Starting Strong – Calf Care

With Heidi Fischer, Fischer-Clark Dairy Farms, Inc.
We're pleased to introduce Heidi Fischer and the Fischer-Clark Dairy team in Hatley, Wisconsin.  Throughout 2019, Heidi will share her calf program and experiences with us. Visit our YouTube channel for more segments of A Day in the Life of a Calf Raiser.

​By Dr. Jenn Rowntree, Vita Plus calf and heifer specialist
Building a functional rumen is important for a calf to be a successful producer later in life. In addition to offering starter grain and water, here are several other guidelines to ensure proper rumen development preweaning.

By Courtney Halbach, The Dairyland Initiative associate outreach specialist
Air quality is important to ensure calf health.  With spring being a tricky time to manage ventilation in calf and heifer barns, use these recommendations to make sure your ventilation systems are ready for the seasons ahead.

By Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus calf products coordinator
Keeping a well-stocked maternity pen with these 7 must-have items can help give calves a successful start to life.

The team at River Crest Dairy, LLC in Greenwood, Wisconsin knew they could improve calf performance with better ventilation and housing. In the fall of 2017, nursery calves and preweaned heifers moved into a new custom-designed barn, and the team couldn't be happier with the results they've seen so far.

In this edition of Calf Chat, Ann Hoskins walks transition heifers with Shawn Miller, Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy calf manager, and shares the steps his team takes when transition calves get sick.

With Sara Schilling, Schilling Farms LLC
Sara Schilling of Schilling Farms LLC walks us through the farm's morning feeding protocols. Thank you to Sara and her team for sharing their farm and calf raising strategies with us throughout 2018.

By Dr. Noah Litherland, Vita Plus dairy youngstock technical specialist
Energy balance is the net effect of energy intake and energy use. Weight gain and loss are direct reflections of a shift in energy balance.

By Dr. Jenn Rowntree, Vita Plus calf and heifer specialist
Your relationship with your veterinarian is very important when it comes to creating a successful calf-rearing program. To improve efficiency and make sure you both are on the same page, you should ask your vet these questions.

By the Vita Plus Calf Team
A new year is the perfect time to review calf care protocols and set goals for what you can do better in the year ahead.  Here are 11 calf care resolutions you should keep this year to help raise healthy calves.

Joe Loehr of Loehr Dairy LLC believed he could adjust his pasteurized milk feeding program to improve calf health. As he reached for that goal, he also achieved better efficiency in the total calf raising program.

In this edition of Calf Chat, Dr. Noah Litherland discusses the four components of self-discipline and how we can apply them to become better calf managers.

With Sara Schilling, Schilling Farms LLC
Sara Schilling of Schilling Farms LLC talks to us about her colostrum management protocols and describes her goals for giving calves the best start to life.

By Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus calf products coordinator
These 10 must-have items can help you give your calves the best start possible in the maternity pen.

By Cody Yanzick and Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus
The transition period is often the first time calves are grouped with others. Limiting stress during this period can offer some of the greatest dividends, in terms of health and performance, as heifers enter the milking herd.

By Dr. Jenn Rowntree, Vita Plus calf and heifer specialist
Sudden death in a healthy calf can be due to any number of causes, however, Clostridium perfringens rises to the top of the list, especially when abomasal bloat is involved.