Starting Newly Weaned Calves on Feed
- Water. Considering water intake heavily influences feed intake, calves should have unlimited access to clean water.
- Feed Deliveries. Long stem, grass hay is a recognizable feedstuff to calves and should be placed in the bunks prior to arrival.
- Diet Composition. Since intakes are relatively low during the receiving phase, the diet should be formulated with palatable, high-quality feedstuffs.
- Processing. With regards to transit time, allow calves to rest prior to processing. It is well known that vaccinating stressed calves results in a poor vaccine response.
- Conclusion. Developing a receiving protocol can help feedlot operations better prepare for incoming calves. Work closely with your nutritionist to ensure receiving diets meet the requirements of newly weaned calves.
- References. Doye, D. and D. Lalman. 2008. (E-913). pp 173 – 178. Blezinger, S. B. 2002. Starting new cattle on feed can be challenging.
How do you start feeding weaning calves?
Using the 1,2,3 rule:
- Use the first milk (colostrum) from the cow
- Feed the calf colostrum within the first two hours of birth
- Calves must be offered at least three litres of good quality colostrum
How much do you feed a weaned calf?
consume 1.5 to 2.5% of their body weight in dry matter the first week on feed. These are calves that were fed on the farm in which they were raised and typically had been creep feed. The only major stress on the calves was weaning, and death loss and sickness were minimal. Yearling
When should calves be weaned from their mothers?
The short answer: Some calves can be weaned as early as 60 - 90 days and still be quite successful. The long answer: A calf can be weaned from its mother any time after birth. Typically, calves perform best if left on the cow until a good percentage (80-90%) of the diet they consume each day is grass or hay.
What is the optimal feeding level for calves?
The following practices for raising calves can:
- Decrease the exposure of calves to disease.
- Improve calf health.
- Improve calf survival rates.
- Improve growth rates.
What to feed calves after weaning?
Examples of post-weaning diets which beef producers are using:high quality legume based silage (lucerne silage with 60 per cent dry matter)lucerne hay, 30 per cent grain and some soy protein or canola meal.lucerne pasture.high protein and energy calf or heifer rearer pellets.
How much grain should a weaned calf eat?
Calves will need 4 to 5 pounds of a grain-protein mixture per head daily to average 1.2 pounds daily on winter fescue pastures (Table 3). Forage sorghum, small grain and grass legume silages work well for wintering calves but are lower in energy than corn silage.
What is a good starter feed for calves?
Calves prefer soybean meal over other protein meals. They can adjust to cottonseed or canola meal, but during changeover, intake may decrease and be variable. Calves do not like fish meal, blood meal, and even distillers or corn gluten feed or meal. Corn and oats must be clean and without mold or mycotoxins.
At what age do calves start eating grass?
about 2 weeks oldWhen Do Calves Start Eating Grass? Calves normally start to nibble on grass or hay within 1 or 2 days of being born. Calves start ruminating to some degree when they're about 2 weeks old, with their rumen fully developed by 90 days of age.
When should I introduce calf pellets?
Eight to 12 weeks old Don't limit intake at this stage of development and don't allow calves to go periods of time without calf starter. Once calves reach 12 weeks old, introduce a calf grower feed.
How long should you feed calf starter?
Calves can be maintained on the starter for 2 to 3 weeks postweaning and then transition to a grower diet offered with long forage.
How long should calves be on grower feed?
One-Step Calf Grower is a 16% protein complete pelleted calf feed designed to be fed from one week post weaning through six months of age.
What do you feed a 3 month old calf?
A 3-month-old calf does not have the rumen capacity or digestive capability via rumen microbes to utilize diets with free-choice hay or large amounts of fibrous feeds like soybean hulls, wheat midds, cottonseed hull, and corn gluten feed.
Can you feed a calf sweet feed?
Agrimaster 50 lb Sweet 18% Calf Starter Medicated Feed is a formulated sweet feed for dairy and beef calves. The medicated grain mix promotes energy and rumen development.
When can calves eat alfalfa?
