Dairy Exporter - Growing great calves special

June 2020

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

Learn, grow, excel

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SPECIAL REPORT

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Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

Editor’s note

Welcome to the Dairy Exporter ‘June ‘growing great calves’ special report

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We know many women on dairy farms take the lead role when it comes to rearing calves and growing productive young stock to enter the future dairy herd.

We wanted to share our insights into the latest research and best practice in our June special report ‘Growing great calves’’ with the women and farm teams undertaking this important work so we have decided to send you all a link to the electronic version of the June special report.

Feel free to share it with your team.

We have enhanced features, like click-through to advertisers websites and embedded Youtube links to calf rearing videos so you can watch them within the magazine as you read through.

Within this special report we have reported some of the messages which will be covered in the June DWN webinars on Successful Calf Rearing along with insights from top calf rearers, vets, farm, consultants and experts.

If you enjoy upskilling and learning, I encourage you to subscribe to the digital version of our monthly magazine - or the print magazine, if you prefer that (as I do), Subscribe today HERE. Or buy the single issue of the Dairy Exporter June issue HERE Independently published by NZ Farm Life Media Limited, New Zealand Dairy Exporter is a monthly management magazine packed with high-quality content from a range of trusted sources including our award-winning journalists, top-performing farmers, industry consultants and analysts.

Fonterra Dairy Woman of the year 2019, Taranaki sharemilker Trish Rankin has just joined the contributor’s team, writing a periodical Milking Platform column about what is happening with her Taranaki farm and family. Read about how she wants to bounce forward to a slower, less stressed post-Covid19 life in the latest Dairy Exporter issue.

Down cow specialist veterinarian Dr Phil Poulton covers how to treat down cows successfully, citing research results of increasing recovery rates using his strategies.

Karen Trebilcock covers off how to start a succession conversation on your family-owned farm, to keep the names the same on the letterbox.

Join our family of Dairy Exporter subscribers and enjoy monthly stories to help you learn, grown and excel, and if you subscribe before the end of June you will go in the draw to win the dung beetle package.

Get in now to have your own foot soldiers cleaning up and recycling the dung on your farm.

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SPECIAL REPORT

growing great calves 5 9 11 12 15 21 23 4

Best practice with a great big dollop of compassion Learn tube feeding - its a lifesaver Test for the best liquid gold Passing the test Great calves make great heifers Getting the calf rumen up and running What’s in the bag?

26 28 32 36 38 42 46

Calf rearing lessons from Covid-19 Speedy reaction to illness Automating daily calf feeding Do your sums before rearing extra calves Is rearing worth the risk?

Team effort rearing 3000 lambs Probiotics boost calf growth and milk production Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

SPECIAL REPORT

Amy Christie – so much satisfaction seeing her young charges thrive.

Best practice with a great big dollop of compassion Words by: Anne Lee

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here’s no luck factored into Amy Christie’s plan for calf rearing on a grand scale – just absolute attention to best practice detail with a great big dollop of compassion and heartfelt caring for her young charges.

Amy is calf rearing division manager at Rakaia Island Dairies and over the coming calving period she will be responsible for more than 6000 newborn animals. They include 1700 replacement heifer calves; 950 Speckle Park sale calves that are contracted to go at 4 days old; Hereford cross calves sold at 100kg; and sale dairy heifers and Jersey cross bulls.

They’re reared in a central, large dedicated calf rearing shed where up to 300 calves can be housed at a time.

Three of the four dairy units on the 2000ha Island also have calf sheds that are used as numbers build.

Getting the details right matters, Amy says.

“When you’re working with the numbers we have here you only need to have one slip up and things could go downhill very fast in a big way.

“The key to success is attention to detail and instilling that in the whole team so we can prevent problems rather than react to them – prevention is better than cure every time.”

Based on last season’s results – Amy’s

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

first season at the helm – the great training, systems and absolute dedication to the details works.

They had no cases of infectious scours and the only treatments needed were for navel infections and two cases of pneumonia.

“There’s so much satisfaction in seeing them really thrive but that’s never down to luck.

“Colostrum, recording, monitoring, treating the calf as an individual, hygiene, and housing all come together – it sets them up for success.

“It’s about putting good systems in place and sticking to them so you don’t get complacent, so those systems become habits.”

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Amy gets all eight to 12 members (some part-time) of her team together before calving for a full training day.

She’ll also get the farm teams from the four dairy units on the Island together to explain how to handle the newborns, her expectations, and how they’ll manage the colostrum and milk supply from the farm dairies.

NEWBORNS Calves are picked up twice-a-day to ensure they get enough high-quality gold colostrum within the vital first 12 hours.

That pickup is the first encounter with humans for the infant animals and Amy emphasises the need to be gentle and calm with them.

“Picking up a newborn calf should be like giving them a firm hug – supporting them with one arm under the chest and the other around their back legs and backside.

“For the safety of calves and staff it’s important not to rush and risk slipping.”

Navels are sprayed with iodine and calves are placed in trailers adapted so they can be placed directly in rather than lifted over. They’re placed on their feet onto non-slip rubber matting.

“Some, born on a wet cold day, may want to lie down so it’s important not to overcrowd the trailer and then take it slowly coming back to the shed.”

Calves are taken to the drop-off pen, which is clearly marked, and met by a member of the rearing team.

They’re checked over, have their navels sprayed again, have their sex checked and then carefully placed in the pen they’ll spend the next two or more weeks in.

• Colostrum – quickly, quality, quantity • Hygiene – clean, clean, clean • Housing – warm, dry, clean, ventilation but no drafts • Attention to detail – do it well, plan, monitor • Every calf is an individual – observe • Avoid stresses – all of the above

“The guys at the shed know what we need and they milk into test buckets for us, test it and have it ready for us to collect.

“We test it again and the highest quality will go to those newborn calves coming in.”

Amy prefers the glass Colostrometer for its ease of use but says being glass means extra care has to be taken not to break them. (see page 45 & 46 for more on colostrum testing) “We make sure the colostrum we’re testing is at room temperature so we get an accurate reading.”

Gold colostrum is fed to all calves up until 24 hours old. Transition milk from milkings two to four is fed to calves over a day old.

“Transition milk is still high-quality

milk for our young calves, concentrated in the nutrients they need in those early few days.”

They have 500l modified pods at each calf shed with metal lids to enable colostrum to be poured in and for ease of daily cleaning.

A tap at the bottom means no need for buckets to be dipped into them.

Amy says they use partitioned feeders for all pens in the shed so they know exactly how much each calf is drinking at each feed.

The aim is to teach newborns to use the feeders but if they’re not up to it they’ll be tube fed to ensure they’re getting the full two litres within the six hour window since birth the team are targeting.

Another feed of high quality colostrum five hours later ensures the right intake within 12 hours.

At the height of calving there can be 90100 calves arriving daily but that doesn’t mean any shortcuts can be taken.

Slow drinkers are identified early so they can be managed together, especially when they go outside onto calfeterias.

Having the same people stay with specific pens and sheds means they know their calves and quickly pick up if a calf is behaving differently.

Calves are anaesthetised by the vet at a week old for disbudding.

COLOSTRUM – THE 3 QS New calves are fed two litres of warm gold colostrum as soon as they arrive in the sheds.

“We’re trying to get a good quantity of the highest quality gold colostrum into them within six to eight hours of being born – the three Qs – quickly, quality and quantity.

“Within 12 hours of birth they’ve lost 50% of their ability to absorb the immunoglobulins (IgG) which are so, so important for their immunity and growth.

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Pellet feeders are cleaned and refreshed daily.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

They’re ear tagged and EIDd and the ear notch is taken for DNA parentage testing at the same time. During the peak of calving that happens twice a week.

“I ear tagged every calf last year – which was a bit tough on my wrists but we didn’t have any infections at all.

“We dip each tag in disinfectant before it’s put in and make sure the tag goes into the ear between the two veins, so you don’t get a lot of bleeding where infection can get in.”

Calves are fed twice-a-day with two litres per feed for five days and then once-a-day with four litres.

“We start hand feeding them the small pellets when they’re two days old, just slipping a couple of pellets into their mouths as they come off the milk feeder.

“It gets them used to the taste and texture. We’ll have a few pellets in the pellet feeder from then and we’ll see them start disappearing in the next couple of days.

Straw available ad lib.

“We never leave pellets that haven’t been eaten in there for more than a day – it’s important they’re fresh and the calves eat plenty of them to help develop the rumen and to ensure they get the coccidiostat needed to prevent coccidiosis.”

SHEDS

They have straw available too although it’s important calves don’t fill up on that rather than getting enough pellets.

Fresh, clean water is available ad lib and piped to each pen.

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Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

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Part 1 - Picking up and handling calves www.youtube.com/ watch?v=DBaUyCkDy0s

More than 4000 calves go through the sheds at Rakaia Island but every one is an individual and some even get a name.

HOUSING AND HYGIENE Keeping calves warm and dry is imperative and the sheds have good drainage to stone filled soak holes ensuring the ground underneath bedding is always dry.

Bedding is totally removed annually, the ground sprayed with Virkon and a layer of hydrated lime spread to restore the pH balance before wood chips are laid as bedding and another Virkon spray.

Pens are sprayed weekly and when calves move outside pens are rested for a couple of days, sprayed, dusted with hydrated lime and topped up with new wood chips.

The sheds are well ventilated but there are no drafts down at calf level.

The team cleans pellet feeders and water troughs twice-a-day.

“Hygiene is absolutely key – if it’s not clean enough for you to drink out of it’s not clean enough for a calf.”

The main shed has a reticulated milk line and pump so milk can be pumped under pressure directly to each pen.

It’s hooked up to an 8000l tank on a trailer, filled at the farm dairies, and then positioned at the shed.

It’s cleaned with an alkali wash and all

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pods are scrubbed and cleaned with hot water daily.

“We also have 2000l pods to take milk to the sheds at the other dairy units but those sheds don’t have a milk line built in.”

Last season was the first time Amy used milk powder for calves from four weeks old.

To avoid any stress through the change from vat milk to milk from powder, Amy says they make the change gradually and will go from a 25:75 ratio of milk powder to vat milk to 50:50 and then 75:25.

“We make sure we’re not making the change while anything else is going on because we don’t want to load them with stresses.”

They move out of the sheds from about two weeks old although that can be weather dependent.

The first stage junior calf paddocks have purpose-built calf shelters with wood chip bedding that’s topped up to keep it dry and clean at all times.

“We’ll be watching the weather too over that transition to powdered milk, especially this year as we need to make the change a little earlier because we have more calves to feed with more sale animals.”

Details for any treatments are recorded in folders and transferred to MINDA for replacement animals.

Whiteboards around the sheds note details for each pen and are updated daily with calves’ ages and treatments.

They get a 7-in-1 vaccine for leptospirosis and clostridial diseases at four weeks with booster at eight weeks, a salmonella vaccination at six weeks and booster at 10 weeks.

They start on a monthly drenching regime from October using an albendazole and levamisole oral combination with monthly selenium and vitamin B12 injections too.

Once they’ve graduated out of the junior calf paddocks but prior to weaning Amy starts training them to graze as their mums do, up to a wire.

“While they’re drinking their milk, we’ll run pellets along in the fresh break to entice them.”

In May, Amy had 820 remaining rising one-year-olds on the Island with 450 to winter there.

“It’s time to start thinking about the next group now. It’s so rewarding, I do love it.”

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

SPECIAL REPORT

Learn tube feeding – it’s a lifesaver Words by: Anne Lee

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ube feeding done the right way can be lifesaving; done the wrong way and it can be the opposite.

Vet and dairy farmer Nicola Neal from The Aspiring Calf Company says that while it can be daunting for someone new to calf rearing, every calf rearer must be able to carry out the technique.

There are two situations where it’s vital: when a newborn calf is unlikely to get enough high-quality colostrum in the first six to 12 hours, and when a calf is unwell and can’t or won’t drink enough of its own accord.

“We know in New Zealand about a third of calves, under normal circumstances, won’t have had enough colostrum from their mothers – it’s possibly more than that but not less.

“Most often the person picking up the calves won’t be the person feeding them so it’s unlikely anyone is going to know for sure if the calf has had a good drink from mum.”

Nicola says New Zealand research has found a calf’s willingness or unwillingness to drink from a feeder or suckle on a finger is a poor indicator of whether it’s

been fed by its mother. A 40kg calf will need 4-6 litres of high-quality colostrum in the first 12 hours. It’s preferable to spend a little time trying to get a reluctant newborn to feed from a feeder because the suckling action activates the closure of the oesophageal groove and ensures the colostrum and antibodies go directly to the abomasum (the last of a bovine’s four stomachs) where there is greatest absorption of the antibodies.

A calf’s willingness or unwillingness to drink from a feeder or suckle on a finger is a poor indicator of whether it’s been fed by its mother.

