make sure calf has colostrum within an hour. . What ever is in the cow is going to be better than any packet stuff. If need be I will milk cow out and usually bottle teat feed it, has auto reflex to suckle for first hour of life. Otherwise it gets a stomach tube. Just get it into calf ASAP.
is to make sure calf has colostrum within an hour. . What ever is in the cow is going to be better than any packet stuff. If need be I will milk cow out and usually bottle teat feed it, has auto reflex to suckle for first hour of life. Otherwise it gets a stomach tube. Just get it into calf ASAP.
- Location
- Newcastle upon Tyne
Calve AYR here too and recently started giving Chrystalyx Pre-Calver buckets and they have made a huge difference to calving and the calves getting up on their feet. The 80kg ones cost around £79 but they last for ages. Started feeding them to correct a Magnesium:Calcium imbalance and they do that job perfectly although still have to supplement them further with Magnesium if the grass starts growing like crazy. Not sure how much they do for Colostrum quality though.
The Soya is certainly supposed to make a huge difference to colostrum quantity and quality but as others have said probably better to find something similar a little closer to home.
I also started using Stalosan F powder in the calving pens and that made a huge difference to navel ill.
The Soya is certainly supposed to make a huge difference to colostrum quantity and quality but as others have said probably better to find something similar a little closer to home.
I also started using Stalosan F powder in the calving pens and that made a huge difference to navel ill.