Illinois Dairy Summit January 25, 26, & 27, 2011 Goals for Optimum Calf/Heifer Management Strive for 95 percent or greater survival rate (birth - calving) Achieve optimal growth, avoid disease exposure Develop a solid vaccination program Breed at 60 % of mature weight (14-15 months) Calve at 23-24 months, BCS of 3.5 Dave Fischer Retired Extension Dairy Educator University of Illinois Large Breed (ADG of 1.8 # s/day) 1250 lbs. post calving & withers height of 54 in. Small Breed (ADG of 1.4 # s day) 850 lbs. post calving & withers height of 51 in. Pre-Weaning Mortality 7.8% average death loss on heifers born alive Other causes 21.0% Respiratory problems 22.5% Scours/diarrhea 56.5% Focus on Colostrum Management NAHMS 2007 Colostrum Management Excellent colostrum management and feeding practices are essential for increasing the survival rate from birth to weaning Quality has a IgG concentration of > 50 g/l Timing ASAP after birth and at 12 hours Quantity minimum of 4qts. or absorb 100 grams IgG in first 24 hours Cleanliness proper hygiene to decrease bacterial contamination; store properly Colostrum Quantity Calf needs to absorb at least 100 g IgG Hours since birth - reduced absorption Variation in quality - age and production Method of delivery - nurse, bottle, tube Feed good/excellent quality colostrum Feed 2 quarts immediately Feed 2 quarts 12 hours later Colostrum replacements (a second option) Colostrum Quality Average immunoglobulin levels Holsteins - 48 g/l, range of 20 to 100 g/l Jerseys - 66 g/l, range of 28 to 115 g/l Amount of immunoglobulins depends on Disease exposure - age and origin Vaccination status Prepartum milk leaking Pounds of milk produced Avoid presence of bacteria from teats and udder
Time With Dam Increases Calf Mortality Time with Dam After Birth (hrs) 2 to 6 7 to 12 13 to 24 25 to 48 Herds Evaluated 13 35 32 24 Source: Adapted from 1991 NCR 205 Bulletin by H. Chester-Jones, University of Minnesota, 2003 Percent Mortality 5.2 9.3 10.7 20.5 Percent Operations Calf Separated From Dam (NAHMS Data) 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 55.9 52.9 47.9 45.0 561. Immediately (no nursing) 20.8 22.5 22.2 After nursing but <12 hrs 17.4 15.9 14.6 Dairy 1996 Dairy 2002 Dairy 2007 13.9 8.7 7.3 12 to 24hrs >24hrs Time of Separation Amount Colostrum in 1 st 24 Hours Lowers Calf Mortality Amount of Colostrum Fed (quarts) 1 to 2 3 to 4 4 to 5 Herds Evaluated 18 16 26 Source: Adapted from 1991 NCR 205 Bulletin by H. Chester-Jones, University of Minnesota, 2003 Percent Mortality 15.3 9.9 6.5 Percent Calves Amount of Colostrum Hand-Fed in First 24 Hrs 80 60 40 20 0 21.1 16.5 16.8 43.0 45.3 43.1 Dairy 1996 Dairy 2002 Dairy 2007 35.9 38.2 40.1 2 quarts 2 to 4 quarts 4 quarts (NAHMS Data) Milk Replacer vs. Milk Opportunities have always existed for feeding whole milk to calves Economic comparisons between saleable milk and accelerated MR can determine the choice Note - other benefits of MR often outweigh direct economic comparisons = consistency, ease of storage, disease control, calf performance Milk Replacer vs. Milk NAHMS 2007 survey represented 79.5% of US dairy operations and 82.5% of dairy cows (17 states) 2-3% of milk produced is not marketed 56.0% of dairy operations use medicated milk replacers 87.2% use waste milk for all or portion of heifer calves