However, studies have shown that tube feeding the newborn and delivering the colostrum directly to the fore-stomachs will result in the colostrum flowing through to the abomasum, albeit at a slightly slower rate.

“When people are designing their calf rearing systems and thinking about

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

staffing, allowing enough resources for spending time on training new calves should be a factor.

“Some people don’t want to tube feed at all because they say it makes it harder to get the calf to feed off the feeder in the next few feeds.

“But if you’re running out of time it’s more important to get the colostrum into them.

“We know the outcomes for calves that don’t get enough colostrum quickly enough are very, very poor in terms of illness and survival.”

“Once you know you’ve delivered that dose of antibodies and it’s had 4-6l in 12 hours since birth you can leave it a little longer at the other end to drive the motivation to learn.

“You can’t do that at the start because they may not have had anything to eat at all.

“When you’re training them onto the feeder make sure it’s a pleasant experience for them, stay calm and take five if you find you’re fighting each other.”

The same advice goes for those tube feeding – it’s imperative the rearer is calm and the animal is calm and well restrained.

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EQUIPMENT A purpose-made calf stomach tube feeder will have a bottle or bag at one end for the colostrum or liquid.

A rigid tube feeding system will have a rubber section on it allowing the tubing to be bent over so it’s clamped shut.

At the end of the tubing, which is about 50-60cm long, there will be a small smooth bulb with an opening for the colostrum or liquid to flow through to the calf.

All of this equipment must be pristinely clean and the tubing must be smooth and undamaged so it won’t scratch the soft inside of the calf’s oesophagus.

“For a weak calf, try and get it into a sitting dog type position.

“When things go wrong it’s often because the calf isn’t well restrained and suddenly kicks out or moves backwards and the rearer panics and pulls the tube out while the liquid is still going in.”

INSERTING THE TUBE RESTRAINING THE CALF “This is a critical thing to get right – for both calf and operator safety.

“If the calf kicks you, or you’re fighting each other, step away, take five, and have another go when you are both calmed down.”

Back the calf in so its bottom is into the corner of the pen.

Straddle it so your knees are on either side of its head and gently but firmly hold it there with your legs.

“This means it can breathe freely and you have two hands to carry out the tubing.

“Some calves may be weak and not want to stand but you must make sure the calf’s head is above its stomach or you will risk the liquid running into the windpipe and drowning the calf.

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“You must make sure the tube is clamped off before Nicola Neal – feel for the tube and if in you begin inserting the tube. any doubt start again.

“That’s vital because any liquid coming out as the tube goes down could end up going down the windpipe and drown the calf.

“Use one hand to support the calf’s jaw and the other to hold the tube.”

Make sure the calf’s nose is below its ears – you don’t want its nose pointing up to the sky because this makes it harder to insert the tube.

“Introduce the tube into the calf’s mouth and gently move it into the back of the mouth over the tongue and you’ll feel a little resistance and then it should start swallowing and taking the tube down into the oesophagus.

“Make sure the tubing is clamped off still and slide your left hand down onto the left-hand side of the neck to feel for the bulb at the end of the tube passing down the oesophagus to the stomach.

“Like humans the windpipe is hard, like alkathene, and the oesophagus is soft - more like a sock.

“If the tube is in the oesophagus you will feel it, if it’s in the windpipe you won’t be able to feel it.

“If you’re unsure, slide the tube up a little and if you still can’t feel it, or are in any doubt at all, carefully take it out and start again – making sure the tube is still clamped off the whole time.”

Once you are sure you can feel it on the left side of the calf’s neck and the tube is inserted well in you can release the clamp and let the liquid – colostrum or electrolyte – flow quickly in.

“The calf might make some weird noises. That’s normal, but make sure they’re still well restrained and you don’t have your hand near their nose so they can breathe freely.”

Once all of the fluid has gone out of the bottle clamp off the tube and gently withdraw the tube.

“It’s always a good feeling to know they’ve definitely had those antibodies and in the case of sick calves to know you’ve got what they need into them.”

Tube feeding calves https://youtu.be/ 3D9R3CEp7Lw

E: info@nzmpta.co.nz Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

SPECIAL REPORT

Test for the best liquid gold Words by: Katherine DeWitt

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’ve been obsessed with a little tool called a Brix refractometer for a few years now.

Squirt some colostrum on the tool, look through the eyepiece, read the scale and you can determine the quality of colostrum in seconds. It’s a useful option to add to your calving toolbox to help make informed decisions so your calves get the best quality colostrum.

When talking to farmers who use Brix refractometers the same learnings come up again and again.

Colostrum quality varies and unfortunately you can’t tell how good the colostrum is unless you test it.

Otago farm manager James Matheson is one farmer who started using a Brix refractometer four years ago – a move that’s vastly improved the health of his calves.

As part of the WelFarm programme run by XL vets, calves at Chris Lawlor’s Waipahi farm, managed by James, were given antibody blood tests. These tests establish whether calves have received enough protective antibodies to help them develop immunity.

“Back then, we were rearing 250 calves and thought we were doing a good job but it turned out half the calves weren’t getting enough of the right colostrum, so we had to make changes,” says James.

“Our vet introduced us to the Brix refractometer and since we’ve been using it to test colostrum we haven’t looked back.”

Once his team started using the Brix they followed up with antibody blood tests and had pretty much perfect results, whereas before it had been “a bit hit and miss.”

“We would strip the cow into a test bucket and everyone would be saying ‘look at this – it’s good stuff’. But when we tested it, it was terrible so we were failing to identify the best colostrum and the calves were missing out.

“There’s an old tale out there about heifers having terrible colostrum but, in

JAMES & REUBEN’S TOP TIPS • Test with a Brix refractometer to ensure calves get enough goodquality colostrum.

• Make sure you have good hygiene practices in place.

• Have a good calf-rearing system – it’s more important than having loads of experience in your team.

• No matter what the system it’s vital to keep it simple and ensure everyone follows it consistently.

reality, we’ve found that quite often they have better quality colostrum than the cows, albeit less volume. If we didn’t have the Brix to measure it we’d be none the wiser.”

James says the best colostrum goes to newborns, the next best colostrum goes to first and second feeders, and it peters off from there until the calves are four days old.

“It’s made us realise how important it is to test colostrum quality. This is reflected in the health of the calves too because since we started using a Brix refractometer we haven’t lost a calf through illness.”

CALF REARING BY TRAFFIC LIGHT These days James and his team rear 500 calves. It’s a big operation and needs a finely tuned system.

In charge of calf rearing is Reuben Earl, who joined the team fresh from Telford Agricultural College two seasons ago.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

James says at the time they didn’t have a dedicated calf rearer, which most farmers would consider essential.

“This was Reuben’s first job, so it was vital that we had good systems in place from the start. Reuben and I collected all the information we could lay our hands on, including from DairyNZ’s website, and developed a plan that followed best practice. We call it our ‘traffic light’ system.”

Under the system, new calves are sprayed with a blue dot, tubed with gold colostrum, given a probiotic and a mineral jab. They get a red dot while they’re learning to drink, an orange dot when they’ve got the hang of it, and a green dot when they feed on schedule.

James says the system works a treat.

“Reuben gets great results. I think it comes down to his attention to detail. He’s really particular and follows the system to a ‘T’, and everyone that helps has worked out that if they follow the system exactly, it works perfectly.”

LEVEL UP YOUR CALF CARE To help farmers take their calf care to the next level, DairyNZ developed the Calf Care Toolkit last season. So far, it’s been used by more than 2000 farmers.

It’s easy to use: simply answer 12 easy questions online and get instant tailored feedback and farmer advice on ways to make your calf care even better.

Once you’ve decided which areas to focus on, follow the web links for more advice and support. You can also share the results with your team, vet or consultant.

Give it a go at dairynz.co.nz/calf-caretoolkit.

• Katherine DeWitt is a Developer, Animal Care Team, DairyNZ.

Part 2 - Colostrum www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MKhXsVx05A

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SPECIAL REPORT

Colostrum has to be measured to gauge the quality - the colour in the bucket does not indicate if its gold or not.

Passing the Test Words by: Anne Lee

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iquid gold all too often doesn’t live up to expectations because of poor handling or simply collecting the wrong thing.

NRM calf rearing expert Karen Fraser says that first-milking colostrum is aptly named gold colostrum because its value to the calf and the farm business makes it almost worth its weight in the precious metal.

“There are so many studies that show what a huge difference it makes to the health and longevity of animals that go into the herd.

“Any time spent making sure you’re feeding the best quality to calves quickly enough will pay for itself over and over again.”

All care might be taken in the calf sheds but getting first-milking colostrum packed full of immunoglobulins (IgG) must be top-of-mind right from just prior to cows calving.

The more frequent the calf pick-ups the faster cows are milked and calves fed. She advises two to three pick-ups a day.

At the first milking it’s imperative that good hygiene and best practice colostrum handling are carried out.

Karen says one of the mistakes often made when milking a number of first-

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Karen Fraser measures some colostrum with her colostrometer.

milking cows into a vat or larger tank is that the milk line isn’t purged well enough.

“That milk from second, third and fourth milkings might be thought of as colostrum but it’s actually transition milk that’s going to dilute gold colostrum, even if it’s just what’s left in the line.

“It may still have a level of antibodies good for young calves but it’s not good enough for newborn animals.”

The other issue is bacteria and keeping

them out of gold colostrum. Make sure the udder is clean, the lines and the vessel the colostrum is collected into are clean, and that it’s then stored so bugs can’t get into it, she says.

“Don’t leave it sitting around. If you’re not going to use it as soon as possible after collecting it - within that day’s feeding – refrigerate it, use a colostrum keeper, or freeze it.”

Pasteurisation is also becoming more popular.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

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Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

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Karen Fraser with calf explaining the suck reflex.

COLOSTROMETER AND REFRACTOMETER BRIX TEST There are two common ways of measuring gold colostrum quality and neither involves simply looking at the colour.

“Just because one bucket is a much deeper gold than the next doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better quality – there’s no definite relationship with antibody levels.”

Instead, a Colostrometer or refractometer should be used.

Both are backed by scientific research and numerous peer reviewed papers, calibrating levels of IgG with the measurements they take.

A Colostrometer essentially measures the thickness of the liquid using specific gravity.

The more IgG, the denser the colostrum.

The Colostrometer is a glass tube with a bulb at the end. When it is placed vertically into the colostrum and let go, it will float – the higher it floats the more IgG and the better the quality.

A coloured, calibrated scale on the Colostrometer indicates the quality. The lower on the green section the surface line of the colostrum sits, the higher the quality.

However, the temperature of the colostrum will affect the reading – the warmer it is the lower down the Colostrometer will float in the colostrum, which may give a falsely low reading .

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Likewise the colder it is, the thicker it becomes, which may give an inaccurately high reading.

If it’s freshly collected it may be frothy, with air bubbles that will also give a falsely low reading. Leave it for 20 minutes to get any air out.

Because it’s glass, care also has to be taken not to break it.

“That milk from second, third and fourth milkings might be thought of as colostrum but it’s actually transition milk that’s going to dilute gold colostrum.”

Refractometers are more robust and require only a drop of colostrum.

They are calibrated to various scales, and for colostrum it’s the Brix scale with units as a percentage.

They use light and measure how much a light beam passing through the substance is bent, or refracted.

Past research has found a strong correlation between this light refraction measure and the amount of protein in colostrum, which in turn has a strong correlation with the amount IgG.

Pasteurising colostrum Pasteurising colostrum can not only kill bacteria picked up after first milking it can also help reduce infection loads from diseases such as Johne’s and M.bovis.

But it needs to be done slowly at a low heat to avoid killing off valuable antibodies.

Cambridge vet Ursula Hayward and husband Mark have, through their Antahi Innovations company, developed a new pasteurising system that also doubles as a colostrum warmer.

Ursula says it works essentially as a water bath with a water heater and pump that gently warms the valuable colostrum with a constant-flow moving around specially designed “thin skinned” bags that the colostrum can be stored in and fed from.

Called the Trusti Pasteur, Ursula says, it can accurately get the colostrum to the 60 degrees Celsius temperature and hold it there for an hour to effectively but gently pasteurise it.

It can also warm the colostrum to 42 degrees Celsius from frozen in 20 minutes for feeding to young calves.

Ursula says studies have shown reducing bacterial loading can significantly help young calves absorb the antibodies in the colostrum because bacteria can both interfere with the antibodies and damage calf gut cells the antibodies pass through.

As a way to simply warm the colostrum it’s also a more practical and safer system so that young calves have a more pleasant feeding experience.

Ursula says she’s already had international interest in the system, which is a lot more affordable than many European-based designs.

The aim is to have a Brix score of 22% (equivalent to 50mg/ml concentration) or more for good quality colostrum.

Colostrum measuring less than 22% will mean you will have to use a larger volume of that colostrum to get enough IgG into newborn calves within the 12 hour time period.

