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Know How / Dairy / Youngstock management

Youngstock management is a crucial part of dairy herd profitability with replacement heifers key to the future milking herd and dairy-bred beef a vital source of income. Read advice on newborn calf care, disease prevention, genetics, growth rates, replacement heifer policy and first-time breeding protocols.

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CALVING

Why portable milkers can ease stress at calving

Using a portable milking machine in the calving pen is the easiest and fastest way to harvest a cow’s first colostrum and avoid having to move a newly calved cow.…

DAIRY

Bovine TB blow prompts dairy farmer to join Longhorn scheme

Price security and the ability to better weather a bovine TB outbreak were the main reasons dairy farmer Jonathan Scott signed up to a Longhorn scheme. In 2016, TB hit…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

How cow minerals unlocked calf health for Somerset farm

The Creeds are meticulous when it comes to calf rearing, so when animals suddenly started to get sick, it was a mystery as to why – until they discovered their…

WHATS IN YOUR LIVESTOCK SHED

WIYLS? New calf-rearing unit eases pressure

Rearing calves has historically been one of the toughest jobs for the Williams family, but a new purpose-designed shed has made the whole process healthier for youngstock and more enjoyable…

HOUSING AND HANDLING

How to train heifers in robotic milking systems

Investing time in training heifers to milk through a robot is paying dividends for a Somerset dairy. Introducing heifers to robots pre-calving has reduced stress and ensured a smooth transition…

WHATS IN YOUR LIVESTOCK SHED

WIYLS visits a purpose-built calf building

Investing in a purpose-built calf-rearing shed with capacity for 250 animals has accelerated expansion at Seimon and Eleanor Thomas’ Pembrokeshire dairy farm. At 750 cows, the herd at Drysgolgoch, Llwyndrain,…

Practical advice

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CALVING

Why portable milkers can ease stress at calving

Using a portable milking machine in the calving pen is the easiest and fastest way to harvest a cow’s first colostrum and avoid having to move a newly calved cow.…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

How to make routine dairy tasks easier with a calf kitchen

Making it easy to carry out routine tasks is essential to optimise calf health, welfare and productivity. Emily Linton of Torch Farm Vets offers expert advice. I walked onto a…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

How bovine coronavirus is linking pneumonia and calf scour

Bovine coronavirus has been identified as the most prevalent virus associated with bovine respiratory disease outbreaks on UK farms, and the pathogen is likely to be present on most units.…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

9 tips on maximising calf health and minimising mortality

Farmers should think of calf management in the same way as looking after a baby, ensuring they are provided with a dry, draught-free bedroom, warm living room and clean kitchen. …

LIVESTOCK

7 practical ways to get calves through a cold snap

When it is very cold, a calf’s ability to absorb immunoglobulins is challenged because of the direct effects of low temperatures on absorption in the intestine. Farmers Weekly spoke to…

LIVESTOCK

How to group calves for successful social rearing

To successfully rear calves in pairs or groups, use benchmarks to select for calf health: below 3% mortality and less than 5% of calves with poor transfer of passive immunity.…

Insights

FEED AND NUTRITION

Excess copper found to impair liver function in heifers

Feeding excess copper to dairy heifer calves can compromise liver function, leading to poorer fertility and lower milk yields in first lactation. This is according to AHDB-funded research at Harper…

DAIRY

How early life calf nutrition affects long-term metabolism

Researchers are discovering more about early life programming and how critical this is for adulthood, according to Trouw Nutrition’s Dr Leonel Leal. This starts with colostrum, but also includes feeding…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

4 ways to improve on 60-day calf mortality rate

Healthy calves can achieve growth rates of 1,080g/day, but just one day of diarrhoea reduces this by 80g. A calf with respiratory disease will lose 180g/day off its growth rate…

LIVESTOCK

Consumers' views could influence end of cow-calf separation

Cow-calf separation is “contentious” and a growing concern for consumers around the world. And while they do not understand what dairy farmers do, they will step in and regulate because…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

Calf monitoring and health plans key to future performance

Some 90% of farmers want to make changes to improve the future sustainability of their youngstock management in the next 12 months, according to a Farmers Weekly exclusive survey. Yet…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Coccidiosis project raises hope for new treatment

Coccidiosis is a perennial parasitic problem in growing lambs. It presents some difficulties in diagnosis, treatment and prevention – but good news could be around the corner.  Lambs and calves…

LIVESTOCK

Calf bottles and tube feeders on test

It is unsurprising many farmers are switching from bottles to buckets with teats for feeding milk to older calves. Our test, carried out over a four-month period at my family…

LIVESTOCK DISEASES

7 risk factors of pneumonia in calves and how to avoid them

Buying calves from multiple sources and feeding calves only once a day could be putting animals at risk of getting pneumonia, a study has found. AHDB assessed data from eight…

FEED AND NUTRITION

What are the benefits of milk replacer for calf rearers?

More than half of all dairy and beef farmers in Great Britain now rear their youngstock on calf milk replacer (CMR) instead of whole milk, with potential disease risks a…

LIVESTOCK

Why textbook heifer growth rates may not be good enough

Dairying experts at home and abroad are questioning whether units are achieving heifer growth targets of 0.7-0.8kg/day and if this gain is sufficient for the modern Holstein. Concerted efforts to…

LIVESTOCK

Pneumonia in calves: Pin down the cause and prevent it

Bacteria that cause pneumonia are fairly widespread and can live in a calf’s respiratory tract without causing disease. In the final part of this series, Caroline Stocks looks at what…

LIVESTOCK

Pneumonia in calves: How farmers can cut the risk

The aim of Farmers Weekly’s new series is to help farmers reduce the costs of pneumonia
in calves. Caroline Stocks sets the scene with 
a look at the results of an…