Pasteurization of Waste Milk Feeding raw discard milk to young calves can enhance risk of disease transmission Pasteurization is an option to consider to reduce risk of using waste discard milk Batch pasteurization at 145 o F for 30 minutes = Low-Temperature-Long-Time (LTLT) or Short time flash at 161 o F for 15 seconds = High-Temperature-Short-Time (HTST) -- reduces immunoglobulin levels by 25 to 30 % and is not recommended for colostrum Meeting the nutrient requirements of calves in cold stress (< 40 degree F) - must provide extra calorie intake for maintenance/heat (or lose energy used for growth & immunity) Considerations: - use higher nutrient milk replacer to provide extra calories - provide added MR powder to 2x feeding program -provide a 3 rd feeding per day as temps near zero degrees - use MR/milk warmed to 100 o F - provide warm water after feeding to encourage starter intake Conventional vs. Accelerated Calf Nutrition Many have argued that conventional calves catch up after a few weeks Goals for progressive calf programs 1.. Double birth weight by 56 days of age 90 lb birth weight 180 lb @56 days (1.6 ADG) 2. Mortality less than 5% 3. Morbidity (treatments) less than 10% But does the tortoise ever catch up? Why this emphasis on early growth? Achieve breeding size at an earlier age Increase potential for internal herd growth Potentially increase milk yield Potentially increase herd life M. E. Van Amburgh Conventional Feeding Calf Rearing Management decision to limit milk or milk replacer to 8 to 10% of BW Designed to promote early intake of starter and allow early weaning - or does it? Starter intake provides minor contribution to nutrient intake until week 2 to 3 of life Is it time to rethink conventional? Accelerated Feeding Calf Rearing Returning calf growth to more natural characteristics Feeding more milk solids, composition more near to cows milk (~26% protein, 29% fat on a dry solids basis or 3.2% p, 3.8% f as is) Water is always critical to encourage starter intake and keep calves hydrated Starter and post-weaning nutrition must complement to maintain advantages
What happens if you leave a modern Holstein calf with the cow? Calves gain weight more than 3 times faster ~2.3 lb/d vs. ~0.8 lb/d Body weight (lb.) 130 110 90 Kept with cow Separated at 1 day 1 14 Calf age (days) Flower and Weary, 2001 Effect of rate of body weight gain with constant initial body weight (100 lb) on protein requirements Rate of Energy Protein Req. DMI CP gain (lb/d) (kcal/d) (g/d) (lb/d) 1 (% of DM) 0 1748 28 0.84 8.3 0.50 2296 82 1.11 18.1 1.00 3008 136 1.45 22.9 1.50 3798 189 1.83 25.3 2.00 4643 243 2.24 26.6 2.50 5532 297 2.67 27.2 3.00 6457 350 3.12 27.6 1 Assumes milk replacer with 2075 kcal ME/lb DM. Accelerated Feeding Program Traditional Milk Replacer Feeding Program (20 % protein - 15% fat) Intensified Milk Replacer Feeding Program (28% protein 20% fat) Age at first calving (AFC) and postcalving BW Variable Control Intensified AFC a (mo) Trial 1 25.4 ± 0.7 26.5 ± 0.7 Trial 2 24.0 ± 0.5 24.3 ± 0.5 BW (lb) Trial 1 1,238 ± 38 1,284 ± 36 Trial 2 1,243 ± 27 1,238 ± 27 a Trial, P < 0.005. Drackley et al., 2007 First lactation 305-d milk yields Variable Control Intensified 305-d milk a,b (lb) Trial 1 20,340 ± 807 23,269 ± 775 Trial 2 19,351 ± 568 20,104 ± 622 305-d fat (lb) Trial 1 811 ± 36 858 ± 34 Trial 2 807 ± 25 787 ± 28 305-d protein b (lb) Trial 1 664 ± 25 716 ± 24 Trial 2 603 ± 18 604 ± 19 Drackley et al., 2007 Differences in first-lactation milk due to increased early milk intake Study Response Foldager and Krohn, 1994 +3,092 lb Foldager et al., 1997 +1,143 lb Bar-Peled et al., 1998 + 998 lb Ballard et al., 2005 +1,543 lb @ 200 DIM Shamay et al., 2005 + 290 to +2,904 lb Rincker et al., 2006 +1,100 lb 305-ME Raeth-Knight, 2009 +1,580 lb 305-ME Terré et al., 2009 +1,373 lb Stamey et al. unpublished + 31 to + 277 lb Morrison et al., 2009 201 lb