The face of the refractometer must be clean or it will distort the reading.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

SPECIAL REPORT

great calves make great heifers Words by: Sue Macky

T

he true success of rearing dairy replacement calves is in achieving a fully grown, trouble free, inmilk heifer that gets back in calf on time without intervention. She will be socially adapted, skeletally fully grown, weigh 90% of the liveweight of the fully grown mature in-milk cows of the same genetic mix all at body condition score 4.5 and capable of performing at optimum for the specific farm system for many years.

Achieving great heifers means rearing great calves, which begins prebirth.

IT STARTS WITH THE COWS How we feed our pregnant cows especially in the weeks before calving, the circumstances under which cows calve, and even the length of the dry period can all affect the future survivability and productivity of our replacement heifer calves. Cows should be fed and managed prior to calving to achieve a rapid, troublefree calving delivering a strong healthy, well-nourished calf, and to be able to produce high-quality colostrum.

CALF REMOVAL The debate about calf separation from the dam will be ongoing because of the emotion, anthropomorphism and lack of

knowledge associated with it. The science is much clearer.

The sooner the calf is separated post birth the greater the survival rate of the calves and the healthier the cows. Bonding between cow and calf is not immediate for most – it takes some hours to develop strongly. (Some never want their calf, others want all calves!)

The stronger the bond, the greater the stress when it is broken. For the cow, this results in too much downtime without eating, which she cannot afford.

For the calf rearer, calves that have never suckled a cow are much easier to teach to suckle an artificial teat and can be fed a known quantity of quality colostrum on time.

Leaving calves with their dam does not increase the chances of the calf getting enough best quality, much needed colostrum quickly enough.

This has been a consistent finding in numerous studies worldwide over past decades, yet the optimum intake of best quality high immunoglobulin-containing colostrum as quickly as possible post birth is highly correlated with best calf health and survival.

Not all cows produce great immunoglobulin levels in their colostrum; hot weather pre-calving tends to reduce the quality, and the levels decline from

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

the point of calving onwards. The closer to calving that the cow is milked out, the better the colostrum and the lower the mastitis risk for the cow.

Sue Macky, Dairy First-milking Production Systems. colostrum from cows that have been calved for more than 12-15 hours should not be regarded as “Gold” – it is not suitable for the first two calf feeds.

Colostrum has two benefits for the young calf. First, it has immunoglobulin or antibodies that protect against diseases and need to get into the calf quickly while its gut will still allow these large protein molecules to be absorbed into the bloodstream.

Second, it has a high nutritive value that delivers more energy and proteins to the susceptible newborn – colostrum contains more per litre than whole milk.

The nutritive advantages remain after the “time limit” on colostral antibody absorption, i.e. it is the ideal growing feed for calves. A simple rule for giving colostrum is at least 10% of bodyweight within 10 hours of birth.

More is better but not if given at such large quantities as to overwhelm the capacity of the small newborn gut.

15

SPECIAL REPORT

UK’s top-selling milk formula now available in New Zealand It has long been established that colostrum is key for survival and nourishment, but colostrum also has unique ingredients involved in the programming and development of the young animal.

Colostrum consists of a complex mixture of proteins, lipids, simple carbohydrates (primarily lactose), complex carbohydrates (e.g. oligosaccharides), vitamins and minerals. The proteins which make up colostrum comprise both casein and whey; whey protein represents 65% of the protein content, with only 35% casein (Figure 1). It is the whey fraction in colostrum that contains the beneficial ingredients (such as immunoglobulins and lactoferrin) that help to support the immune system, and influence the growth and development of the calf.

INSIDE

to be captured, for use in milk replacers, as a concentrated whey protein and phospholipid base known as ‘Imunopro’. Imunopro is packed with proteins, fats and sugars containing the vital bioactive components found in the whey fraction of colostrum, that are known to be essential for good calf health, growth and development.

The

process LIQUID WHEY

Protein = 0.9% Fat = 0.1%

Intake

Sugar = 5% Water = 93% Ash = 1%

Protein = 11% Fat = 3%

Food industry Baking and confectionery ingredients

NANO

ULTRA

*

*

MICRO

*

Sugar = 2% Water = 83% Ash = 1%

NANO

Whey protein – fundamental for calf programming

% of protein

Food industry Sports nutrition

35% 80%

Casein protein

Figure 2. Volac’s whey processing facility (Source: Volac)

Supplying Protein for Growth: Amino Acids

20%

Whey protein

65% Colostrum

Whole milk

COLOSTRUM: CONTAINS 3x MORE WHEY PROTEIN CONTENT vs WHOLE MILK.

WHEY - CONTAINS THE BIOACTIVE CONTENT FOR CALF SUCCESS.

Figure 1. Protein composition of colostrum and whole milk (Source: Volac)

Calves have a requirement for protein, but they also require specific amino acids which are the building blocks of protein. It is the total quantity and balance of the amino acids, not the crude protein %, that is key to driving muscle development and growth. Lysine and leucine are two key amino acids, with leucine influencing the speed of muscle synthesis. Imunopro has a high level of both lysine and leucine (Table 1).

It is estimated that for the calf, between 14 and 17g of lysine per day is

Volac’s whey processing facility in Wales is unique – it produces whey proteins for the food industry (sports nutrition, and baking and confectionary ingredients), as well as for young animal feeds (milk replacers) (Figure 2). The process enables more of the ‘magic of milk’ 16

needed to drive growth rates of 750 to 900 g per day, respectively. By using Imunopro as a base for all Volac milk replacers, all products will supply the young calf with enough of the key amino acids to fulfil their daily requirement.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

Supplying Protein for Health: Immunoglobulins Immunoglobulins are proteins that are key for fighting infections – yet the calf is born with virtually none. Colostrum is rich in immunoglobulins – and is therefore essential for establishing immunity over the first 24 hours.

The ability of the calf to absorb immunoglobulins progressively declines as the gut closes, and completely ceases by about 24 hours after birth.

But immunoglobulins also have a part to play even after the gut has closed – feeding colostrum and/or transition milk throughout the first two weeks of life has been associated with reduced diarrhoea.

All the immunoglobulins in colostrum are found in the whey fraction.

Thus, Volac’s concentrated whey protein base, Imunopro, has a high level of immunoglobulins. Furthermore, due to Volac’s low temperature processing (which is key to ensuring the immunoglobulins remain intact) to process the liquid whey fraction, Imunopro has a high level of IgG, a vital immunoglobulin for early life immune development (Table 1).

Supplying Protein for Health: Lactoferrin Lactoferrrin is a protein which is naturally found in high levels in colostrum and milk. It is important for the development of the immune system and has anti-bacterial properties in the gut. Research has shown that the supplementation of calves with lactoferrin during the milk feeding period can reduce calf diarrhoea and improve long-term health; lactoferrin significantly reduced mortality and culling when given to pre-weaned calves with the first diagnosis of diarrhoea (Habing et al., 2017). Lactoferrin has been identified in Imunopro at elevated levels. % of crude protein

Milk

Skim Milk Powder

Whey Powder

Imunopro

Lysine %

8.1

7.5

7.8

9.4

Leucine %

9.7

9.6

8.6

Research continues to establish the important role these sugars play in steering the development of a healthy population of bacteria in the new-born gut of the young animal. For example, oligosaccharides are used in human milk formula since they are a special source of energy for ‘good’ bacteria in the gut, allowing these ‘friendly’ bacteria to thrive. These oligosaccharides are enriched in whey.

Imunopro, packed with these vital amino acids and functional proteins, fats and sugars, forms the basis of all Volac milk replacers, complemented by other high-quality ingredients to result in milk replacers that will give calves the best possible start in life.

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NZ • • • • •

The considered solution for large herds Developed for growth, for the business producer Very high content Nutry-Lyst health package Very high leucine level DESIGNED TO DRIVE 900G GROWTH PER DAY*

4.5% 7.5%

<1.8

<0.5

<1.5

Fat

11.0

Sugar

46%

IgG %

Protei 25%

17%

>4.5

Table 1. Amount of key amino acids and immunoglobulins in milk, skim milk powder, whey powder and Imunopro (Source: Amino Acids, Evonik; Immunoglobulins, Volac)

4.5% 7.5%

25%

at feed rate17%

Fatty acids are a direct fuel source for the calf – but they also carry out an important anti-microbial role. Milk fat exists in droplets of oil surrounded by a membrane containing other fats called phospholipids and sphingolipids.

These phospholipids and sphingolipids support calf gut maturation and they have anti-bacterial properties, helping to fight off damaging bacteria. Imunopro concentrates 16 times the amount of overall milk fats in comparison with whey or skim powders. health of young animals.

Protein

Energy 17.6 Mj ME 46%

Supplying Fat for Gut Maturation and Health

Miner Other

of 900g/d

Fat Sugar Minerals Other**

*Based on recommended feeding rates with access to ad lib starter feed and water **‘Other’ includes moisture, vitamins, residual carbohydrates and feed additives

Available exclusively through Nutrinza

Supplying Sugars for a Healthy Gut

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1

Five goals of calf rearing from birth to weaning:

1. Supply the calf with enough nutrients to ensure that daily growth rates meet the target, and ensure appropriate size at weaning. This is a factor of both skeletal growth and liveweight gain. The calf must receive adequate quality proteins, fats, carbohydrates and minerals for muscle and bone growth.

2

2. For most of its life, the calf will depend on the functionality and health of its rumen and rumen microbes for its nutritional needs. The pre-weaning diet must encourage desirable gut microbial populations to multiply and thrive; must encourage optimum development of the surface area of the rumen, in particular the number and size of rumen papillae; and must develop the proper absorptive and protective functions of the rumen mucosa.

3

3. For much if not all of post-weaning life, NZ cattle must be able to consume and process large quantities of wet forage, mostly grazed pasture. To this end they need a muscular rumen that is physically fit and capacious, and the jaw muscle to do the grazing and cud chewing.

4

4. For best lifetime productivity, growing calves should be free of disease. Pre-weaning problems not attended to and fixed quickly can affect future production for at least three lactations if they make it that far.

5. Cattle are herd animals with defined mob social structure. Domestic cattle must also cope with humans.

It is important that young calves are socially adjusted to both life in a group and to handling by people. These must be positive relationships, and they should be learnt young.

5 FEEDING REGIMES: OAD VS. TAD VS. ADLIB Increasingly, research is showing that the more you mimic what should happen naturally, the better off the calf is, i.e. smaller feeds more frequently. 2.5 litres given 4-6 hours apart is better than 5 litres all at once.

There is research that shows feeding newborn calves smaller feeds four times a day for the first 48 hours, then three times daily for the first weeks, allows more total milk to be delivered with less risk.

The result is a stronger, healthier calf and consequently a better heifer.

From our work with clients of Dairy Production Systems Limited over the past 25 years, and from numerous longitudinal studies worldwide (birth to death studies of productivity, disease and longevity), calves that got more milk in total and for more weeks produced better heifers and cows, which is the real target – not the fastest, cheapest animal to weaning.

Note that more milk does not mean only milk.

18

TEMPERATURE WARS: COLD VS. HOT Milk should be fed warm – at calf body temperature ideally, just as for a human baby. The calf will have to use its own energy to “heat” its milk feed, energy not available for growth. Well-fed cows are very cold tolerant; young calves are not.

Feeding cold milk is a hazard for young calves. There is a noticeable difference in behavior and demeanour between those fed warm versus cold milk. In a worst-case scenario calves can starve to death when fed cold milk in a cold environment. The reserve of body energy they use heating milk (shivering) exceeds the energy they get from the milk. Cold milk is also associated with a higher disease incidence than warm milk.

Calves should be fed milk (or milk replacer powder) twice a day until at least 4-5 weeks of age. Don’t lose sight of the true end result, which is not the quickest, least input calf rearing programme. Little calves are newborns – they need more than OAD. It is no coincidence that our best performing herds tend to feed milk for at

least 10 weeks (maybe at very low volume OAD for the last couple of weeks but this ensures good skeletal growth) and until target weaning weight is achieved – calves must meet both age and size targets.

AFTER WEANING Most weaned NZ dairy heifers are grown predominantly on grazed pasture and do not receive the nutrient-dense low volume dry supplement feeds of many other countries. Our pastures are often lower in calcium and/or copper than that needed for proper bone growth. Too often phosphate is also below target intake.

These deficiencies do not impede daily gain in liveweight provided that the animals are fed enough but skeletal growth and bone density can be reduced – not an issue if you have a short life; (e.g. beef) but a potential problem for a lactating dairy cow.

Good bone begins pre-weaning. Feeding more milk, supplying all of the nutrients for the growth of the calf has a trade-off in that less complex, simpler solid feeds or meals are needed. NZ has some of the most

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

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Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

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THE RIGHT REARER

The RIGHT person Rearing calves successfully to weaning is a demanding job. It takes: • Patience • Skill • Attention to hygiene • Empathy with young animals • Careful observation combined with a “feel” for when things are not right • Knowledge calf development, feeds, diseases etc • The ability to be systematic and accurate.

