Red Heifers
Red Heifers
Starter Meals
Calves need high energy and high protein diets; examples of feed mixes are shown in Table 2.5. When you are starting calves on meals, feed only small amounts initially to keep the feed fresh; calves will not eat feed that is contaminated with saliva. One introduction technique is to place some meal in the bucket or trough after milk feeding.
Developing the Rumen in Concentrate-Fed Calves
From day 2 in the program, provide free access to a palatable, clean, fresh concentrate supplement.
If you plan a restricted milk feeding program, calves should have access to ad lib pellets from day one to encourage concentrate consumption.
Young calves up to 6 weeks old need a highly palatable concentrate supplement with a minimum of 18% protein and a minimum of 11 MJ of ME/kg of dry matter to provide enough nutrients for early development of the rumen and rapid growth. Feed this supplement until larger breed calves reach 100 kg live weight (at about 12 weeks).
If you are home-mixing your feeds, be sure you get an accurate feed analysis so you can be sure that the protein and energy levels reach those recommended for rapid growth. Home mixes should include vitamin and mineral premix
Concentrates should be highly palatable. In some cases molasses can enhance the palatability.
Any changes in feeding management should be phased in gradually. Monensin (Rumensin®) or avoparcin (Avotan®) can be included in all concentrate rations to increase the nutrient absorption of the supplement.
Calves should have access to clean straw from the start of the program. Straw provides a ‘scratch factor’ that will help develop the rumen while maintaining rumen pH levels, due to the large amount of saliva produced by the chewing.
However, do not provide good quality hay on demand—calves will consume too much, reducing their concentrate intake and growth rate. The best practice is to provide the best quality feed at all times, but limit the fibre intake to 10% of the total dry matter intake. Calves can be weaned from milk when their concentrate intake reaches 0.75 kg per head per day. This should happen when they are 4–6 weeks old.
