“A healthy start for a better milk production”
A calf needs good colostrum supply, attention to hygiene and housing. Ad the best nutrion and you have the ingredients to succesfully rear a dairy cow. Everything has to be right from the beginning to rear a dairy cow!
To support farmers in the best way, Nutrifeed developed informative video’s and a protocol about important topics around calf rearing. They contribute to the essential development of calves which grow into highly productive dairy cows.
To support farmers in the best way, Nutrifeed developed informative video’s and a protocol about important topics around calf rearing.
These topics are categorized into:
They contribute to the essential development of calves which grow into highly productive dairy cows.
A new-born calf is vulnerable. It has no natural antibodies and during the first few weeks the calf’s own immune system is still insufficiently developed to fight off infection in the intestine (diarrhoea) or lungs (pneumonia). For that reason it is essential that calves be fed colostrum as quickly as possible following birth.
Colostrum contains high concentrations of antibodies in the form of immunoglobulins, abbreviated to IgG that protect the calf. But the antibodies are not the only elements that make colostrum a unique product; colostrum also contains other ‘life-critical substances’: white blood cells, growth hormones, vitamins, minerals, protein and energy. All of these ingredients help keep the calf happy and growing fast, also on day two and three following birth.
For more tips, information and video’s about colostrum management, go to our colostrum page.
After calves received a sufficient colostrum intake they will switch to milk. There are two types of milk that can be fed to the calves, full-fat milk and powdered milk (a calf milk replacer). More than 75% of the livestock farmers in the Netherlands use calf milk replacers.
A calf milk replacer has a number of advantages as compared with full-fat milk. What are these advantages?:
Johan Verdaasdonk, young stock specialist for Kalvolac about the advantages of calf milk replacers.
When using a calf milk replacer it is essential that the milk is prepared int the correct manner, in terms of temperature and consistency. A task that is of great importance in rearing healthy young stock and on most dairy farms executed a few times per day.
Watch the video of Johan Verdaasdonk, young stock specialist for Kalvolac explaining where to focus on when preparing a calf milk replacer.
Step by step explains our young stock specialist Johan Verdaasdonk how to prepare calf milk replacer in the right way.
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