• It is well worth investing in a suitable person, allowing them the time, resources, professional support and whatever training they need, and paying them well for their efforts and abilities.

complex meals in the world, which in itself has a cost but is necessary to make up for deficiencies in milk feeding. Less meal or fermentable carbohydrates fed also reduces the potential for acid damage to the rumen wall, and/or the development of liver problems or abscesses.

The best development of the rumen, needed for the future best performance of our dairy heifers, requires solid feed that supplies the nutrients needed by the rumen microbes to grow, multiply and ferment feed and to develop the functionality of the rumen mucosa and papillae. These nutrients are mostly specific amino acids and carbohydrates.

At the most basic level some sugar, starch, and quality protein are required – a solid, dry, calf meal of some sort. How much, and what, depend on personal preference, experience and how much milk is being fed. If milk feeding is reduced, then more calf meal is needed and it must be more nutritionally complete as it will need to supply the milk nutrients no longer being fed.

If milk feeding is adequate, then less meal of lower complexity is needed. There is no one ideal product that suits every situation. Similarly there is no “correct” quantity. Small amounts should be

20

Spend time and handle the calves: they need to learn to trust people.

available from the beginning when calves are exploring their environment. Keep it fresh and don’t expect very young calves to consume more than a few grams initially. I have always fed 20% protein meals as long as that protein comes from quality feeds such as soybean meal, canola, lupins, and milk powder, and products with a mixed source of fermentable carbohydrates.

Don’t confuse high crude protein high NPN pasture with true protein needed for growth. As well as a rumen capable of fermenting feed and absorbing the resultant volatile fatty acids cows need a physically fit, muscular rumen and associated muscles such as the jaw. To this end, calves should always have physically effective fibre to chew and consume, like hay and straw, from the beginning. Calves have small mouths and a small gut – chop length should be appropriate.

For the very young calf, unprocessed oats is an option. This fibre contributes little to the growth of the pre-weaned calf; it is there to ensure that post weaning the calf has the physical ability to consume and process enough bulky wet forage to both sustain itself and maintain daily liveweight gain. Using straw bales as pen dividers is an easy way to both provide fibre and to maintain biosecurity between pens.

Clean, fresh, easily accessible drinking water should be available to all calves at all times from day one. This also means ensuring that when calves are outside they can actually reach the water in the troughs!

Good calf rearers never ignore dull calves, those that drink erratically, those that appear not hungry or those that show any signs of illness; nor do they just reach for the antibiotics. TLC, persistence and anti-inflammatories are usually all that are needed if addressed promptly. Never underestimate the pain of inflammation or bruising associated with birth, transport or rough handling. Energy is the prime driver of immune function. Healthy calves need feed.

Housing should provide excellent ventilation above the calf, dry soft bedding, and adequate space. Compromise any of these and the risk of disease and/ or lowered growth rate increases. Do not allow bedding to get wet.

Young calves need to develop social skills and the ability to relate to each other. Initially, dominance is determined mostly by age and size but this does not necessarily remain the case. Calves need to learn to trust people. Gentle handling, being present, and patting calves especially around the head are all parts of this process.

Cows that trust people, and are rewarded appropriately, give more milk! Never undervalue the people rearing your calves – they are determining your farm’s future profitability. There is no one right way or miracle product to rear great calves and heifers, but the principles are the same regardless of the system.

• Sue Macky is a veterinarian and cow nutritionist specialist, and a principal consultant at Dairy Production Systems Ltd.

Part 3 - New arrivals www.youtube.com/ watch?v=zbpylvzq7mU

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

SPECIAL REPORT

getting the calf rumen up and running Words by: Sheryl Haitana

C

alves should be offered meal and have free access to clean water from their first day in the pens, says Natalie Hughes, SealesWinslow’s nutrition and quality manager.

Natalie hosted four webinars on calf rearing for the Dairy Women’s Network in June. The webinars topics were milk and colostrum; housing and pen design; feeding and meal; and heifers reaching liveweight targets. Water can often get overlooked in the first few weeks but it’s necessary for aiding the breakdown of feed within the rumen and supporting rumen bug growth, Natalie says.

“The longer we restrict calves from water the greater the negative impact on calves’ ability to digest feed.”

Calves are born with almost no immune system or bacteria in the rumen. They need to develop their rumen and those bugs to digest pasture and meal.

“We need water to create an environment for bugs and bacteria to grow in the rumen.”

Offering a small amount of meal from day one will also increase calves’ intake faster, she says.

“Calves are like kids, you’ve got to introduce it so they think it’s normal.”

She says calves are so inquisitive they will lick, smell and play with it. If it’s got molasses in it, it will get stuck on their nose and they’ll lick it off and start getting a taste for it.

Introducing meal early helps to develop the rumen so calves have the capacity to digest pasture earlier.

On a whole milk system there is little rumen development. On a milk and hay diet the muscle integrity in the rumen changes because it’s got to build more muscle to move that hay around.

On a diet that includes starches and sugars the rumen gets more blood supply and it develops the rumen capillaries, which increases the surface area of the rumen to absorb nutrients better.

“If we can get the rumen up and running, once they’re outside eating grass their rumen is at the capacity to start

breaking down grass effectively.

“You get less of a growth check.”

There are many different types of meal and feed on the market. A lot of the decision drivers can come down to price/ tonne but Natalie says there are other considerations farmers need to factor in: PALATABILITY If they’re not going to eat it, what’s the point? We are going to spend a lot of money and the calves are not going to grow if they’re not going to eat it.

To preserve palatability, farmers need to store calf meal well and remove plastic shrink wrap from around bagged calf meal – it’s not waterproof and it makes the meal sweat.

You want the last bag to be as palatable and fresh as the first.

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www.ezicalve.co.nz 21

SPECIAL REPORT

ENERGY A calf’s rumen is so small that the amount they do eat needs to have the maximum amount of impact. The National Research Council (NRC) recommends for a new calf diet the feed should be 13ME. The energy should be coming from good quality grains.

Watch out for high fat fillers. We want it to be high energy and energy dense.

HIGH QUALITY PROTEIN When it comes to calf feed, a good vegetable protein is important to give calves the right amino acids.

Proteins such as soybean, sunflower, peas, canola etc can be broken down and rebuilt by the bugs in the rumen into the right structures that help a calf grow.

NO LOW-QUALITY FILLERS A calf’s stomach is small so the feed shouldn’t be bulked out with a cheap, low-quality filler if it’s adding no value. To develop rumen papillae calves need starches and sugars. NRC recommends a 35-40% starch concentration.

Palm kernel only has about 4% starch, so while it can be feed to animals, aim for over 100kg liveweight before it is added into the diet. It is not beneficial to use in a calf feed for younger calves to develop their rumens.

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It has been developed over the last 30 years into one of the most admired dairy farms in the area – but there’s plenty of “blue sky” for the new partnership moving forward.

Advantages here start with high quality LUC 1 & 2 versatile soil types that allow for supplementary feed or cash crops to be grown on farm. A focus on soil fertility and pasture renewal has ensured this place grows a lot of pasture.

Great infrastructure on farm including the 80-bail rotary located in the middle of the property flanked by high quality calf rearing facilities and sheds, a gravity driven effluent system, plenty of water for stock and a 500cow feed pad.

Three well-presented recently renovated homes are available for use by the farming team.

Historically the 380ha milking platform has been milking 1200 cows, with the farm producing 1,175kg MS/ha on average over the past 6 years.

Options for education are abundant in the local rural community, with Feilding and Palmerston North close by.

With a proposed start date of 1st June 2021 and flexibility in the investment options, we are seeking expressions of interest at this early stage.

For an expression of interest form, please contact Melissa on melissa@bakerag.co.nz

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Natalie Hughes, SealesWinslow Nutrition and Quality Manager.

LOW IN FAT Calves struggle with fat from a palatability point of view.

The fat can also coat the feed in the rumen and the bugs can’t break it down. Aim for less than 4% fat.

VITAMINS AND MINERALS Calves cannot generate their own B vitamins until their rumen is fully up and running. Ensure that the calf meal contains these essential components.

COCCIDIOSIS Make sure to feed the right amount for the size of the calf.

You can still get coccidiosis if you’re not feeding enough.

For example, a 65kg calf should be eating 1kg of meal to be getting the right volume of coccidiostats in their diet.

This can vary from one calf feed to another so best ask your supplier what volumes you should be aiming for.

CRUDE PROTEIN 16% VS 20% When making the decision between feeds with 20% and 16% crude protein, work out how much a calf has to eat to achieve the weight gain you want, thus working out the true cost. A trial on AgResearch’s Pukawa Station looked at weaning calves off milk at 65kg within six weeks. One mob was fed 20% crude protein pellets and the other mob 16%.

Of the mob fed 20%, 47% got to 65kg in six weeks; only 21% of the calves fed 16% got to 65kg in that time.

• To sign up to hear more from Natalie in her DWN webinars visit www.dwn.org.nz

Part 7 - Encouraging Hard Feed Intake www.youtube.com/ watch?v=mLhmQKU4MpA

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

SPECIAL REPORT

What’s in the bag?

Words by: Paul Muir

C

olostrum and whole milk are always the best feeds to offer young calves. However, if milk feeding is not possible there is a large array of substitute powders available to the rearer. They are not dried milk powders, so using “milk powder” as a name would likely contravene the Fair Trading Act. Instead they are called calf milk replacers (CMRs) and are made up of a range of products blended to meet minimum protein and fat specifications. They can contain a wide range of ingredients, and the lack of clear specifications on the bag means it is almost impossible for rearers to make an informed decision.

In calves up to three weeks of age the digestive system is poorly developed and the calf can digest only a limited range of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Curding appears to be necessary to enable full utilisation of complex proteins. When calves are fed whole milk, its casein proteins curd in the abomasum where they break down gradually (over eight hours) and the products of digestion are released slowly into the small intestine where absorption occurs.

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The abomasum has a low pH that is not conducive to bacterial growth, but in the small intestine pH is neutral and bacteria can grow. If a milk replacer doesn’t curd in the abomasum then the undigested material is released much faster into the small intestine (1.5 hours). This excess substrate can cause potential issues in young calves if bacteria such as E. coli or salmonella are present.

Generally (but not always) calf milk replacers will curd if they contain casein proteins. If CMRs don’t curd it is often because the casein in whole milk or skim milk has been excessively heat treated and the casein proteins denatured. Another reason is that the whole milk and skim milk powders make up only a small proportion of the ingredients.

In the last 20 years we have seen the advent of cheaper whey-based powders, principally from Europe. They are mainly used in the vealer industry where calves are typically fed 350-380kg of CMR to 120kg CW at 28 weeks. Production of whey powders in Europe is on a huge scale – the Netherlands has 1.2 million vealer calves and produces around 700,000 tonnes of CMR annually. By comparison, New Zealand uses less than 20,000 tonnes of CMR annually.

Paul Muir, Managing Director of On-Farm Research

There are some fundamental differences between the rearing systems in Europe and New Zealand. In Europe, calves are a minimum of 7-10 days old (and often much older) before they are transferred from the dairy farm to a vealer operation.

Contrast that with the four days of age that is the New Zealand requirement. Even though European calves are older and more robust when they are on-sold into vealer operations they are initially fed on a curding-casein based CMR. In New Zealand CMRs are expensive, yet the labelling on bags is poor – often there is a minimum fat and minimum protein content and a long list of ingredients that may or may not be

DANISH MILK REPLACER LABEL Composition: 24% Protein 19% Fat 6.8% Minerals 0.01% Crude fibre 1.8% Lysine 0.60% Methionine 0.25% Cystine 1.12% Threonine Ingredients: 60.25% Skim milk powder 17.95% Cheese whey powder 17.5% Vegetable fat 3.0% Wheat starch 1.3% Premix vitamins and minerals

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Curd test: Make up 500ml of milk replacer as per the instructions on the bag.

Keep it at 39º C (set the oven and use a thermometer) and add 5ml of rennet. A good curd should be formed within 20 minutes. Do exactly the same with some blue top milk so you can see what a really good curd looks like, although even a good quality milk replacer is likely to have a poorer curd than blue top milk.

Unfortunately, most people do not do a curd test until concerns over calf health become apparent in the shed. It is very hard to argue your case after you have paid for the milk replacer and used half the product. It is much easier to do the curd test before you start using the milk replacer. present in the bag. The labelling is such that it is almost impossible for purchasers to make an informed decision.

It is interesting to contrast what is available in NZ with what occurs overseas.

In some European countries where the labeling requirements are stricter, more detailed information is required on the amount of and type of ingredients in the product.

One of the arguments used by New Zealand manufacturers is that their bags are pre-printed and ingredients change.

However, in Europe, labels are sewn onto the bags prior to dispatch meaning bags do not have to have pre-printed ingredient lists.

