Investing in the future milking herd

Choosing a specially formulated calf milk replacer alongside top-notch management has helped one Dorset family to address issues with calf scours. Kenton and Charlotte Bennett rely on a high level of stockmanship and ‘around the clock' attention to detail for calving cows and their newborn calves.Mr Bennett says: "I'm not particularly a facts and figures person, but I do believe in giving 110% when it comes to implementing sound husbandry practices and will always seek the right added value nutrition and health input from trusted advisers." The Bennetts run 200 cows at Perry Farm, Bagber Common, Dorset.The herd is predominantly Holstein Friesian with some Ayrshire and Danish Red genetics.Cows calve in a 15-week autumn block.SupportMrs Bennett is committed to supporting any calving cow through labour, no matter what the hour of day or night.Mr Bennett says: "Charlotte has been inspired by research into CowSignals and puts calf health and animal welfare at the heart of everything we do.We've invested in quality housing space and are very keen on rearing calves well; after all they are the future of your milking herd.We produce more than we need so also sell about 20 calved heifers each year." As soon as a calf is born, the first priority is to ensure it receives enough good quality colostrum, even if it means getting up in the middle of the night to tube a calf."We have cameras in the calving pens and if anything starts calving, we are straight out there to be on-hand to supervise, whatever time of day." The cow is allowed to lick the newborn calf for at least 10 minutes before the calf is removed and tubed with high quality, stored colostrum."Depending on the size of the calf, we always aim for three-four litres as soon as possible.They then get four litres a day in two feeds for at least three to four days to maximise the intake of this valuable first milk, which is packed with antibodies.We are accredited Johne's disease-free, so freeze and store plenty of colostrum; using a heating wand to thaw it out and feed it at the right temperature," says Mrs Bennett.Heifer calves are then batched into pens of 25 and move onto milk replacer fed through Forster Technik computerised feeders following the 40FIT feeding plan until they are weaned."Feeding heifer calves as required in the first few weeks after birth has a positive effect on overall life milk yield.Correct feeding has a greater influence on the yield characteristics than breeding," adds Mr Bennett.The 40FIT feeding plan comprises a phase of controlled ad-lib milk feeding, followed by a weaning phase.The first phase consists of 35 days and allows calves unlimited feed consumption distributed throughout the day.However, in order to protect the calf from possible over-drinking, the portion sizes and blocking periods between meals are set.This ensures the calf's growth potential is maximised during the crucial first weeks of life.The second phase consists of 35 days, gradually stepping down the milk feeding level from 12 litres to two litres a day, which prevents growth restrictions and promotes rumen development.