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Thriving calves, better profits


In a recent Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) webinar – Healthy calves, Healthy profit – calf care was high on the agenda. Since smart calf rearing leads to healthy profits on-farm, it’s important to make sure that calves get the right treatment early on. Here’s how.


BY ZANA VAN DIJK D


r Robert Hyde from the University of Nottingham dived into the Calf Health research project conduct- ed by Nottingham University, funded by AHDB. The project involves 60 dairy farms across the UK and


aims to look at the various aspects that can impact calf health. The first days of life are crucial for the calf. Building the immu- nity and growth rates should be a top priority for farmers. But how can farmers ensure that calves are on the right path, and which factors should be taken into account so that the calf will thrive and grow into a productive and well-performing animal? In his presentation, based on the research project, Dr Hyde presented the areas farmers need to focus on when rearing healthy calves. Calf housing management is a major point to consider, espe- cially in the first weeks. This isn’t simply a question of which calf housing will work best on a particular farm. Dr Hyde said that “it’s much more important how calf housing is managed”, as clean and hygienic bedding and housing will have a posi- tive impact in the short and the long term. Three main areas


Innov’SPACE winner: Mobile calf box


The CalfOTel Open Top Premium, a winner at this year’s Innov’SPACE awards, is a mobile calf box suita- ble for farmers who want to keep calves indoors or under a roof. It is designed with special focus on hy- giene, ease of use and labour re- duction. The manure catch tray mounted underneath is made of sturdy


6 ▶DAIRY GLOBAL | Volume 7, No. 4, 2020


polyester, which makes it very easy to clean. The drain at the back al- lows for draining over a pipe connected to the manure pit. The grating is very easy to place and remove. It can be taken out in sec- onds, which allows cleaning of both top and bottom thoroughly. The front has a big open, double-hinged gate for easy access with bedding/ straw and allows for easy placement of a newborn calf. The smaller ac- cess gate allows entering and exiting without disturbing the drinking calf. More info: www.calfotel.com/en/.


that are key in building a strong, healthy and well-performing animal were explored.


1. Housing • Temperature: Calves do not give off enough energy to heat up the calf house. Dr Hyde mentioned that low tem- peratures mean more calf death. Therefore, farmers need to utilise methods that will help keep the calves warm throughout the year, not just during the winter months. A simple thermometer can be used to give the day and night temperatures in the calf building. Ideally, it should be around 15°C for the first weeks of life. The lower critical temperature for calves under three weeks old is between 10–15°C.


• Bedding: Keep calves warm and make sure bedding is clean and dry; this way, the temperature will not drop and not a lot of heat will be lost. A good rule of thumb for as- sessing whether there is enough bedding is that the calf’s legs should not be visible when lying down. Deep bedding is not always possible, and straw can be expensive. How- ever, in terms of calf mortality, deep bedding is good solu- tion. Also, if it is not possible to create deep bedding for the entire pen, then providing one area that’s deeply bedded is a good option, said Dr Hyde.


• Proper ventilation: This is an important way to prevent respiratory issues like pneumonia. Try to create microenvi- ronments with straw bales, etc. Farmers should ensure that there are no draughts. A good way to keep an eye out for this is to watch the calves: if they are tucking themselves away somewhere or hiding behind a straw bale, it may be


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