Areas of potential economic advantage for accelerated calf feeding programs Improved immune system (healthy calves) Capitalize on rapid early growth potential Most efficient weight and height increase Emphasize improvement in Feed Efficiency Decrease days to breeding and first calving Improve future productivity Economics More expensive on a per-bag or per day basis But, essentially equal or improved on a per-unit of gain basis Monetary value of improved health and greater production easily covers the investment, with positive return Weaning: Minimizing the growth slump A common concern with high-performance milk replacer programs is stall out but needn t be Need to re-calibrate our assumptions and expectations; provide high performance nutrients throughout growing period The ideal weaning Wean when calves consume >3 lb starter daily (start when calves reach 2 lb/d) Wean gradually over 4 to 7 d by decreasing volume of milk (or diluting with water) Offer warm water at normal feeding time by same feeding method for 3 d after weaning Do not move calves or change diet for 2 wk post-weaning Do not combine weaning with other management tasks such as vaccination, dehorning, etc. Ensure adequate intake of coccidiostat before and after weaning To avoid nutritional stress at weaning, strive for adequate starter intake Water management! Don t wean too early Wean gradually Don t allow free-choice hay intake during pre-weaning stage Grouping Heifers ---Factors to Consider Feeding program and requirements Social factors and competition Reproductive status Getting heifers breed Catching open heifers Pre-fresh heifer Growth requirement Development of the mammary gland
Grouping Group Age Strategy 1 3-4 Ration 1 age 2 4-6 Ration 1 age 3 6-9 Ration 2 age 4 9-12 Ration 2 age 5 12-15 Ration 3 repro 6 15-21 Ration 3 bred 7 > 21 Ration 4 preg 1 Dietary energy and protein guidelines for large breed heifers 1 Heifer Body Weight, lbs Item Unit Abbreviation 300 600 900 1200 Dry Matter Intake lbs/d DMI 9.3 13.7 19.4 26.9 Crude Protein % of DM CP 16.9 15.0 14.2 13.3 Rumen-Undegraded Protein % of CP RUP 39.4 33.8 30.3 26.3 Rumen-Degraded Protein % of CP RDP 60.6 66.2 69.7 73.7 Total Digestible Nutrients % of DM TDN 67.4 65.3 63.3 62.3 Metabolizable Energy ME Mcals/lb 1.11 1.10 1.08 1.02 1 Determined from the Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle, 2001 Heifer Additives Improve Efficiency Coccidiostat (control protozoa) Deccoquinate Ionophore Ampolium Probiotics and DFM (direct fed microbials) Ionophores Yeast culture Antibiotics Common Respiratory Diseases Season of the year - cold and wet weather Failure of passive transfer of antibodies Commingling with older cattle Inadequate ventilation Poor sanitation Overcrowding Strategic and Effective Vaccinations Sound Management ---- # 1 Consult with your herd health veterinarian Customize based on prevalent diseases Avoid once-a-year herd vaccinations Handle vaccines properly Follow label directions Rotate vaccines? No vaccine is 100% effective! In any herd health program, good management procedures must be in place before vaccinations against infectious diseases are considered. Resist the temptation to overemphasize vaccination solutions. Vaccines are no substitute for good management practices!
Growth as a percent of mature body size Puberty - 45% of mature size Breeding - 55% of mature body wt - 89% of mature height Calving - 85% of mature body wt - 96% of mature height Heifer Growth Objectives (suggested breeding weight in bold) Holstein, Brown Swiss Ayrshire, Guernsey Jersey Age Months Weight Lb Height Inches Weight Lb Height Inches Weight Lb Height Inches 0 94 32 70 27 55 26 2 185 34 130 32 115 30 4 280 37 230 37 195 34 6 400 41 320 41 275 39 8 520 44 400 44 385 41 10 650 46 505 45 460 43 12 775 49 600 46 520 44 14 875 50 680 48 575 45 16 975 51 770 50 650 46 18 1050 52 860 51 730 47 20 1150 53 910 52 800 48 22 1275 54 1050 53 875 50 24 1340 54 1150 53 960 51 Source: Raising Dairy Replacements, NCR 205