Week 7

Dairy: Calves

Pre-Weaned Calf: Liquid Feeding, Additives, and New Feeding Program

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• High quality liquid and dry feeds
• Goals
  • Alive and healthy (low mortality and morbidity)
  • Growing moderately
  • Wean early (8 weeks)

Liquid Feeding (Surplus Colostrum)

• Cheap
• High protein and low lactose
• Storage
  • Refrigerator
• Feed undiluted at 8% of birth weight
  • 85 lb BW = 6.8 lb or 3 quarts

Liquid Feeding (Unsalable Milk)

• Antibiotic and/or mastitic milk
• Composition of mastitic milk?
• Pasteurization
  • Pasteurizer – $8,000 – 10,000
• Personal preference
• Feed at 10% of birth weight
  • 85 lb BW = 8.5 lb or 4 quarts
  • 1 bottle twice daily

Liquid Feeding (Whole Milk)

• Mother nature's best
• Can be expensive
  • 10 – 20% more expensive compared to milk replacer
• No Coccidiostat or antibiotics
• Feed at 10% of birth weight
  • 1 bottle (2 quarts) twice daily

Liquid Feeding (Milk Replacer)

• Cheaper than whole milk
• Convenience
• Medicated – Antibiotics/Ionophores
• Protein – 20 to 24%
• Fat – 10 to 20%

Whole Milk vs. Milk Replacer

• Whole milk
  • Nature’s best (+)
  • Nutrient content and quality (+)
  • Expensive - 10 to 20% higher cost
  • Currently - $1.08/day
• Milk replacer
  • Medicated (+)
  • Nutrient content and quality (-)
  • Convenience (+)
  • Cheaper (+)
  • Currently - $0.96/day

Milk Replacer Protein

• Less than 3 weeks of age – milk based protein
• More than 3 weeks of age – blend of milk and vegetable proteins (50:50)

Milk Replacers

• Ability to stay in suspension
• Protein source
  • Prefer milk sources
  • Processed soy protein getting better
• Energy
  • Lactose only carbohydrate - whey and skim
  • Fat - tallow, lard, hydrogenated vegetable

Additives

• Oxytetracycline, Chlortetracycline, Neomycin
  • Claims for improved gains and lower respiratory disease
• Coccidiostats/cides are a must
  • Rumensin, bovatec, deccox
• Acids - propionic, acetic, benzoic, citric

New Calf Feeding Program

• Accelerated or Intensive
• Normal Biological Growth vs Restricted Growth

Feeding Management

• Nipple bottle or bucket
• Open pail
• Group - ad-lib feeding w/computer or gang feeder
  • Acid preserved, high quality
  • Sanitation