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Calves ... early hours important

ADVICE on feeding new-born calves can seem confusing and full of contradictions but Chris Coxon, Milk Development Council (MDC) extension officer in the South West, sheds some light on the topic by looking at findings from a recent MDC review on all aspects of heifer rearing.

Chris says: "Although the importance of feeding colostrum to calves is well accepted in theory, it is not always put into practice.

"Research indicates that calves should have at least 10 per cent of their bodyweight as colostrum in the first 24 hours of life and ideally half of this in the first six hours after birth.

"If this is sucked from the teat (cow or bottle) this by-passes the rumen and gives more rapid absorption.

"To allow the calf to take in two litres of colostrums, it will need to suck the cow continuously for 10-15 minutes. If the calf will not suck the cow or a teat on a bottle then resort to a stomach tube, but this will put colostrum in the rumen and delay absorption," he says.

"In the first hour or two of life the calf appears to have a sucking reaction that wanes subsequently - make use of this reaction and get calves onto teats as soon after birth as possible.

Kate Cross, MDC calf rearing expert, adds: "Hygiene in the first 24 hours of a calf's life is more important than at any other time. When the gut is open' to absorb antibodies remember it is also "open" to absorb anything else so any contamination of milk will allow bacteria an easy entry. Warm colostrum in a bucket can double its numbers of bacteria every 20 minutes, so don't leave it lying round, feed it soon!"

To minimise the risk of spreading Johne's disease if it is present in a herd, only feed a calf colostrum from its own mother or consider artificial colostrum substitutes. If the herd is clear of Johne's disease then feeding pooled colostrum can help by bathing the lining of the gut with surface active immunoglobulins against rotavirus, amongst others.

Chris continues: "The new-born calf is the only species where as little as we can get away with' is the accepted norm. Compared with the overall cost of rearing a heifer, is the saving of £10 in the first three months going to make any real difference to the overall cost?

"Most UK calf feeding systems are based on feeding 10 per cent of the calf's bodyweight with a milk powder mixed at 10 per cent concentration. While this will produce healthy calves, it does seriously restrict growth rates at a time when feed conversion and growth rates are potentially the highest for any stage in the animal's life," adds Chris.

Research has shown that feeding grain to calves at a very early age does set up some fermentation in the rumen and the development of the absorptive lining of the rumen is driven by the products of fermentation.

Grain has been shown to be more effective than forage in the very early development of the rumen and can lead to significant rumen lining development by four weeks old which reduces the nutritional stress of weaning. Chris suggests producers think about making concentrates available from a few days old to maximise early rumen development.

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