official course number and title

Week 7

Dairy: Calves

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Pre-Weaned Calf: Dry Feeds, Cold Stress, and Forage

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Dry Feed Management

High quality to encourage early weaning
Why early weaning
- Cheaper
- Less labor
Characteristics of high quality
- Ingredients
- Minimum dustiness
- Taste good

Gain of Calves Fed Milk Only

Calf Starters

Calf Starters - Recommended Nutrient Content
Nutrient	DM basis
Crude Protein	18%
Fiber	12%
TDN	82%
Ca	0.7%
P	0.4%
Vit A	2000 IU/lb
Vit D	300 IU/lb

Calf Starter Ingredients

Coarse, bulky, minimum of dust, roughage
Crimped oats, rolled barley, rolled corn
Molasses - 5 - 10%
Antibiotics/Coccidiostats
Feeding
- Provide fresh by week one
- Keep fresh and ad-lib
- Fresh water

Starter Intake

Extra Milk Required with Cold Stress

Extra Milk Needed with Cold Stress
Temp		Birth to 3 wk		>3 wk
°F	°C	NE_M	Milk, lb	NE_M	Milk, lb
68	20	0	0
59	15	13	0.70
50	10	27	1.41
41	5	40	2.11	13	0.85
32	0	54	2.82	27	1.70
23	-5	67	3.52	40	2.54
14	-10	81	4.23	54	3.39

Forage

Hay for pre-weaned calves
- Necessary for rumen development?
- Waste most of it?
- Hampers rumen development
  - Rumen wall uses butyric acid for energy source
  - Little butyric acid production on hay diets, need grain (starch) diet