youngstock

Farmers should start preparing now if they want to apply for Defra's new calf housing for health and welfare grant 

Youngstock numbers reduced by 1.2 per cent compared to the same point last year

When rearing all your own replacement heifers within a closed herd, the team at the University of Edinburgh’s Langhill Farm says it is particularly important calves get off to a good start.

The management of calf rearing and the standard of housing facilities are key factors in the overall health, welfare and performance of calves. So how do you get things right when individual systems are so varied?

Getting the optimum quantity and quality of colostrum is key for new born calves – but making the right choice when it comes to following on from colostrum onto milk replacers is also vital.

Through better calf rearing facilities and the initiation of early life vaccination against pneumonia, the Hann family has seen significant improvements in the health and well-being of the calves in their pedigree Holstein herd at Rodden Down, Frome, Somerset.

With rising costs and the need to be carbon conscious, breeding productive, efficient and profitable dairy cattle has never been so paramount.

Nowadays most dairy farmers understand good colostrum management is key, but exactly what that entails is more often a point of debate.

For Mark and Susie Mottershead, who farm at The Brook, Wrexham, the 2020 lockdown prompted a focus on calves within their pedigree Holstein herd which were not performing as well as they wanted them to.

Nearly all farmers taking part in a recent calf survey recognised the link between well reared heifers and future performance, yet data suggests there is huge scope for producers to drive efficiencies further.