Get the right start for dairy calves
By Dr. John Underwood

Research has shown that feeding the calf within 1 hour of birth will maximize the absorption of colostrum.

The goal of raising a dairy calf is among the most important jobs in a dairy enterprise. That is because the dairy calf is

Key steps to consider for the dairy calf 1. Calve cow in clean, dry place (pasture or bedded pen). 2. Employ 3 “Q’s” of colostrum a. Quickly (feed within 1 hour of birth) b. Quantity (1 gallon, Holstein or 3 quarts, Jersey) c. Quality (Green zone on colostrometer, clean, sanitized fresh cow bucket) 3. Provide clean, dry bedding for the calf in housing. 4. Feed a high plane of nutrients (nutrients needed for maintenance, growth, immune development, mammary development). 5. Fresh water should be available at all times (cold weather will require adjustments). 6. Have a reliable thermometer for checking temperatures for sick calf. 7. When weaning, keep calf on MFA Stand Out until about 3 months of age. 8. Feed hay to calf after weaning, not before weaning.

the dairy cow of the future, and how that calf is raised will determine to a large degree how well the animal produces as an adult.

There are two main things to consider when raising the calf. Topmost is how the calf is cared for the first day of life, and second is the amount and quality of nutrients that will be fed to the calf after the first day up to weaning.

The most important step to take in the calf’s life is getting plenty of colostrum fed to the calf very soon after birth. There are three “Q” words to keep in mind in regards to colostrum (see sidebar). Following those key words will ensure that the dairy heifer calf has an excellent chance of thriving. Colostrum has two main purposes for the calf: to provide immune system components, which are missing in the newborn calf, and to provide a nutrient-dense product to give the newborn calf a rapidly digestible source of fuel. Research has shown that feeding the calf within 1 hour of birth will maximize the absorption of colostrum, especially the immunoglobulin G proteins. Right after birth, absorption efficiency is near 50 percent, and 4 hours after birth, absorption begins to decline rapidly to half the absorption rate by hour 7, and then declines to zero after 24 hours of age.

In addition, research has shown that calves receiving 1 gallon of colostrum have lower veterinary costs, higher growth rates, and show evidence of higher milk yield and lower culling rates than calves getting a half gallon at birth. So not only is quantity important, but quality is vital as well. Colostrum can be tested with a colostrometer, a device that measures the density of colostrums. Dense colostrum tends to have higher protein concentrations. High quality colostrum will measure in the green zone of the colostrometer. Quality of colostrum also involves freedom from high bacteria counts. Fresh cow buckets are often times not cleaned and sanitized adequately, and bacteria grow rapidly in colostrum left in buckets. That bacterial- laden colostrum, if fed to the calf, greatly increases the risk of disease in the calf.

What if there is no colostrum for the newborn calf? MFA has a very effective colostrum replacer, marketed through Land O’Lakes, called LOL Colostrum Replacement. It is a product manufactured from cow colostrum and comes from cows testing negative for Johne’s and BLV. Each lot of the product is tested on a newborn calf before release for sale. Tony Whitehead, dairy producer from Conway, reported that his heifer calves performed so well in health and growth after trying the product that he now uses it on every heifer calf born, including the high value ET calves from his elite cows. I used the product when I was calf manager at Golden Oaks in Illinois and watched as some 40 newborn calves got the product. Every calf lived and was as healthy as calves getting 1 gallon of colostrum. These results speak well of the LOL product as a colostrum replacer.

Once the dairy calf has successfully been fed colostrum or the LOL product, the question is now what to feed the calf until weaning. For many years, dairy calves were fed a maintenance diet of milk or milk replacer with little body growth seen. However, recent research and field evidence shows that dairy calves can grow much faster if they get sufficient nutrients above maintenance needs. This faster growth has been called intensified growth, or more accurately, biologically normal growth, since this growth is seen as normal in beef calves nursing their dams. Dairy calves always had this potential growth, but were held back under previous controlled starvation conditions.

MFA has teamed up with Land O’ Lakes to provide a high protein milk replacer called Cow’s Match. It is 28 percent protein, 20 percent fat, and will enable calves to grow more than 2 pounds a day. MFA also markets Jersey Cow’s Match for Jersey calves (28 percent protein, 25 percent fat). The high growth rate is in contrast to traditional calf -raising programs. Jimmy and Novalee Coats of Mountain Grove, Mo. told me that their calves exhibit exceptional growth, and the growth is not fat, but frame and tissue. David and Rhonda Gray of Macomb, Mo., fed Cow’s Match, then quit feeding it due to cost. But when the calves that were fed Cow’s Match got old enough to enter the milking string, their size and performance was obviously better than calves that didn’t get the product. So the Grays went back to using Cow’s Match. Another dairy family, Mark and Jeanette Argall of Noble, Mo., told me their calves are much better in size and health with Cow’s Match than calves fed under previous programs. Their savings in lower vet bills and growth on their calves has continued when these calves get to the milking line.

For several years, researchers said the calves fed under these high growth programs should reach breeding size faster. The big question was what the animals would milk as adults. Dr. Tom Earlywine, calf management specialist at Land O’Lakes, reports eight early studies showing milk yield improvements of 1,000 to 3,000 pounds of milk in the first lactation. He also suggests that the higher plane of nutrition for these calves should result in more mammary DNA tissue growth. The early mammary growth was not fat, which was a common concern in past feeding programs relying on higher energy diets.

In addition to Cow’s Match, it is important to feed a high quality, high protein calf starter to help develop the rumen. The MFA calf starter, Stand Out, is a 20 percent protein calf starter with high quality ingredients. Dr. Jim White, ruminant nutritionist for MFA, said that the important characteristics of a calf starter are:

• palatable ingredients

• adequate protein content (of high quality and a balance of rumen available and post-rumen-available)

• contains easily fermentable carbohydrates

• adequate soluble fiber, and should be more than 15 percent NDF

• mineral and vitamin fortified

• uses appropriate feed additives

• does not contain NPN, excessive fat or whole oilseeds

• adequate particle size, and is not dusty

Stand Out should be fed after weaning to about 3 months of age, when the dairy heifer can be transitioned to a growing heifer ration using more forages. The growing calf under 3 months needs the high protein calf starter to provide the nutrients needed for frame and tissue growth.

Dr. John Underwood is a dairy specialist for MFA Incorporated

Click here to respond to this article