Alfalfa for beef cows First cutting hay that is more mature or has been weather damaged can be well utilized by these cows; the best hay can be fed 30 days period to calving until about 60 days after calving. Alfalfa hay may be used as a protein source for cattle being fed poor quality grass hay or grazing corn stalks.
Can a 2 week old calf eat hay?
With these facts in mind, calves can be introduced to forage between 2 and 3 weeks of age. The forage should be high in fiber, but low in nutritive value, and it should be chopped so the particle size is about 1 inch in length. Ideally, low quality forage should be offered ad libitum.
What do you feed a 3 week old calf?
Especially during the first three weeks of life, calves should be fed a milk replacer that contains all milk proteins made from dried skim milk or whey products.
How much grain should a 12 week old calf eat?
pound calf will need to consume in the neighborhood of 7 to 8 pounds of grain daily. Small amounts of hay will compliment the grain ration for these 8 to 12 week old animals.
How much grain should I feed my 600 lb calf?
For example, a 600 pound calf will eat 15-18 pounds of dry matter (2.5-3% of body weight) and a 1000 pound calf will eat 20-25 pounds of dry matter per day (2-2.5% of body weight). A few other tips: - change rations gradually over several days, and never more than about a half- pound increase over a couple days.
How much feed does a calf need per day?
Calves should be fed daily approximately 10% of their body weight (1 quart of milk weighs 2 pounds). For example, a Holstein calf weighing 90 pounds at birth would be fed 4.5 quarts (9 pints) of milk daily or 2.25 quarts per feeding when fed twice daily.
How much grain do you feed a bottle calf?
Feed two pounds of grain per day per calf, plus two quarts of milk replacer twice daily. Continue to offer salt, water, and alfalfa. (Good green pasture may be substituted for the alfalfa.)
What is the K-state Hays weaning protocol?
Waggoner referenced a series of studies called the K-State Hays weaning feed management protocol, a step-by-step process used to wean calves so it would be standardized across different treatment groups. It transitioned the calves from a grass and milk diet to some sort of a total mix ration.
What happens if you don't feed your cows?
If they do not eat properly there’s an increased risk of disease. * Feeding both cows and calves a small amount of a supplement or the weaning ration out of a bunk prior to weaning when the calves are with the cows can be a good way to acclimate them to those feeds.
Why is it important to keep calves eating?
“It is important to keep the calves eating because there are many times where we create more problems for ourselves in a weaning program by getting ahead of the calves and offering them too much feed ,” Waggoner said.
What is a weanling's diet?
Weanlings are often used to feedstuffs such as grass and hay, which are not rich in nutrients, so producers must find a way to balance the familiar feedstuff with new, nutrient-rich feeds.
Water
Considering water intake heavily influences feed intake, calves should have unlimited access to clean water. Some calves have only drunk water from ponds or tanks, so they will not recognize automatic or ball waterers. Allow water to overflow or use an open waterer to promote water intake.
Feed Deliveries
Long stem, grass hay is a recognizable feedstuff to calves and should be placed in the bunks prior to arrival.
Diet Composition
Since intakes are relatively low during the receiving phase, the diet should be formulated with palatable, high-quality feedstuffs. Receiving diets should be low in starch and consist of highly digestible fiber sources. Avoid feeding cheap feeds or by-products that vary in composition.
Processing
With regards to transit time, allow calves to rest prior to processing. It is well known that vaccinating stressed calves results in a poor vaccine response. Practice low-stress cattle handling at all times and use working facilities that are appropriate for processing calves.
Conclusion
Developing a receiving protocol can help feedlot operations better prepare for incoming calves. Work closely with your nutritionist to ensure receiving diets meet the requirements of newly weaned calves.
How to care for a calf?
1. The calves should be placed in a small pen with shelter available . The feed bunk and water source should be easily accessible and recognizable. 2. The ration needs to be high in energy and protein and highly palatable.
What is the best protein for a young calves?
Soybean meal or alfalfa is a preferable protein source over cottonseed meal for young calves, and Lalman says the ration labeled Diet B is well tested and favored by producers starting lightweight calves. 5.
