Dairy- calve housing Flashcards
benefits of claves housed individually
-reduced risk of disease
-protect direct contact between calves
-protect from drought
group calf housing
-has pros and cons
-pro is that calves can socialize
-pair or group housing by 4 wk of age mandatory by april 1st 2031
what are some signs of illness you need to look for in calves
-loss of appetite
-weakness
-sunken eyes
conventional feeding program
-milk fed and 8-10% bw in 2 meals/d
-4-5kg milk/day; 0.3-0.6kg/d BW gain
accelerated feeding program
-milk fed ad libitum- 16-20% BW
-8-12 kg milk/d
-0.8-1.2 kg/d BW gain
what is better milk replacer of whole milk
cheaper to feed replacer but growth rates are slower
what are some ways to feed calves milk ad libitum
-forster technik robot calfrail
-large pales with tubes hooked up to calves or calves can freely walk to large pale
calf milk pasteurizer
-calves are fed whole milk, and non saleable milk (cows that had mastitis, treated)
-pasteurizer reduces pathogens
-fewer sick days, lower mortality rates, lower health cost, heavier weights at weaning
what is the size of cow stomach vs calf
calf:
-abomasum 60%
-rumen 25%
-omasum 10%
-reticulum 5%
cow:
-rumen 80%
-omasum 8%
-abomasum 7%
-reticulum 5%
what is butyrate, propionate
-short chain fatty acids
-helps with rumen wall and papillae development
-depends on the intake of grain, not forage
what does promoting ruminant growth do
it reduces costs (grain=cheaper) and you sell more milk
calf starters
energy sources:
-corn
-barley
-wheat
-oat
protein sources:
-soybean meal
-DDGS
-wheat bran
-canola meal
weaning process
-6-8 weeks
-abrupt of step down weaning
-intake of calf starter (.7-1kg/d, if less then 1 kg needs to stay on milk)
abrupt weaning
tmrw no milk (stress, drop in BW gain)
step down weaning
cut amount in half for a week, dilute milk
