Starting Strong – Calf Care

By Lauryn Krentz, Vita Plus dairy specialist
It was an unseasonably warm fall with a fair amount of wet weather here in eastern Wisconsin.  Many producers struggled in November because of varying temperatures and rain.  Calves housed outside in hutches frequently had wet bedding and feed while those housed indoors experienced respiratory issues from the humidity and fluctuating temperatures.  In calf and heifer barns with curtains, it was hard to know when to raise and lower the curtains to adjust for the rapidly changing weather.  On top of this odd weather, farms without a dedicated calf team had limited time to focus on calves while they finished field work in the small windows of opportunity available to them.

By Dr. Max Thornsberry, Milk Specialties Global dairy technical specialist

Question:  Should I feed my calves milk with bottles or pails?

Answer:  Calf raisers should weigh the potential benefits and disadvantages of feeding milk via a bottle, nipple bucket or open-top bucket.

By Dr. Noah Litherland, Vita Plus dairy youngstock technical specialist

Question:  How much water does a calf excrete?

Quick answer:  Calves between 35 and 42 days of age excrete between 4.6 and 9.8 pounds of urine per day, depending on the plane of nutrition fed.

A bit more...

By Floyd Sutton, Zinpro Corporation account manager
One of the biggest challenges in heifers is controlling digital dermatitis (DD).  This infectious skin disease is often seen in heifers starting around puberty.  Heifers that develop DD in the growing period are often given a “life sentence” because of the nature of the disease and the difficulty to treat chronic lesions once they establish in the animal. 

By Dr. Noah Litherland, Vita Plus dairy youngstock technical specialist
The success of a nursery calf program can be measured by achieving optimal health and growth in the first half of the nursery phase, and developing a fully functional rumen in the second half.  One of the many reasons these goals aren’t always achieved is insufficient starter grain intake.

The legs of the Maria Stein Grain feed mill have been a landmark in Maria Stein, Ohio for many years.  The business began as a grain elevator in 1896 and, like many mills, expanded to include feed manufacturing along the way.  In 1975, a group of shareholders purchased the business and, one year later, Chuck Kremer, general manager, began his career there. 

Do you wear out a pair of latex gloves before you finish all of your calf chores?  Here’s a timesaver:  Start your chores wearing a couple layers of gloves.

Many calf raisers have been battling Salmonella challenges during the warm and wet autumn.  In this edition of Calf Chat, Dr. Noah Litherland, Vita Plus dairy youngstock technical specialist, discusses the factors that lead to Salmonella as well as some ways to help calves fight back.

A different strategy to raise beef calves
Imagine two newborn Holstein calves on a farm:  a heifer that will be raised as a replacement and a bull that will be raised for beef.  Their care is similar in the first couple days, but the strategies used to raise them will quickly diverge as the animals grow.  Most notably, a focus on efficient growth tightens the curve for feeding and weaning dairy beef calves.

In this edition of A Day in the Life of a Calf Raiser, Stacy Jauquet of Jauquet's Hillview Dairy LLC explains how she communicates with the other members of the calf care team.  She also explains how they care for calves during dark mornings and nights.

By Jeff Hoeger, Vita Plus dairy specialist
The temperature has frequently been in the 60s and 70s and harvest is in full swing here in eastern Iowa. However, winter and the very cold weather that comes with it are just around the corner.  Calf managers and dairy managers alike are starting to think about winter preparation for nursery calves.  Here are a few things that we need to prepare before the cold weather arrives.

By Courtney Halbach, associate outreach specialist, The Dairyland Initiative

Question:  What maintenance does my positive pressure tube ventilation system need to continue working efficiently?

Answer:  Positive pressure tube ventilation (PPTV) systems have significantly improved calf health and air quality in many calf barns by delivering fresh, outside air at the minimum ventilation rate of four air changes per hour without creating a draft. In order to perform as expected, PPTV systems need to be maintained properly.

By Dr. Noah Litherland, Vita Plus dairy youngstock technical specialist

Question:  How much water is needed to digest 1 pound of starter grain?

Quick answer:  It is estimated that 4 to 5 pounds of water are required to digest 1 pound of starter grain.

A bit more...

By Jim Lewis, Vita Plus dairy field service specialist
Transition is a popular word in the dairy industry.  It is actually a synonym for change.  Virtually everything on the planet resists change to some extent and cattle are no exception. 

The process of introducing transition or change to animals, in this case cattle, influences their performance to varying degrees.

By Dr. Noah Litherland, Vita Plus dairy youngstock technical specialist
Fresh air is something we sometimes take for granted out in the country.  We give considerable thought and effort to making sure our milk replacer program is right or our pasteurizer is working correctly, but perhaps we should think more about the quality of air in our calf and heifer facilities. 

By Chase Pagel, CP Safety Consulting LLC
We always talk about the need to care for our cows so they can produce the best milk possible. We can go a step further and put together a great employee training program to define and demonstrate safety expectations as we provide this care. This allows employees to better understand how we want them to safely treat and care for our animals. In turn, our employees will care for calves, heifers, and cows with greater knowledge and pride.