Beyond nutrition: calf rearing tips

While nutrition is undoubtably the primary focus in the first few weeks of calf rearing, there are other factors at play. Jo Harris, PGG Wrightson Technical Expert for Animal Production, has some top tips.

Invisible draughts
Cold calves are unhappy calves. Invisible draughts rob the energy calves need to grow by forcing them to use it to stay warm. If possible, position your sheds and pens to maximise sunlight hours and minimise wind exposure. Then, if your animals huddle together, there is likely a draught. In a t-shirt, sit in the shed. If you feel cold, they feel it, too. The ideal temperature is between 15 and 25°C. Below that is when you want to use calf covers and block any drafts with solid panels. You also want to make sure there is adequate ventilation to improve air quality (especially, ammonia) and reduce humidity.

Hygiene – yours and theirs
Keep pens clean with dry, deep bedding—straw, bark, sawdust. Refresh regularly to give calves protection from the cold and a comfortable bed. All hard surfaces need to be regularly cleaned to stop pathogen build-up. All feeding equipment—buckets, teats, bottles—must be cleaned with hot water and detergent, and dried, after each use. Bleach is not the same as detergent. Use an appropriate detergent to clean and deoderise, then follow with a disinfectant to sanitise. Of course, it is not enough to care just about calf hygiene. Your hygiene matters, too. One sick calf can easily take out others, so have a hygiene protocol in place for entering and exiting the calf rearing shed. Wash your hands and wear clean boots, gloves, and protective clothing when working. However, it is equally important to change out of this gear and wash your hands again before doing anything else.

Nutrition, again
Looking beyond milk, milk replacer and calf meal, is fibre. It is critical for developing a healthy rumen, aiding in digestion, and contributing better growth rates. From day one, offer high-quality hay or soft straw (not firm, stalky straw) to munch on. This helps ready them for rumination once you offer access to pasture down the track.

Visit your local PGG Wrightson store for all of your calf rearing needs.