HEIFERMAX

What does HEIFERMAX offer clients?

HEIFERMAX offers a comprehensive Heifer Management Consulting Package which provides the following services related to rearing and growing of replacement heifers from birth to calving and if necessary management of bull calves for veal or feeder steer production.

1. Calf shed design, factoring in calf welfare, operator comfort, ease of feeding, ease of cleaning, suitability for conversion to use with automatic milk machines & inclusion of quarantine areas.

2. Provision of Standard Operating Procedures for wet-calf and post weaned heifer care in the following areas:-

• Receival of calf into shed
• Colostrum handling, assessment and storage
• Colostrum administration
• Milk feeding regimes
• Grain feeding
• Assessment and treatment of sick calves
• Weaning criteria and procedures
• Post weaning feeding and supervision to 12 weeks
• Daily cleaning routines
• End of season cleaning routines.

3. Training staff, including on farm training of key personnel in critical areas including

• basic anatomy and physiology of the calf,
• principles of nutrition,
• disease identification and control,
• standard animal health treatments,
• weaning procedures,
• shed hygiene/cleanliness.

4. Provision of milk feeding regimes.

5. Provision of grain feeding regimes.

6. Provision of target weights and heights for age.

7. Regular scheduled visits during rearing of wet calves, plus a pre-determined number of on- farm consults during the year to monitor heifer health and growth and to set programme for routine animal health treatments.

8. Monitoring of heifers to ensure that mating weight is achieved at the optimum time.

9. Co-ordination of joining programme, including provision of selection criteria for heifers to be mated; liaison between farm management & vets/AI company.
Service does not include bull selection, AI or delivery of treatments associated with AI.

10. Monitoring bred heifers to calving, including tracking weights, preparation of pre-calving vaccination schedule, non-specific pre-calving nutritional advice.

11. On call problem solving service.

12. Monitoring of calving pad included in scheduled visits. Provision of a calf details sheet for calving staff.

13. Tracking heifer/cow retention time in dairy in conjunction with farm staff.

HOW WE WORK

The HEIFERMAX Management Package is individually tailored to each farm for all areas of heifer management. It includes an initial consult, the development of farm-specific rearing and growing programmes and regular calf health monitoring and system review consults throughout the consulting period. The consult schedule summarises when consults should occur, the type of consult and an approximate date.

Each component of the management package is detailed below.

The initial consult enables the consultant to establish an overview of the operation as it exists and is conducted with individual clients to establish:

• Current wet calf management systems, history and perceived problems
• Wet-calf management goals
• Wet-calf management programme options
• Current weaned heifer management systems, history and perceived problems
• Weaned heifer management goals
• Current management of pre and post mated heifers and perceived problems
• Pre and post mated heifer management goals
• Good animal husbandry practices
• Staff training.

This initial consult will be dependant on the size of the client farm but will include several hours on-farm, an assessment of problem areas and a detailed review of current management systems.

The consultant then develops a tailored management programme off farm following the initial consult and will provide it to the client in a timely manner. The time spent on developing this is related to farm size.

HEIFERMAX will then attend the farm for subsequent on-site inspections and to monitor and review the heifer rearing program. These consults are dependant on cow numbers, but are usually in the vicinity of 3 – 4 hours.

Dependant on the timing, consultations will include:

• Review of wet-calf health, and rearing programme
• Paddock inspections of weaned heifers and review of growth rates
• Review of wet and weaned heifer nutrition
• Identify and discuss any animal health issues
• Review of any laboratory tests
• Review of growth rate targets
• Provision of notes from farm visits where required.
• Staff training

The HEIFERMAX Management Package operates over a twelve month period from the initial consult, whereby the client has access to the consultant during on farm consults and via telephone and internet.

COSTING

Pricing packages will be negotiated with interested parties and will take into account time spent on dairy, number of cows, non-contact time, travel time, travel costs and accommodation. Laboratory fees are not included. If required, translator fees are not included in our pricing package.