Giving calves a mix of feeds including meal or grain, as well as high nutritional fibre, gives them the best possible start and will see them develop to their full potential.
“Feeding quality fibre is all about rumen development and creating life-long, sustainable animal health, as well as making calves pasture-ready.
“But calves also need fat and energy, which they get from meal-based feeds. That’s where the philosophy of blending comes in.
“Feeding animals a fibre-based product, like FiberStart, as well as meal while they are newly out to pasture is important to keep the development momentum going and avoid weaning checks.
“The end result is bigger, healthier animals that have greater breeding potential, improved long-term milk production, reduced empty rates, and better six-week in-calf rates,” Bell says.
With the calving season in full swing, many farmers are putting calves out to pasture as early as four weeks because of the recent relatively dry, warm conditions.
Bell, the Fiber Fresh founding director, encourages farmers to continue feeding programmes to 12 weeks.
“The first 12 weeks in a calf’s life is the most crucial time in developing productive rumens and laying down the foundations of life-long gut health.
“Superior full-stomach development enables greater efficiency and absorption of nutrients and allows calves to thrive and develop to their full potential.
“Our fibre products can be blended with any meal or grain-based feed, and our research backs up why calves should be given easily digestible fibre from birth to 12 weeks.
“Whether calves are penned or on pasture, feeding a quality fibre to young stock will provide them with a greater capacity and better health as the result.”
Research done with AgResearch shows Fiber Fresh-reared calves have 18% heavier rumens at weaning than those fed a control diet, as well as having thicker rumen walls and a greater number of papillae, suggesting improved physical and morphological development.
The research also shows calves with an adult-like rumen fermentation pattern during and post-weaning, better metabolic functionality, and a better nutrient transport system.
“At seven weeks old, calves reared on Fiber Fresh have a big, well-muscled rumen with superior papillae growth, giving a large surface area for nutrient absorption that results in greater feed efficiency.
“Ultimately, this will have longer-term benefits on the bottom line,” Bell says.
For more visit www.fiber-fresh.com.
