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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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Case studies

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YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

How passive transfer testing gives calves a good start

On-farm blood testing to check dairy calves for successful passive transfer from colostrum has helped a 780-cow herd validate its protocols. Within six months, correlating the outcomes with calf health,…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

How spring block calver uses nurse cows to rear replacements

Ease of management is the driver for a family farm in east Devon to leave the job of rearing heifer replacements to the cows themselves. Tim Wall, who runs a…

DAIRY

Grant brings 'excellent' improvements to youngstock handling

For his youngstock, spring block-calver Rupert Major installed an “excellent” curved handling facility instead of an “average” one to meet the requirements for Defra funding two years ago. Farmers Weekly…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

Benefits of dedicated calf rearer for split block-calver

Feeding calves is not a low-ranking job at Lower Park Farm. Instead, an employee dedicated to calf rearing is considered the key to consistency in feeding, weighing and following protocols…

WHATS IN YOUR LIVESTOCK SHED

What’s in Your Livestock Shed? visits a converted calf shed

Historically, a high incidence of pneumonia had impacted calf health at The Brook, Tybroughton, near Whitchurch, Shropshire, and there were consequences for performance when animals joined the milking herd. In…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

Beetle-friendly parasite policy saves £8 a cow

An environmentally conscious dairy farmer has cut youngstock treatments by 70% thanks to a pioneering multi-pronged approach to parasite management including dung beetles. Spring block-calver Bruce Thompson at Camcloon Dairy,…

Practical advice

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YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

Why enough space to feed is vital for heifer health and growth

Paying attention to feed and water access for replacement heifers is the key to ensuring coccidiosis prevention works – and that youngstock can achieve their growth targets. Adding medicine such…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

Why a simple, repeatable system is key for calf rearing

Attention to detail and consistency are the keys to success with calves, according to consultant vet Tommy Heffernan. It sounds simple, he says, but in practice, remains hard to achieve…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

Benefits of a calf cart for moving newborn calves

Investing in a calf cart (or trolley) may be the key to keeping staff happy and healthy. The aim of calf transport is to move calves hygienically and safely between…

DAIRY

Five ways to achieve zero treatments and losses in calves

Getting the basics right – consistently – and putting calves first led to a four-year period of zero treatments and zero losses in calves for Canadian vet and dairy farmer…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

7 ways to lower the risk of 'rumen drinking'

How quickly calves consume milk and at what height they drink could be contributing to calf mortality on dairy farms and calf-rearing enterprises, according to Scottish data. Rumen drinking is…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

How lung washing slashed antibiotics use in calf shed

A Welsh dairy farm has reduced its antibiotics use in calves by 90% and seen a big uplift in calf health since using “lung washing” to identify the pathogen responsible…

Insights

FEED AND NUTRITION

Copper in dairy rations: Is too much as bad as too little?

Evaluating copper levels in every feed source and supplement before formulating rations for dairy cows – and youngstock – will help meet animal requirements but prevent overfeeding and protect animal…

LIVESTOCK

Why a congenital defect could cause calf losses

Ask a dairy or beef farmer if they have ever had a calf born with atresia, a condition commonly known as “waterbelly”, and the chances are they will say no.…

LIVESTOCK

Benefits of giving dairy calves toys on farm

Giving dairy calves plastic “toys” to play with helps them express their natural behaviour which, in turn, benefits their mental wellbeing. As a result, they are less likely to display…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

How a ‘big squeeze’ could help dummy calves to suck

Neonatal maladjustment syndrome in calves – also known as “dummy calf” syndrome – can be a challenge for dairy farmers to manage, often requiring extra labour to tube-feed youngstock. Typically,…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

Lack of heifer weight data costs US dairies

Timing first service in a maiden heifer to when she has reached a given percentage of mature bodyweight (not just her age) is essential to maximise genetic potential and future…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

Trial compares performance of whey protein v whey powder

Using a whey protein-based milk replacer, over a whey powder-based alternative, could increase saleable milk yields by almost £500 a heifer. This is according to research presented by Volac’s global…

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…