Our recommendation has always been that products fed to young calves should curd. The time to feed non-curding milk replacers is when calves are older than 3 weeks. Unfortunately, New Zealand calf milk replacers have neither a curd test result nor a detailed ingredient list so it is down to the individual rearer to do a curd test. This can be done simply at home.

• Dr Paul Muir is Managing Director of OnFarm Research in Hawkes Bay. He has been involved in calf rearing research, principally focusing on systems for rearers of bull calves, since 1996.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

SPONSORED CONTENT

Protecting Peake fertility

One shot does the trick

T

rying to solve the complex trace element demands in her dairy herd has meant moving to an easy one-shot injection for cows and calves for Manawatu dairy farmer Aimee Fargher.

Aimee rears 190 spring-born replacement heifers and Friesian bulls and beef cross calves from her parents’ Rongotea farm, using a two-shed system for younger and then older calves.

Low copper has always been an issue in the herd, and wishing to address that plus any selenium deficiency was going to mean two injections for each cow – one dose a copper product and the other a selenium/B12 combo.

“The vet suggested we try the MULTIMIN® product and we love the fact that it’s just one shot. The cows tend to get wary if we try to inject them with too many products so the fewer the better.”

MULTIMIN® contains the trace elements copper and selenium, along with manganese and zinc – all of which are important for different aspects of immunity, fertility and growth and development in different classes of animals.

“The cows certainly seem to be healthier – we had a period of no cows in the penicillin mob which is always a good thing,” Aimee said.

“Blood tests also came back with good mineral levels this year,” she added.

Thinking that the cows needed these minerals, the family decided to use MULTIMIN® in the calves as well, and Aimee said their calves did very well last season, the first year they had used the product.

“The injection seems to really give them a boost – they seemed healthier and brighter and seemed to be eating and growing faster than in previous years.”

Aimee is the calf-rearer and has two sheds one for the beginners and then for the older calves. She weighs all the calves weekly and puts them outside when they reach 55kg, with access to the sheds for when the weather is unfavourable.

Recent research1 in dairy calves on New Zealand farms has shown the potential immune effects of treating with MULTIMIN® at birth, as the highest levels of disease occur in the first few weeks of life. Disease was reduced by 52%, and death rates dropped by 58% in calves treated with MULTIMIN®.

Using a shot of trace elements prior to mating has helped Ben and Heather Peake from Southern Peake Dairies maintain a consistent high reproduction performance for the past three years.

As sharemilkers, Ben said it was important for them to protect their cows, their biggest asset, and after researching other mineral delivery systems he decided an injection of MULTIMIN® was the best way to make sure his cows were actually getting the trace elements.

“We were keen to make sure the cows were getting the optimum range of minerals for mating. We use quite a few CIDRs in our 800-cow Canterbury herd as we build our herd index and we wanted to make sure we were getting the best return on our investment.”

MULTIMIN® provides the cows with a lift in copper, zinc, manganese and selenium when demand is peaking and through a period of feed constraint when the trace elements may be lacking.

The elements have recently been found to support reproductive success – with manganese protecting the developing eggs within the ovaries, zinc building the health of the uterine lining where the fertilised egg embeds and grows, and selenium helping to protect the growing embryo.

A New Zealand study2 in adult dairy cows has shown the benefit of supplementing with MULTIMIN® prior to calving and mating, even where blood and liver testing has not identified a deficiency. Treated cows had a 3.3% higher final in-calf rate and got in calf 3.4 days earlier on average.

The trace element shot four weeks before mating provides 40 days coverage and has kept six-week in-calf rates in the high 70s, Ben said. He also makes sure all replacement calves are dosed with MULTIMIN® within 24 hours of birth to increase their immunity.

MULTIMIN® is a unique multiple trace element injection, that contains copper, selenium, zinc and manganese.

It is designed to be administered to stock prior to periods of high demand, is rapidly absorbed, and has been scientifically proven in NZ.

To learn more about MULTIMIN®, visit www.performanceready.co.nz and speak to your vet.

1. Hawkins (2007). 2. Bates et al. (2018). Registered pursuant to the ACVM Act 1997, No. A9374.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

25

SPECIAL REPORT

Avoiding problems with heifer reproductive performance starts with rearing great calves.

Calf-rearing lessons from Covid-19 Words by: Sheryl Haitana

O

ne lesson farmers can take from Covid-19 is the importance of self isolation and hygiene when it comes to calf rearing this season, says Fonterra senior veterinary manager Mike Shallcrass.

Coronavirus strains are common in calves and can cause deadly scours. As with many of the infectious diseases in calves, isolating sick calves from the rest of the calves is vital, he says.

“Put them in the hospital pen away from the other calves and keep them there until they go out on pasture. Don’t put them back with the other calves when you think they look better.”

The other important task is cleaning

26

calf equipment thoroughly with hot soapy water to kill any bacteria.

“Feed your sick mob last and clean the equipment to get the milk fat layer off because the bugs can live in it.”

Mike presented a webinar for Dairy Women’s Network Calf Rearing series in June on calf diseases.

His key take home messages are for farmers to make the time to prioritise the best start for their calves because it will save them time and money long term.

“The most limited resource on farm is time. There are some simple rules around calf rearing and most people know them, but when you are pushed for time the temptation is to cut corners.”

Mike is passionate about the growth of NZ’s young stock from birth to heifers calving in the herd.

“As a country, we do have problems with heifer reproductive performance. An empty heifer is a cost in terms of time, money, and GreenHouse Gas emissions and reduces the efficiency of the farming system.”

Taking the job in Fonterra’s On-farm Excellence - Animals Team was an opportunity for the dairy vet to advise Fonterra farmers and help cows throughout NZ. “What was exciting about this job was the opportunity to help millions of cows. For a vet, part of the satisfaction of your job is helping animals. That’s why we do it.”

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

FREQUENCY QUESTIONS

“In NZ we deal with a flood of colostrum and deal with bulk storage.

Bacterial contamination anywhere along that chain will affect the quality of all of that colostrum.”

COLOSTRUM COMPULSORY The health of the national herd starts on day one – getting enough quality colostrum into a newborn calf, he says.

“Calves who receive enough good quality colostrum early enough can be bomb proof.”

Calves are born without any immunity to disease and must acquire it through colostrum. If they don’t get enough colostrum within the first 24 hours their immune system can be compromised.

This is called Failure of Passive Transfer of immunity (FPT).

An Australian study has shown calves that don’t get enough colostrum are twice as likely to die before weaning than calves who get enough. They are 1.5 times more likely to get scours and 1.7 times more likely to get a respiratory disease.

NZ research into calves left on their mothers for the first 24 hours shows only half of the calves are getting enough colostrum, Mike says.

“It’s common to collect cows and calves once a day (OAD) but for some calves it’s too late.

“Ideally you would be picking up your calves at least twice a day (TAD), milking your freshly calved cows twice a day, and making sure that only the best colostrum goes to those newborn calves.”

The practicality of picking up calves twice a day comes down to time pressure again and is not practical on all farms. If farmers can’t collect calves then bottle feeding colostrum in the paddock is a compromise solution, he says.

Mike Shallcrass – Covid 19 has taught us about self isolation and hygiene, which are essential to successful calf rearing.

Other research has shown Kiwi farmers are reasonably good at feeding calves colostrum early and feeding them the right volume. The biggest issue on NZ farms, however, is colostrum storage because of the sheer volume farmers are dealing with.

“In NZ we deal with a flood of colostrum and deal with bulk storage. Bacterial contamination anywhere along that chain will affect the quality of all of that colostrum milk.”

The importance of hygiene through this process is vital. Storing colostrum in plastic containers, for example, is not ideal because micro scratches are hard to clean and bacteria can hide in them.

The quality of colostrum drops significantly after the first milking so a good solution is to separate that gold colostrum milk, store it well, and keep it aside for newborn calves.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

Decisions around calf feeding frequency and whether to use milk replacer must take into consideration both financial costs and time restraints.

Farmers who feed calves on a high milk volume will need to be feeding calves TAD. These calves will experience fast growth, but the calves’ rumen will develop more slowly and they may have a growth check when they are weaned, Mike says.

Calves reared on a low milk volume system can be fed OAD, as long as they have access to enough other feed all day to meet their nutritional needs. These calves may have slower growth rates but their rumens will develop faster and they will have a smaller growth check when weaned off milk.

When it comes to calf milk replacer, farmers need to consider the ingredients closely, he says.

From an animal health point of view, calves should be fed whole milk for the first four weeks.

“For a younger calf the closer their feed is to whole milk the better – that’s all they’re designed to digest.”

If farmers want to use a milk replacement then they should opt for a whole milk based one in those first four weeks.

“Milk replacement should be a whole milk replacement. Once a calf is four weeks old you can be more relaxed with what they can eat.”

Whey-based milk replacement is missing the fats and proteins that form a curd in a calf’s stomach and in the first four weeks there will be a real risk of nutritional scours.

• To find out more watch Mike’s webinar at www.dwn.org.nz • Key resources can be found at www. nzcalfrearing.com and in the DairyNZ Calf Tool Kit.

Part 6 - Hygiene and Housing www.youtube.com/ watch?v=5EmxgKTBDJI

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SPECIAL REPORT

Speedy reaction to illness Words and photos by: Karen Trebilcock

J

ust like us, young calves need social distancing in their bubble too.

Balclutha-based vet Olivia Hickman of Clutha Vets says that to stop the spread of diseases in calf sheds, groups of young calves should not be in contact with other groups.

Having an “all in all out” policy helps reduce the risk of spreading disease through the different age groups. That means using solid barriers such as plywood instead of the usual netting, especially the sick-calf pen.

The list of symptoms calves display when they are ill is short and easy to spot.

Unwell calves will at first not want to feed, or will feed less than normal.

“They may also have a cold nose and can look a bit mopey.

“Scours (diarrhoea), which can be white or yellow or watery and may contain

28

blood, usually follows.”

Dehydration was the main concern following scours.

“Scours will progress to unwillingness to stand and then they will eventually lie flat.

“You don’t want them to get to that stage, so acting fast is best.

“From not wanting to drink to lying flat and unresponsive can occur in a few hours. That’s how fast it happens.”

Olivia says calves that aren’t feeding and are scouring should be isolated from others and given electrolytes as soon as possible.

“Sometimes you will see a calf that’s off its feed in the morning and fine in the afternoon, but if it’s still not feeding in the afternoon and isn’t looking right you should act.”

Having the same person feeding the calves every day makes it more likely these unwell calves will be spotted.

It is easy to tell if a calf is dehydrated.

“The eyes look sunken and if you pinch

the skin on its body it doesn’t go back down. Over the neck tends to be the easiest place to assess this.

“The more dehydrated it is, the higher the peak. If you’re not sure, do the same on a well calf and you will see the difference.

“Also if you put your finger in its mouth the gums will be dry and the salvia will feel tacky.

“If a calf won’t suck, give the electrolytes through a tube, and make sure you know how to do this before you have to.

“You should have the electrolyte mixes and the equipment to tube feed a calf on hand ready at the start of calving.

“If you can, give it electrolytes morning and night and a milk feed in the middle of the day so it’s getting some nourishment.”

The reasons calves get sick are more complicated than the symptoms.

It could be from a virus such as a rotavirus or a coronavirus or from bugs such as cryptosporidia and coccidia.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

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The only treatment for the viruses is isolation to stop the spread of the disease, and rehydration. Cryptosporidiosis and coccidiosis have treatments, so if your calves are affected by either bug talk to your vet.

“With viruses, prevention is always best. So if you know you have a problem make sure your cows are vaccinated and ensure your calves are getting two to four litres of gold quality colostrum in their first 12 hours.”

Gold colostrum comes from the first milking.

“Also keep everything clean – milk feeders, water and hard feed containers and the bedding in your calf pens.”

If it is not a virus it is most likely bacteria such as E.coli or salmonella. Antibiotics will be needed in these cases.

“It can be difficult to tell whether it’s a bacterial infection or a virus by looking at the calf, so if your animals aren’t responding to electrolytes then it is time to call the vet.

“We can test faecal samples quickly and find out what’s wrong.”

The second symptom is an inflamed navel.

“Navel ill is when a calf gets a bacterial infection through the navel so it’s important to spray the navel with an iodine and alcohol mix when it’s born and for the next few days until the navel is dry.

“If the navel is infected, the infection can pass up into the body and get into the liver. Sometimes the calf will keep Balclutha-based vet Olivia Hickman of Clutha Vets.

GOOD SIGNS: • Clean noses: clear of discharges, moist and cool • Alert and responsive ears • Shiny, supple coats • Waggling tail when feeding: a sign of health and enthusiasm.

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BioStart Calf supports early rumen development and increases live weight gain.

Call BioStart 0800 274 5243 or visit www.biostart.co.nz Available from leading rural retailers and vets

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

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EARLY WARNING SIGNS - anything out of the ordinary.

