Managing your feeding system

ONE of the primary focuses in calf-rearing at the moment is trying to save on labour.

Speaking recently at an event in Ballygarry House Hotel and Spa, organised by Kellihers Feed and Agri Supplies, Christine Cummins and Tom Warren from Bonanza Calf Nutrition explained that the key to successful calf-rearing is to keep things simple and to nail the basics: “This means taking a very careful look at current practices and facilities and seeing how best to take advantage of what is already there,” they said.

“For some people it means purchasing an automatic feeder, and for some it means converting to once-daily milk feeding”, they added.

Whatever route you take, managing your feeding system is crucial, and to do that effectively, you need to know your feeding system, as each system has its advantages and disadvantages.

Furthermore, it is very important to remember that the system your neighbour is using may not necessarily work for you – it all depends on your overall situation.

You need to take into account the size of your farm, the labour available to you, and housing, for instance.

If you are feeding once a day to young calves, for example, you need to use a milk-replacer specifically formulated for this purpose.

It must have adequate levels of ‘slow protein’ – low-heat-dried skim milk powder. Regardless of the feeding system you have in place, colostrum management is pertinent, Christine and Tom explained, and transition milk is essential, as is general management surrounding housing and hygiene.