Why are the first two weeks after weaning important?
That paper notes the first two weeks after weaning are critical because stress can be high and calves need to learn how to eat and drink.
How many calves per pen?
To insure that smaller and more timid calves get a chance at feed and water, limit 20 calves per pen during the critical first few days on the starter ration. Placing one or two older calves that are accustomed to eating and drinking in with the early-weaned calves helps to reduce stress on the weaned calves and give them someone to follow to ...
Does Oklahoma State University have a confined cow operation?
Oklahoma State University has for several years now maintained a confined-cow operation and therefore has calves on feed. Beef Producer asked OSU beef specialist Dave Lalman if he has any new lessons or thoughts from those experiences he would share. This is his answer:
Can silage be used in early weaning?
If silages and other fermented feeds will be used in an early weaning program, Rick Rasby, University of Nebraska beef specialist, says in another paper on early weaning those forages should be introduced gradually into the diets of young calves that are inexperienced with such feeds.
How much digestibility does corn have?
But the losses aren’t so bad, Loerch says, noting dry or high-moisture corn has roughly 93 percent digestibility, while hay weighs in at around 60-70 percent digestibility.
Why is shelled corn so expensive?
Cracked corn typically costs more because of extra processing, and bigger kernels are easier for cattle to pick up with their tongue , he says. In addition, shelled corn has a longer starch release time, and will help cut back on problems with acidosis in the herd, Loerch said.".
How much protein should I feed my calves in 2020?
Oct 29, 2020. #5. Calves in the 400-700# range should get 14-15% protein. Against what a lot of people do - I feed whole shell corn, with a protein pellet added to get the protein level needed. Yes, their manure will have WSC in it. But, WSC is only about 8% lower efficiency than cracked corn.
Does manure have WSC?
Yes, their manure will have WSC in it. But, WSC is only about 8% lower efficiency than cracked corn. If you can buy WSC for less than 8% difference, you are wasting your money paying for processing and it is healthier. They do NOT need anything with molasses.
Can you feed straight corn to prevent acidosis?
I generally don't feed straight corn to prevent acidosis since they are grazing and getting grain, was told the high levels of starch in straight corn while grazing was more likely to cause acidosis.
Do you need molasses for corn?
They do NOT need anything with molasses. The only reason you would need molasses is to stick all that powder crap left over when they crack the corn. If you took the manure from an animal eating cracked corn and you had the equipment to separate the corn out - you would find just as much corn in the manure.
Water
Feed Deliveries
- Long stem, grass hay is a recognizable feedstuff to calves and should be placed in the bunks prior to arrival. Providing a mixed ration at approximately 0.75% of body weight on a dry matter basis for the first day’s feed delivery and progressively working up to 2.5% of body weight within 14 – 28 days is an effective strategy whether calves are fed ...
Diet Composition
- Since intakes are relatively low during the receiving phase, the diet should be formulated with palatable, high-quality feedstuffs. Receiving diets should be low in starch and consist of highly digestible fiber sources. Avoid feeding cheap feeds or by-products that vary in composition. Inclusion of silage in receiving diets should be limited as it is not a familiar feedstuff to calves a…
Processing
- With regards to transit time, allow calves to rest prior to processing. It is well known that vaccinating stressed calves results in a poor vaccine response. Practice low-stress cattle handling at all times and use working facilities that are appropriate for processing calves. Consider delaying administration of implants until calves are on a steady plane of nutrition.
Conclusion
- Developing a receiving protocol can help feedlot operations better prepare for incoming calves. Work closely with your nutritionist to ensure receiving diets meet the requirements of newly weaned calves. Not only is proper bunk management a key component for efficiently starting calves on feed but also maintaining target intakes throughout the feeding period. Management …
References
- Doye, D. and D. Lalman. 2008. Beef Cattle Manual. 6th ed. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. (E-913). pp 173 – 178. Blezinger, S. B. 2002. Starting new cattle on feed can be challenging. Cattle Today. https://cattletoday.com/archive/2002/March/CT193.shtml. Accessed 11 July 2018.