• Poor appetite: a sure sign that something is wrong.

• Panting: a higher breathing rate than normal can indicate a high temperature caused by an infection.

What is “normal” varies with age; at 4 days normal is 56 breaths/minute; 14 days – 50 b/m; 35 days – 37 b/m.

• Raised rectal temperature check: above 39.7ºC indicates an infection.

• Coughing: could be a sign of high ammonia levels in bedding, which predispose housed calves to pneumonia.

Easily fixed by improving ventilation and adding fresh layers of bedding material every 3-4 days from week 3 onwards.

• Wet tails and dirty hocks: an indicator of scours • Unusual posture or behaviour: indicates discomfort, possibly navel infection, gut problems, physical damage.

• Calves which are ‘surviving, not thriving’ - likely grouped as ‘slow feeders’, ‘fussy feeders’, ‘lazy’, slow to walk to feeder.

• If a calf’s pinched skin is slow to return to normal it may be dehydrated and need electrolytes • Run your hands over calves as they feed to detect any thin calves early and be proactive in trying to determine what is wrong - mild infections, mouth ulcers, or lameness which could easily go undetected.

12/5/20 2:05 pm

Iodine spray for calf navels.

drinking until it is quite ill so you have to keep an eye on the navel to make sure everything is as it should be.

“An infected navel will feel thickened. It can look like a hernia and will feel hot.

“It will need to be lanced and flushed to clear the infection and the calf will need a course of antibiotics, so again you may need to call your vet.”

Calves overseas kept in confined sheds were more likely to get pneumonia than calves here but Olivia says it is still something to watch for.

Pneumonia is a bacterial infection in the lungs, which can be treated with antibiotics. In young calves it is caused by dampness and poor ventilation.

Symptoms are nasal discharge, coughing, difficulty breathing, a high temperature (a warm, dry nose) and not wanting to feed.

Olivia says most farmers get through calving with no deaths or very few.

“If you are getting a high number of deaths you need to look at your systems – check calves are getting colostrum, pens are disinfected regularly, and the milk they

are getting is clean.

“Also make sure calves are born in a sheltered, dry area. The best start you can give them helps them to stay healthy.”

Ill calves should be assessed and euthanised if they are not responding to treatment.

She says when things go wrong it can happen very quickly.

“One day there is just a few not feeding and then the next day there could be a lot very sick. It can become a nightmare very easily.

“Ask for help.”

Part 5 - Animal Health www.youtube.com/ watch?v=2BRpXmR6xfQ

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SPECIAL REPORT

Automating daily calf feeding Words by: Tim McVeagh

A

utomation of livestock feeding, while requiring considerable capital investment, should need less labour and be a more efficient and more productive means of getting tucker down the throats of animals. But does automatic feeding stack up for calves?

They can be fickle with slow drinkers and crookies.

Rearing young calves requires patience and empathy - attributes that women are often regarded as having more of than men but that machines are not renowned for.

If automatic calf feeding is a goer, what does a good system consist of? What will it do, and how well? And what’s available to dairy farmers and calf rearers?

Automatic calf feeders range from the basic to quite complex systems. The basic models provide mixed calf milk replacer (CMR) or milk on an ad-lib basis to a pen full of calves.

The most sophisticated systems have individual calf feed mix and ration

32

programs, and monitor feeding and weight gain. And of course cost varies significantly, even between installations of the same system under different conditions.

WHY AUTOMATIC CALF FEEDING? A successful automated calf feeder will: • Save on labour by freeing up staff at a busy time and possibly avoid the need to employ casual staff.

• Rear a more even line of better, quieter calves; and quicker. These are claims made by advocates including users, though may draw on comparisons with a manual system that was inefficient and problematic. Better means heavier and healthier; quieter because there is less bullying and speed drinking; and “quicker” means reaching weaning weights earlier. The key to this is that an allocated ration of milk is fed little and often so every calf has the chance to get its daily allocation. The quick drinkers do not get more than their fair share at the expense of the slow ones. It also reduces scouring.

• Provide a safer and easier workplace with

less heavy lifting, hot water handling, and vehicles.

• Allow ration size, blend recipe, and feeding frequency to be programmed and changed with age, even on an individual calf basis.

And it can also monitor consumption, drinking rate, liveweight, and absenteeism with alerts to any problems, which often go undetected in a manual system until calves are really sick.

David Reid of Reid Systems said that the company had two calf sheds connected by WiFi to one controller.

“Fifteen single feeders in one shed, six in the other, with approximately 35 calves per feeder. Some pens had three feeders in them. The second shed had a viewing computer with a 24" monitor to show the status of the calves.

“At the peak of the season they would have had around 700 calves in the sheds. They were our early single stalls, which we have redesigned and made them a double unit. Both teats have their own pump so both can feed at the same time”.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

A 14 to 1 return on investment.

“The mixing and dispensing unit, set on concrete and well drained.

It delivers milk, CMR, or a blend of both to four feeding stalls, each in their own pen. The distance from the main unit to the stalls is minimal. (Photo supplied by Lely).

WHAT’S STOPPING YOU? • Cost. Automatic calf feeders on the New Zealand market start at around $8500. Costs have not been documented in this article. Comparisons would be irrelevant as systems’ capabilities vary so much as do installation details.

• Maintenance costs include a scheduled annual check for some models.

• Breakdowns. Machinery or power failures mean that a manual feeding system may need to be redeployed until the fault is found and fixed.

MECHANICS AND OPTIONS: A typical automated calf feeder will consist of five parts: • Storage. Milk and colostrum will typically be drawn from the farm calf milk and colostrum vats. CMR will be dumped into a hopper. Other liquid and powder additives may be drawn from containers in the main mixing/dispensing unit.

• Mixing/dispensing unit. This allows the feeding regime to be programmed - feeds per day, litres per feed - on a mass, group, or individual basis. It carries out the mixing of CMR and blending with milk, colostrum, or any additives, and dispenses it. It can record individual calf feed consumption, drinking speed, absenteeism, and weight. It controls the cleaning system. Programming, and viewing calf records, may be done either at the unit and/or remotely.

• Delivery system: This is essentially tubing from the mixing/dispensing unit to the feeding stalls. While some systems have their feeding stalls as part of the main unit, most have remote feeding stalls allowing them to be sited in separate pens adjacent to the main unit. There are often limitations on the distance between the main unit and the feeding stalls.

• Feeding stalls: These may be single units or pairs fixed side by side. Most systems allow four stalls to be served by the mixing/dispensing unit and most allow the four

It comes with our culture.

In 2012 MPI funded a four and a half year study* to test the effectiveness of BioBrew’s CalfBrew® probiotic supplement on calves.

Early results showed that the use of the fresh, intact probiotic increased the rate of calf growth by up to 10%. As adults, the treated calves produced significantly more milk solids and were also less likely to die and more likely to remain in the herd.

Ultimately, the benefits associated with CalfBrew® equated to a 14 to 1 return on investment, showing that use of a fresh probiotic on calves has both short-term and long-term benefits for both stock and farmers.

BioBrew’s CalfBrew® is a fresh, live and active probiotic and the finest microbial tool available. It is designed to bring your calves, lambs, and kids through their first year in optimum condition at a truly affordable price.

Visit biobrew.net.nz to view our wide range of live probiotic products.

*296 calves on three farms were included in the study

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

funded by MPI Sustainable Farming Fund and DairyNZ and undertaken by the Clutha Agriculture Development Board.

Funding was for two projects, the trial in 2012 and the follow-up in 2016.

33

Table 1: Specifications for calf feeders on the New Zealand market, as provided by their suppliers.

MODEL

De Laval CF 150 X

De Laval CF1000S

rEID Feeder

Made In

Norway

Germany

Timaru

Supplied By

De Laval

De Laval

Reid Systems Ltd

Max Stalls per unit

4

4

Up to 21, at least.

Max calves per stall

25

25

Suggested 35

Max recommended calves per unit

100 – 120

100 – 120

Have had over 700.

Teat Withdrawal

No

Optional

No

Number of calves fed simultaneously

4

4

1 per teat.

Max distance from unit to stall

Unit and stall are combined

6m

Clear line of sight wifi connection. Have used 5 single feeders 500m away from controller with another 15 in the shed with the controller.

Whole milk, CMR, Milk/CMR blend

Yes, and concentrated CMR

Yes, and concentrated CMR

Whole Milk, CMR

Supply

Whole milk and CMR are added to a tank for mixing.

Milk from the farm’s calf milk vat. CMR from a 30kg or 50kg hopper.

Milk from the farm’s calf milk vat.

Mixing

Manually added to a separate tank and mixed.

Weighed and mixed on demand. Auto calibration of milk and powder.

Manual.

CONFIGURATION, CAPACITY

FEEDS

PROGRAMMABLE PARAMETERS Type

99 feed plans.

Litres per feed

Yes

Yes

Yes

Feeds per day

Yes

Yes

Yes

Calf Individualised

No

Same mix for synchronised feeding. Individual through priority feeding.

Yes

Reduced consumption

Yes

Yes

Yes

Slow Drinking

No

Yes

Yes

Absenteeism

Through use of exception port.

Yes

Yes

No

No

Checking and maintaining milk supply. Monitoring calves via the processor.

Checking milk supply, adding powder. Monitoring calves by handheld or App

Power Requirement

Single Phase

Single or three phase

Single Phase

Water Requirement

Cold water

Cold water

Cold. Hot for a hot wash.

Concrete Pad with Drainage

Yes

Yes

Preferable

Manual, estimated 10 minutes.

Additional cleaning of milk tank.

Automatic, 3 times per day.

Weekly circulation clean.

Additional cleaning of milk tank and delivery lines.

Manual

Low; replace milk pump hose.

General maintenance, (tubing). Annual service available.

Considering a yearly fee.

Combination meal / pellet / muesli and milk feeding system.

Teat sliders to withdraw teats.

Liquid or powder additive dispensers. Calf Manager Programme. Calf Cloud App (suppliers app)

www.delaval.com/en-nz/

www.delaval.com/en-nz/

CALF ALERTS

CALF MONITORING Weight LABOUR Labour Requirement per day; (hrs)

SERVICES

CLEANING

MAINTENANCE

EXTRAS AVAILABLE

See

34

David Reid; 027 2218 516 djreid@outlook.co.nz

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

H & L 100, (Holm and Laue)

Lely Calm

PPP Urban U40

Robot Auto Calf Feeder

Germany

Germany

Germany

New Zealand

Bell Booth

Lely

PPP Industries

Technipharm

4

4

4

8

38

35

30

20 – 25

150

100 – 140

120

125 – 150

“Anti-pirate” milk valve.

Optional

As a cleaning option.

No

2

4

4

6m

6m

2m

Milk. CMR, colostrum; and liquid and powder additives.

Yes, and concentrated CMR

Yes, and concentrated CMR

Milk Powder and whole milk.

Milk from the farm’s calf milk vat.

CMR into a 50kg hopper.

Milk from the farm’s calf milk vat. CMR from a 30kg or 50kg hopper.

Whole milk or colostrum from the farm calf milk vat.

CMR from a 35kg hopper.

CMR mixed on demand.

Weighed and mixed on demand. Auto calibration of milk and powder.

Automated mixing and heating. Heated mixing bowl to reduce heat loss.

On demand

Ad Lib Touchscreen

Not Applicable

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Same mix for synchronised feeding. Individual through priority feeding.

Group feeding.

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Forefoot weigh scale, (extra).

Not available in NZ

No

No

Checking milk supply, adding powder. Monitoring calves by handheld or App

1 to 1.5

20 – 30 mins; cleaning, checking and checking calves.

Single or three phase

Single or three phase

2kW

Cold water

Cold water

10 litres / minute

Yes

Yes

Milk line & teat cleaned after each feed. Twice daily wash and sanitise.

Automatic, 3 times per day.

Weekly circulation clean.

Additional cleaning of milk tank and delivery lines.

Automatic alkaline and acid wash twice per day.

Weekly circulation clean.

Routine calibration by farmer. Annual service.

General maintenance, (tubing). Annual service managed by Lely. Manual exterior clean

Weigh calibration by farmer 4 monthly. Annual service, approx $250

Forefoot Weighing. Calf Guide App. Extra feed Hopper.

Teat sliders to withdraw teats. Liquid or powder additive dispensers. Calf Manager Programme. Calf Cloud App (suppliers app)

Smart phone app. Dosing unit for liquid or powder.

Automatic teat cleaning.

www.holm-laue.de Facebook Robotic Feeders

www.lely.com/nz

www.pppindustries.co.nz

Single or three phase.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

Part auto, part manual.

www.technipharm.co.nz

Feeding stalls are either single or doubles like this rEID feeder. (Photo supplied by Reid Systems Ltd).

stalls to feed concurrently. They may include a device like a slide to exclude access to the teat once the calf has consumed its ration.

