HEIFERMAX

Recent widespread heavy rains across much of southern Australia have turned many calving paddocks into a sea of mud.

Cows calving in wet, muddy paddocks are more likely to contract mastitis and metritis. Calves which are dropped in the mud at birth are almost certainly going to become ill and possibly to die.

Appropriate care for wet and dirty calves in the first day or so of life can help to minimise the effects of a poor start.

Steps to help prevent disease are:-

·         More frequent collection of calves from the paddock

·         Dip navels in the paddock before transport

·         Administer measured high quality colostrum (use a Colostrometer) as soon as possible (some farms take colostrum into the paddock, to ensure early consumption)

·         Colostrum should be given at 10% of bodyweight in a single feed

·         Dip navel again on entry into the calf barn

·         If a calf’s hair is wet, either put a calf coat on the calf or make a small pen from hay bales and snuggle the calf into the hay, so that it can warm up

·         Consider using a heat lamp for the first few hours of life

·         Feed 1^st milking colostrum as the second feed, to ensure adequate antibodies for absorption and because it has a very high level of nutrients

·         Continue to use transition milk (don’t dilute with milk from the hospital herd) for the first week of life, to ensure calves have plenty of nutrients to help fight infection

·         Monitor these calves regularly, as scouring is likely to be a major issue in the first few days of life

·         Navel or joint ill may appear in calves about a week old. Call the vet if you have a calf with this problem.

A little bit of extra TLC can minimise the effects that a wet and dirty start in life has on calves.

Time spent recently delivering heifer management classes in Western Australia was very informative.

My interest in the W.A. dairy industry was kindled at the 2008 Australian Dairy Conference, held in Launceston. The chairman of Western Dairy made a presentation about the industry which painted the state and its industry in a rosy light.

Western Australians have always had a reputation for being very progressive, and many innovative agricultural ideas have come from W.A. It appears that their dairy industry is no exception; having declined in dairy numbers, the W.A. industry has made a concerted effort to attract new players into the industry and to consolidate its position in the global market place.

W.A. has 2.1% of Australian dairy farms but produces 3.7% of the milk; this is a testament to the attitude of these farmers and is a prediction of the future success of their industry.

The heifer management day, run on-farm near Busselton, was well organised and promoted. This ensured that it was incredibly well attended and the 5 hour presentation provoked a wide range of interesting questions. It was stimulating to present information to such a receptive audience and although some farmers had to leave mid-afternoon to milk, many stayed on to ask more searching questions.

I look forward to future interaction with this forward thinking sector of the Australian dairy industry.

Now that green feed has mostly disappeared from paddocks, even in the wetter parts of Tasmania, it is time to consider the diet of weaned heifer calves. All too often spring calved heifers are left in paddocks with no green feed and no supplementation of the dry feed.

Young heifers, particularly those under 6 months of age, have high nutrient requirements in relation to their rumen size. This means that they need to be eating high protein, high energy feed to be meeting target growth rates.

Short, lush, actively growing pasture is great for heifers over 6 months. Heifers under 6 months may still need some supplementation, particularly when pastures start to senesce. The low nutrient levels and high NDF in older pastures means calves will have trouble eating enough to be growing at the required rate. Once heifers reach 6 months, they will be able to take in enough green pasture to be actively growing; if pastures have dried off, these heifers will also need some supplementation. 1 kg of 14-16% protein pellets will make a big difference to growth rates.

Read more »