Starting Strong – Calf Care

From Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus Calf Products Coordinator As 2009 draws to a close, it’s a good opportunity to reflect on what I’ve been seeing in the calf care industry. Throughout my travels, I’ve added an extra 40,000 miles to my odometer as I’ve visited 200 operations to work with producers and help get their

At City Slickers Farm in Cross Plains, Wis., calf care is of the utmost importance. That’s because owners Mike and Linda Hellenbrand have “zero tolerance” for losing even one calf. Mike and Linda purchased City Slickers Farm in 1995 as an investment and moved from New York City in 2001 to begin farming fulltime. As

Environmental factors can have major effects on the energy requirement of young calves. Newborn calves are particularly vulnerable to temperature changes. The newborn calf has a thermoneutral zone that falls between 55˚F and 77˚F. Within this range of temperatures the animal is not required to dissipate or conserve heat to maintain body temperature. Therefore, when

Getting calves off to a good start will improve performance and result in a more productive replacement heifer back into the herd. A key component of every good start is colostrum management. Colostrum is the first milk harvested from the cow after calving and is a concentrated source of vitamins, minerals, fat and protein. It

Dairymen and calf raisers spend lots of time and money on vaccines. Vaccines are used by almost all producers, but there are many common questions that everyone wants to know: Which product is best? What dosage and injection site? What age should the calf be when vaccinated? These are common questions. Circulation of many opinions

From Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus Calf Products Coordinator We are still dealing with winter and as I drive across the countryside, I see everyone’s winter programs in full strength.  It is important to maintain your winter feeding programs until the temperatures are more consistent and we are hitting 50 degrees on a regular basis. Keep

Cow Comfort and Attention to Details Make All the Difference In Raising Healthy Calves For the Meissner family at Norm-E-Lane Farms in Chili, Wis., cow comfort reigns supreme.  That fact is evident with a quick walk through the operation’s recently built transition facility. Josh Meissner owns and operates Norm-E-Lane Farms with his dad, uncle and

By Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus Calf Products Coordinator Winter can be very stressful for calves and this winter is no exception. Many steps can be taken to help prevent your calves from being adversely affected by the cold weather-related stress. Producers should provide additional calories to maintain growth, performance and health, as well as a

Effects on Calf Performance Introduction The use of pasteurized waste (i.e., nonsalable) milk as a liquid feed for calves has increased in recent years (NAHMS 2002; NAHMS 2007) due to greater availability of on-farm pasteurizers. Properly pasteurized waste milk can be a high-quality source of nutrients for young calves and is often times thought of

At zero degrees, a 90-pound calf eating one pound of powder or solids daily (equal to one gallon of 12.5 percent solution) can “burn up” its entire body fat reserve (about 3 to 4 percent of body weight) within 18 hours. Bring on the groceries! Calves’ energy intake is the sum of the starter and

From Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus Calf Products Coordinator When winter tosses us a new challenge everyday, it can become difficult just taking care of the basic needs. However, spring can bring its own set of challenges to calf raisers. The warm days, cool nights and lots of moisture in the air can prove to be

From Ted Holthaus, Central Life Sciences If you’re thinking you don’t have to worry about fly control for a few months yet, think again. According to Ted Holthaus, regional manager with Central Life Sciences, now is the time to make plans for fly control on your operation. Not only are flies a nuisance for farm

From Sheila McGuirk, UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine Cold weather may be inconvenient in terms of calf jackets and frozen water, but it is great for limiting the microscopic bugs that make young calves sick. As the spring weather warms up, it’s important for producers to take a look at their calf care protocols and

  From Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus Calf Products Coordinator Hi and welcome to this edition of Starting Strong and Calf Chat. Spring is here, the flowers are in bloom and the calves are as happy as can be as I drive my way across the Midwest. It has been a great spring for calves; dry

Dr. Neil Michael comes to Starting Strong with nearly 30 years of experience as a veterinarian specializing in dairy. He currently works as the Director of Dairy Initiatives for Vita Plus. Q1: Is the incidence of Cocci prominent in pre-weaned calves?  With all the NT changes in milk replacers, we could use help sorting out

When it comes to raising calves, what you know is directly related to who you know. Sandy Keller farms with her family at Kellercrest Registered Holsteins, Inc. in Mt. Horeb, Wis. The Kellers milk 300 cows with a total herd of 600 animals. They also do embryo work and contract bull studs. For the past