“There are a range of products and regimes that may add something to a good system but will never make a good system out of a poor one.”
Many of these are promoted with anecdotal evidence of their benefits without the impartial trial work and results that would help to sway the discerning farmer.
Neal said there was a void of independent calf-rearing research in New Zealand so farmers must monitor their operation’s performance. This might be as simple as recording the weight in and weight out for different mobs or it could be an assessment between a treatment and control group where the only variable is the product or husbandry trialled.
“Even where trial data appears sound and results convincing remember that the product or regime must be applied to your situation and may not work in every case.”
Ken and Steph Norman of Eketahuna – winners of this 2015 Tararua Sheep and Beef Farm Business of the Year award and featured in last month’s Country-Wide – have a low-labour and low-cost system. It produces good calves with a mortality rate that is less than 1%.
They get a head-start by paying good money for good Waikato calves that are not sourced from saleyards but selected and settled by an agent before transporting. Some have weighed 73kg on arrival.
Calves generally arrive late in the afternoon or early evening and are put in pens of 15, grouped by weight. They have ad-lib access to hay, meal and clean water from this time and are not given an electrolyte feed on their first night.
The next day they are put on a one-feed-a-day regime of concentrated calf milk replacer (CMR) at 200g/litre. Lighter calves (40-45kg) start on 1.8 litres of CMR and heavier animals (50kg-plus), two litres. Over about 14 days their ration is increased to three litres. After about 35 days they have generally put on 20kg and are then weaned off milk over a three-day period.
Calves can get the “10-day blues” in the transition from colostrum to CMR. They usually get through this unassisted but the Normans keep a watch for calves that are off-colour.
Getting enough fresh colostrum into each calf within 12 hours of birth is imperative for successful calf rearing. Calf rearers have calves blood tested for colostrum levels by their veterinarian. The gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) test is run on calves from two to eight days old and costs about $120 for 10 samples. It is interesting to note some of the research into GGT levels in calves was disrupted by low-level GGT calves dying.
Livestock Survival Drench (Vet LSD)
Vet LSD was developed by Marlborough vet Peter Anderson, initially to reduce lamb mortality. It includes vitamins A, D, C and E, iodine, selenium and chromium in a liquid form.
Impressive results with dairy cows showed a reduction in the empty rate of one herd from 19% to 7%. Since then it has shown positive results when added to calf milk on a fortnightly basis. When fed to healthy calves they started consuming hard feeds more readily with a corresponding weight gain. Anecdotal evidence indicates less scours and healthier calves as well.
For calf rearers who are looking at early weaning off milk, the minimal cost of this treatment – about 36 cents per calf dose – is worth consideration. Unlike anthelmintic drenches it can be added to either an electrolyte or milk.
Calf side scour pathogen test
The AxCSS-4 calf scours test kit from Ngaio Diagnostics lets the calf rearer, in the space of about 10 minutes, determine whether scouring of a particular calf is because of the presence of rotavirus, coronavirus, E.coli or cryptosporidium so that treatment can be specific. It allows testing of five calves for the four pathogens at $187 + GST.
Housing
Most farmers put up implement sheds that also serve as a calf shed. The dedicated FlexiTunnel calf rearing shelter is claimed to produce an increase of 10kg liveweight at six weeks. This may be because of the poor standard of exisiting facilities.
Calf environment is an important factor in health and growth rate and a dedicated calf shed still has limited alternative uses, such as storing hay. The plastic film covering sheds usually lasts about 10-13 years.
