Starting Strong – Calf Care

By Bethany Dado-Senn, Ph.D., Vita Plus | When a calf consultant talks about the importance of colostrum, it’s reminiscent of the “eat vegetables” lecture from the doctor or the “floss daily” reminder from the dentist; these tasks are important for our health, but it’s not always clear why.

By Ann Hoskins | There are many ways to show your employees appreciation.  Showing employees that you appreciate them will help them feel good about themselves and their work.  Recognition also creates an atmosphere of trust between employees and managers, which builds a positive work environment that fosters collaboration and innovation.

By Noah Litherland, Ph.D. | Heifers have specific nutrient requirements for maintenance, growth and eventually pregnancy. Forages serve as the foundation for the heifer diet and must be selected with heifer nutrient requirements in mind.

The owners of McAllister Family Dairy in New Vienna, Iowa, wanted to build a new calf care facility that could provide the best environment possible for raising healthy calves. When designing the facility, they focused on excellent ventilation and labor efficiency. In early 2022, calves moved into the new barn, which has space for 98 pre- and post-weaned calves. The farm managers are pleased with how the facility has met their goals in the last 18 months.

In this edition of Calf Chat, Ann Hoskins talks to Katie Grinstead of Vir-Clar Farm about data management.

By Bethany Dado-Senn, Ph.D. | Both science and field work demonstrate that getting colostrum into calves within 2 hours of birth is a key part of ensuring adequate passive transfer of immunity. However, I often hear disputes on-farm on the best method for approaching this timely feeding. Is it better to feed colostrum via a bottle or esophageal feeder?

By Ann Hoskins | The options for calf hutches endless. The following considerations can help you research and choose hutches that best fit your farm and calf program.

By Lucas Mitchell, Ph.D., | We frequently compare whole milk and milk replacer when discussing dairy calf nutrition.  It is difficult to offer sound advice or make appropriate decisions on which liquid diet to offer calves unless we understand how they are different.  It also is critical for understanding the different challenges that may occur with each feeding program.

By Noah Litherland, Ph.D. | Nutraceuticals are feed ingredients that have medicinal benefits such as supporting the immune system.  In youngstock diets, nutritionists look for ingredients that increase intestinal integrity, prevent leaky gut, and reduce the risk of excessive inflammation.

Between 20 and 40 calves are born each day at Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy, LLC in Kewaunee, Wisconsin. With exceptional animal care as a top priority on the farm, the team continually looks for opportunities to learn, evolve, and adopt new strategies to minimize stress – both for the animals and the employees – during each calving.

In this edition of Calf Chat, Noah Litherland, Ph.D., explains how olfaction can impact calves' reactions to their feed and environment.

By Bethany Dado-Senn, Ph.D., Vita Plus | Weather impacts a calf's environment as well as the nutrition and management strategies needed to maintain health and performance.

By Lucas Mitchell, Ph.D., Vita Plus | Carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and water are all absolutely necessary to produce a high-quality calf starter. Let’s explore the functions of these nutrients – and their inclusion in calf starter - in more detail.

By Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus | “Should I feed milk in bottles or pails?” The most honest answer is that I don’t care as long as it’s clean. This topic has long been debated and yet the body of research does not indicate clear superiority of one feeding method versus the other.  Bottles and pails each have their pros and cons.  Like so many things, the best fit depends on your farm’s unique facilities and management.

By Noah Litherland, Ph.D. | Whether you are thinking about building a new youngstock facility or renovating an existing facility, the following features can increase the functionality of the barn for both calves and calf caretakers.

When Mike and Tim Wettstein of Level-Vu Acres in Cambellsport, Wisconsin, built a new freestall barn for their heifers a few years ago, they had an opportunity to experiment with a new system to raise their preweaned calves and young heifers. The result is group housing that is easier to clean and manage.