They may also incorporate forefoot scales to record live weight and alert any issues.

• Cleaning system: This may be manual, fully automatic, or partially automatic.

The services needed for an automated system are usually single or three phase power, cold water, and drainage.

WHAT'S ON THE NEW ZEALAND MARKET? Seven systems were found during research for this article. In addition, Calf Smart feeders made by Zeddy in Palmerston North are undergoing a review and will be back in the market at some time in the future.

Details of the feeding systems currently available, as provided by their suppliers, are presented in Table 1. As usual, best practice for any prospective purchasers is to ask the reps to arrange for you to visit a farm during feeding. Other considerations that should be made, apart from cost, include on farm modifications needed to accommodate an automated system, technical back-up, and emphasis placed on New Zealand made.

35

SPECIAL REPORT

Do your sums before rearing extra calves Words by: Chris Lewis, BakerAg

T

here are several reasons motivating farmers to rear a few extra calves this spring: the milk price is down, dairy beef calves might be in demand, the live export of heifers is generating some good coin, and it would be nice to reduce the bobby calf kill.

For those not experienced in calf rearing, caution is urged. There are a few golden rules: • Put your toes in the water first.

Developing an efficient and profitable calf rearing system requires time and experience.

• Verify your market. Don’t rear calves without an end game.

• Value your time. Very dangerous to think all the staff are already paid, or family can work for free.

• Know the true total cost of calf rearing.

• Make sure you have NAIT obligations sorted. Any doubt on the source of the calves in this M. bovis sensitive world is a problem.

These golden rules are best appreciated by those who have been burnt in the calf rearing business.

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE DAIRY BEEF MARKET? Farmers will be looking to re-stock after the drought but places like the Hawkes Bay may be slower and more circumspect. The high value prime beef and premium lamb markets might struggle. Lamb supply could come under pressure making dairy beef options more attractive.

BakerAg does not have a crystal ball with regard to sale prices, so the numbers used in this article are for example purposes.

36

Table: Sensitivity of milk price and labour cost on calf rearing cost

Cost to rear a calf

Milk price - cents per litre

Cost of Labour / calf

44 ($5.40/kgMS)

50 ($6.15 / kgMS)

56 ($6.90 / kgMS)

$20

$279

$302

$325

$30

$289

$312

$335

$50

$309

$332

$355

ASSUMPTIONS:

A 20kg bag of calf milk replacer (CMR), mixed at 125g costing $85/bag = 53 cents per litre of calf milk replacer. If you use wholemilk at $6.15kg MS and 8.16% milksolids test = 50 cents per litre Guideline for labour is 0.75 of an hour per calf reared, BakerAg used 1.0 hours per calf.

SELL AT FOUR DAYS OF AGE: For this market having pre-arranged buyers is very helpful and both parties have responsibilities. The calves must get colostrum within the first 24 hours and be trained to drink. The buyer must be uplifting regularly. Pushing the pickup a few days later is not a fair deal. Typically, the four-day market will pay 100% of the manufacturing beef price, so an early born 30kg calf at the $5.50 schedule price will generate $165 per head.

SELL AS WEANERS: A prior arrangement with buyers is again very helpful. Don’t get caught with animals the market doesn’t want or get pushed into the tail of the market where profit is lost.

Rear early, sell early.

Again, the market tends towards 100% of schedule pricing, so a 100kg calf and a $5.50 schedule = $550 per weaner.

in autumn. The cost of grazing is rarely retrieved. This market typically delivers at 65% of schedule price, so a 200kg yearling at $5.50 x 0.65 = $715 per head - $165 above the weaner price but the holding cost will be around $200.

Know your cost of production: this table shows that the difference between controlling and not controlling key variables can be $75 per calf reared.

If you were selling weaned calves then you would add the four-day-old sale value.

That’s $150 from above, making the total cost of a weaner $462.

Sell it for $550 and you make $88 per head. If you miss the peak of the market with some of your extra calves and they sell for $480, you make $18/head.

Your cost of production only needs to rise $20/head and you are losing money!

• References: www.ezicalve.co.nz/calf-rearing-calculator

REARING AND SELLING SPRING BORN R1YR IN AUTUMN: This is the “be careful” market. Often farmers caught with beef cross weaners that they are unable to sell will look to hold onto them with a view to selling them

Use the Calf Milk Replacer calculator www.nzagbiz.co.nz/cmrcalculator to work out the cost of using whole milk out of the vat versus buying milk calf powder.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

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37

SPECIAL REPORT

Is rearing worth the risk?

Words by: Kerry Dwyer

W

e have been rearing calves in North Otago since the mid 1990’s. Results have fluctuated over that time, with the past season being one of the tougher years. After taking a pasting on last year’s production many calf rearers are contemplating not continuing this coming spring. It has been possible to buy weaned dairy-sourced calves at below rearing cost for much of the past six months, due to the combination of drought and the downstream effects of killing space shortage, then being compounded by Covid-19.

At the May 21 Temuka store sale, the first after restrictions eased, Friesian bull calves reached $400 for 175kg animals. They bottomed out at $240 for 140kg calves. Beef cross steers weren’t much better at $2/kg liveweight while the beef cross heifers were maybe $1.50/kg liveweight.

The average rearing cost to professional calf rearers this past spring was about $350/head, so there hasn’t been much profit in those calves sold at Temuka. Rearing costs will vary a bit depending on calf price and whether you are using whole milk or milk replacer (powder). The costs for the coming spring are looking similar to last year (see table below).

There were some contracts available last spring for 100kg calves at about $450/head. After that the market dropped away sharply and plenty of rearers were left carrying too many calves with no home to go to. After losing money this last season calf rearers have to consider whether they want the risk of losing more in the coming season.

38

Table 1: Potential costs and profit for calf rearing Calf rearing costs

Per calf

Calf price

$100

Cartage

$20

Calf milk replacer

$84

1 bag @ 20kg

Meal – 20% protein

$22.50

25kg @ $900/t

Meal – 16% protein

$37.50

50kg @ $750/t

Animal health

$10.00

Dehorning

$6.00

Bedding

$6.00

Housing

$6.00

Straw – feed

$8.00

Grazing

$25.00

Power & fuel & machinery

$10.00

Interest

$4.50

Overdraft of $200/calf for 120 days

Losses @ 3%

$15.00

3% of $450 calf

Total

$354.50

Contract sale price

$427.50

Net profit

$78.20

100kgDM @ 25c/kgDM

$450/calf contract less 5% commission

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

LEFT: Farm consultant and farmer Kerry Dwyer will be rearing calves again but is wary of the market and spring grass growth.

WHAT DOES THE MARKET WANT? The market is farmers who buy calves at over 100kg liveweight and take them through to slaughter or for store sale at a heavier liveweight.

Pure beef calves consistently sell at a premium to dairy-cross calves, of at least 50c/kg liveweight. But calf rearers source calves out of the dairy industry so that cuts that premium option. It would be great if dairy farmers could implant pure beef calves into surplus dairy cows, but that isn’t likely given the costs involved. So, we are stuck with either 50% or 100% dairy genetics in the calves we rear.

Friesian bull calves are the staple for calf rearing, ending up in the manufacturing beef trade at slaughter. Jersey-Friesian bulls grow and finish well, but the store market discounts them considerably. Contracts for 100kg Friesian bull calves discount

later spring delivery. The buyers want the early calves that can get to the best weight before next winter. By December there are few contracts available, because the “best” calves are gone and the market is flooded with uncontracted bull calves. We find we need bull calves born in August to get them to November delivery at 100kg, after that it gets tough even in a good year. Rearing bull calves without a contract has been a loser more times than a winner.

Beef-dairy cross calves are easier to sell, since they can head towards prime export beef, local trade or manufacturing markets. I would love to get all Charolais cross calves, but dairy farmers are wary of the calving problems involved so I struggle to get any interested. The staple cross is Hereford bulls used as chasers after AI is finished. The white-faced black bull progeny are well sought after at all stages of their lives. Unfortunately, we get a lot of red calves coming out of crossbred dairy cows. They are heavily discounted in-store market because of the risk of “yellow fat” and slower growth rates. My experience is

that the red Hereford cross calves grow at least as well as the black ones and finish the same or better, but I don’t set the market. Putting the red ones to auction normally hurts.

Dairy farmers like the Hereford cross calves because it is a no brainer deciding who the father was. I prefer buying Angus cross calves, because they are all black regardless of the mother’s genetics and they grow better.

Beef cross heifers are worth 50c/kg liveweight less than their brothers. I have buyers who do very well taking beef-cross heifers to slaughter, but I warn them that selling on the store market will hurt, so avoid that if at all possible.

Maybe buyers just want the cheapest.

That does not fit with a calf rearing business; it could be an expensive hobby.

THE FOUR-DAY-OLD CALF PRICE? Last spring we paid just over $100 for fourday-old beef cross calves, with Friesian bull calves being below $100. That is in North Otago, which may be one of the cheaper

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39

priced areas in NZ. Some North Island rearers pay twice that or more for beef cross calves, it doesn’t work for us here.

The four-day-old price was once set at about twice the bobby slaughter value, nowadays that doesn’t seem to be the case.

We work on the basis that we want good calves, well-fed and nurtured before we get them. We certainly don’t want MPI chasing us for Mycoplasma bovis. We have been dealing with our dairy farm suppliers for a number of years and that is all worth a premium to us.

Over the past season some calves would have been too expensive to rear even if they were priced at zero. Without buying the calf, it takes about $250/hd to get them to 100kg liveweight. There have been a huge number of calves sold for that or less in the past six months.

We pay a steady price throughout spring for the calves we get, but early calves are generally traded at a premium and later calves struggle to find a home. We don’t get all the calves to hit target weight at the same time, and the profit is not in the first calves sold.

I am hearing that a lot of dairy farmers reared additional calves last spring, rather than bobby them.

The logic being that the calf didn’t cost them anything and what sale price they got was an extra. Most of them were poorly paid for their time and effort, and seeing calves flood the auction market doesn’t help my marketplace.

40

the food chain, and the possible risk of M bovis transmitting into the calf herd.

These may not be such a risk for dairy farmers but certainly are for professional calf rearers. We use milk powder because we get consistent warm milk each day without waste, and I don’t want to own a milk tanker.

It is possible to rear a lot of calves in a small area, until they need grass. Every year I hear of someone who has reared 100 calves on two hectares, and then has to meet the market because they are out of feed. Or the dairy farmers (and staff) who rear a few extra calves which is great until they start eating milking feed. If you can’t get the calves gone on time then the holding cost can become a business killer.

We know we need enough slack to cover delays in delivery and holding the last calves longer. If you don’t have that scope you will experience some pain.

WHOLE MILK VS CALF MILK REPLACER I have used the price, $84/20kg bag of milk powder in the calculations. Using some lower spec powders will lower this a bit, maybe saving up to $15/calf. I mix my calf milk at about 12.5% strength, so getting 160 litres of final mix per bag of powder, priced at 52.5c/litre.

Using whole milk will require at least the same litres per calf, maybe slightly more because it will have less solids per litre. At a milk solids price of $6/kgMS, whole milk works out to be about 55c/litre which is not much different to the milk powder value. Dairy farmers will typically say they have surplus milk at calving, being colostrum and “red milk”, so they value this at less than whole milk that could be sold from the vat. That is well and good until they run out of the surplus and have to take from the vat. The other downsides of whole milk are the antibiotics entering

Part 8. Feeding milk in the paddocks www.youtube.com/ watch?v=QFxf-ZcO1OE

THOUGHTS FOR THE COMING CALF REARING Most businesses are about relationships.

Our calf rearing is based on dealing with the same people over many years, at all stages of the process. Marketing is more a 12-month process while selling is taking the calves to an auction and hoping. We can not make a living from selling at the lowest price.

Over the past 25 years there have been some spectacular disasters in calf rearing.

The punt is whether the spring grass grows well enough.

If it doesn’t then the store markets will not recover sufficiently to make calf rearing profitable.

• Kerry Dwyer is a North Otago farm consultant and farmer.

Part 10. Feeding nuts and grass in the paddock www.youtube.com/ watch?v=w3n0JXP2a94

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

“ANCALF IS OUR NATURAL CHOICE.” ANDREW GRANT BELFIELD DAIRIES, GERALDINE.

Closest to mother’s milk, high degree of faith.

It’s Ancalf’s ability to curd, just as nature intended, that gives calves such a good start. They can digest the milk more efficiently and their young stomachs can absorb all the nutrients – leading to better weight gains and healthier calves all round.

For Andrew, transporting milk is an expensive and cumbersome option. So having a supply of Ancalf on hand is definitely beneficial. It suits his multifarm system, his team and of course, his calves.

At the end of the day, the decision to use Ancalf is always an economic one and Andrew makes no bones about that.

“Roughly, our feed cost is budgeted at around $200 per calf, but it’s definitely not an area we want to scrimp on... which is why we never use any other CMR.”

For more information talk to your local rural retailer or call us on 0800 809 011 Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

ANCALF

“We’re looking for a protein that’s at least 26% and Ancalf always delivers on that. I know a lot of other cheaper products don’t achieve the same sort of numbers that Ancalf does.”

“We find that there’s less variability in what we’re feeding them, so there’s no chance of them having some slightly dodgy milk.”

™

Andrew Grant knows calving is a very difficult time for a lot of farmers. Anything that makes life easier, has got to be good news. His team at Belfield Dairies are feeding up to 1200 calves a day, so he wants a calf milk replacer that delivers.

ANCALF™ THE WORD ON THE FARM

41

SPECIAL REPORT

Aerial views of part of Mahoney’s operation.

Team effort rearing 3000 lambs Becs Mahoney, former Black Fern, now international rugby referee, rears up to 3000 lambs each year for Spring Sheep Milk Co as part of her farming duties.

Sheryl Haitana reports. Photos by Brad Hanson.

R

earing young stock is a key part of any successful farming business and a task that requires dedication and skill, says Becs Mahoney.

“I think rearing young stock is a specialty, it’s very time consuming and you have to maintain strong attention to detail.”

Rearing up to 3000 lambs/year for Spring Sheep Milk Co sees Becs and husband Luke working from 5am to 10pm most nights for a significant part of spring.

In a normal rugby season she spends

42

30 hours a week fitness training as well as reviewing/pre-viewing games, and development - which is often done at all hours of the night.

Becs typically will start the morning in the lamb sheds, drive or fly to referee a game, and be back in the sheds later that night. However, the hard work and long hours are palatable when it’s something you enjoy, she says.

“I absolutely love rearing lambs and the rugby is just fun. For me rugby is good head medicine, a chance to get off farm

and out of the business for a few hours, to be able to mix with different people and be challenged at a different level.”

The former Black Fern, who refereed a Ranfurly Shield match last year, was the first woman to referee in the Mitre 10 Cup, the first female assistant referee in Super Rugby early this year and was going to referee two Women’s Six Nations’ test matches this year.

However, with Covid-19 she has currently lost her contract with NZ Rugby and will wait to see if there are

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

FARM FACTS • Farm owners: Luke and Becs Mahoney • Location: Pahiatua • Area: 55ha owned, purchased from Luke’s parents Peter and Judy Mahoney, 550ha leased • Stock units: 650 Friesian bulls; 250 beef cattle; 70 beef heifers; 1500 Romney ewes, 1000 Spring Sheep ewes; 25003000 Spring Sheep lambs

opportunities later this year with Mitre 10 and the Women’s Rugby World Cup next year.

She feels fortunate to have farming as her main business and income.

“Farming is forefront of our lives anyway.

Rugby has always been a cool way to see the world and get a bit of enjoyment. But farming is my business, my background and is where we can help other people.”

Raised on a sheep and beef farm at Eketahuna, Becs went to work on the family farm straight after high school. She got into calf rearing on a large scale with her parents, rearing up to 2000 calves, predominantly Friesian bulls.

She was fortunate enough to meet a local farming boy, Luke, and the couple have slowly grown their farming business over the last 15 years. Luke has his own business dagging 500,000 sheep a year, and the couple have their own contracting business on the side.

They were approached by Spring Sheep Milk Co a few years ago to rear lambs because of their experience rearing large numbers of young stock. The company has four farms currently and another three new suppliers have signed up this season.

“They’re an innovative and collaborative business to work with,” Becs says.

“It works for us and works for them. Their farmers work hard to get milk out of their sheep and we work hard to grow the best young stock for them to work with.”

The four-day old lambs are picked up or delivered from the farms in Taupo. The lambs travel really well in a purpose-built trailer they curl up in their boxes and go to sleep, Becs says.

When they arrive the lambs are given Biostart to settle their stomachs and put in pens of 40 to be trained on the auto DeLaval feeders. A coloured chalk marking system is used to identify lambs once they are drinking off the feeder. Most achieve that within the first 24 hours, says Becs.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

Left: Luke and Becs Mahoney.

Below: Becs enjoys working with the sheep: “Sheep are really intelligent and follow each other.”

Bottom: Luke and Becs Mahoney with Staff members Paige Walker and Tatiana McAndrew.

43

SPECIAL REPORT

FOR BEST RESULTS, CHOOSE A QUALITY MILK REPLACER

At AgriVantage, we believe that good rearing practice with the best nutrition is crucial for growing a highly productive dairy cow.

The key factors in selecting a quality milk replacer are: Solubility

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Can be fed to calves from 14 days’ old

Optimises organ development, including the mammary gland parenchymal tissue Moisture 3%

Whey protein and hydrolysed wheat protein aids digestibility Contains soya protein (lower cost) Dissolves easily and won’t drop out of solution

Vitamins and minerals 7%

Protein 21.5 %

Lactose 39% Fat 24 %

“I recommend Sprayfo Red Finisher as a quality and cost-effective milk replacer. It was less labour intensive with the ease of mixing and the calves did well on it.

They were in great condition come weaning and there was no evidence of any growth check.”

- Aaron Taylor, Dairy Farmer, Sanson

ENERG

I

CALF M SED ILK 0800 64 55 76 www.agrivantage.co.nz 44

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

“Sheep are really intelligent and follow each other. Having them in small pens, it’s not hard for the lambs to find the teats and teach themselves.”

The feeders can supply up to 200 lambs.

Each pen of 40 lambs has four teats.

Compared with calves, lambs can be easier to rear because they don’t suffer from the same diseases and their survivability rate is around 90%, higher than the traditional hill country farm system.

“We don’t get the nasty crypto or salmonellas etc. But lambs sometimes get pneumonia. We have a couple of pens in each shed with heat lamps for any smaller lambs to curl up under.”

Becs and Luke have two sheds, 2000m2 and 1000m2. The pens have 30cm of sawdust covered by a geotec felt that is used in roading and lets moisture through but not back up. They put fresh shavings on top of the bedding every day along with stellosan, which helps minimise ammonia and any “bugs”.

“We rake out every pen daily and put fresh shavings down. That will sound really intensive, but we get into every pen and handle every lamb every day. When you’re working with big numbers it’s that attention to detail you need to have.”

All lambs have access to fresh water with troughs cleaned out daily, a high protein grain mixture and unlimited milk on the feeders. Each lamb will go through 14-16kg of milk powder.

All lambs are weighed when they arrive and subsequently every 14 days for the first 12 weeks with the aim of getting them to 17-19kg by weaning at six weeks of age.

After weaning, lambs are offered cut and carry grass along with their meal, and at nine weeks they have external access to paddocks.

“We’ve set our new shed up as a miniature farm with little paddocks that function well with the shed. As the lambs get bigger they expand into bigger paddocks onto red clover and chicory mixes.

“Lambs come back into the shed for their meal. They love being inside, on cold days or on hot days. They have the best of both worlds.”

The lambs are grown out and managed through until they are scanned and ready to go back to the Spring Sheep farms for lambing.

The lamb rearing team includes Becs

Left: Becs Mahoney with some of last years lambs reared for Spring Sheep.

Below: The lambs are grown out and managed through until they are scanned and ready to go back to the Spring Sheep farms for lambing.

and Luke, four full-time women, and Becs’ parents, Neal and Shirley Hull.

“Our staff are the glue to the success of our business, we challenge them to have a go at everything. We have a strong team culture with a range of skills, my rugby mates Paige Walker, Sam Tipene, Tutz and Aunty Carol have embraced the processes that make the rearing a success.”

Becs and Luke have two daughters, Amber, 12, and Harper, 7.

“We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without Mum and Dad. Dad and I have the same vision for working with young stock and Mum has always looked after the girls and makes sure the team is always happy and things are running smoothly.”

As farmers, Becs and Luke think it’s a good move to have diversity in their business, which is why they’ve enjoyed

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

working with Spring Sheep.

“We have always believed in having our eggs in lots of baskets. You can’t just do one thing, you’re too vulnerable. We are always looking for opportunities and listening for opportunities.”

They also lamb down 1000 ewes who have been retired from milking on Spring Sheep Milk Co farms.

“We like to be thought of as the retirement village. The older girls who have had enough of milking come here and get to live out their days on the hills.”

Any empty lambs are also kept on-farm to go into a traditional grazing system before they go back to Spring Sheep as twotooths. Spring Sheep Milk Co is continuing to build supplier numbers, so having stock in front of them is another goal Becs and Luke are helping them to achieve.

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SPECIAL REPORT

Probiotics boost calf growth and milk production

N

ew Zealand farm trials of feeding a live probiotic to calves have shown a 14:1 return on investment (ROI). Calf growth and subsequent milk production improved significantly, cows were retained longer in the milking herd, and fewer died compared with control groups.

An independently managed MPI Sustainable Farming Fund study used CalfBrew to determine the short- and longterm effects of using a probiotic on calves.

Calfbrew is a fresh, intact probiotic product from BioBrew Ltd, which was developed through Callaghan Innovation-funded research at Lincoln University.

The results showed that the use of CalfBrew increased calf growth rate by up to 10%. As adults the treated calves produced significantly more milk solids in the 2015-16 season. These cows were also less likely to die and were more likely to remain longer in the production herd.

The conclusion was that the use of a fresh probiotic for calves had both short and longer-term benefits and the longerterm ROI was greater than 14:1.

The 2012 study was funded by SSF and DairyNZ and undertaken by the Clutha Agriculture Development Board. The study followed 296 calves on three farms. In 2016, a further SFF and industry funded project looked at the long-term advantages in giving probiotic supplements to neonatal calves.

Table 4 Cost of treating 100 calves with CalfBrew

Table 1 The Effect of Probiotic Supplementation on Calf growth rate for the first 100 days (kg/day) Probiotic

Control

Difference

Statistical Significance

Farm 1

0.665

0.658

+7g/day

NS

Farm 2

0.602

0.548

+54g/day

P < 0.01

Farm 3

0.574

0.527

+47g/day

P < 0.02

*There was a lot of “noise” in the data from Farm 1 due to bull and steer calves being haphazardly included in the pens.

Table 2 Effect of Calf Probiotic Supplementation on Milk Solid (MS) production as adults (kg MS/cow/year)

Probiotic

Control

Difference

Statistical Significance

2015-16

342

328

14

P < 0.03

2016-17*

302

294

7

NS

Table 3 Effect of Calf Probiotic Supplementation on mortality rates and the likelihood of remaining in the herd after 4.5 years (numbers are expressed per 100 calves treated at the start of the experiment) Numbers/100

CalfBrew

Control

Sold in calf

10.2

8.3

Sold beef

13.0

14.7

Milking

68.5

56.0

Dead

8.3

21.1

Total

100

100

Table 5 Economic Returns Net Returns per 100 Cows

Net Number

Value/Unit

Total Value

Volume/day (L/calf)

0.02

Sold in calf

1.9

$1,700

$3,278

Number of days

50

Sold in beef

-1.7

$800

$(1,373)

Number of calves

100

Milking

12.6

$1,800

$22,599

Cost/L*

$18.26

Extra milk (kgMS/cow)

21

$6.12

$1,614

Total

$1,826

Total

*based on $105/5L from BioBrew Webstore, excluding GST

46

$26,118

ROI (return on investment ratio): $26,118/$1,826 or over 14:1

• Sold in Calf value based on $1750 as maximum agreed value for TB reactors • Sold in beef value based on approximately 286kg at $2.80/kg • Milking value based on $1800 as maximum agreed value for TB reactors • Extra value based on 2016-17 milk price

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

PLASMA CALCIUM

The only ACVM authorised intra-ruminal calcium bolus for the prevention and treatment of subclinical hypocalcaemia and as an aid in the prevention and treatment of clinical hypocalcaemia (Milk Fever) in cows.

Backed by NZ peer-reviewed trial*.

1 x Calpro Bolus (At Calving)

1 x Calpro Bolus (12-15 hours after 1st Bolus)

KEEP ON TOP OF THE DROP. Treat Subclinical Hypocalcaemia • Fast Action • Sustained Release • Targeted Individual Treatment

Chart adapted from Kimura K, Reinhardt TA, Goff JP. Parturition and hypocalcemia blunts calcium signals in immune cells of dairy cattle. J Dairy Sci 2006;89:2588–95

*KI Roberts, J Bennison & S McDougall (2018): Effect of treatment with oral Ca boluses following calving on concentrations of Ca in serum in pasture-based dairy cows, New Zealand Veterinary Journal, DOI: 10.1080/00480169.2018.1520654

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2020

Calpro Bolus is a registered trade mark of the Bayer Group.

Calpro® Bolus is registered under the ACVM Act 1997.

Bayer New Zealand Limited, 3 Argus Place, Hillcrest, Auckland 0627, New Zealand. www.bayeranimal.co.nz Customer info Line: 0800 446 121

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