The technological elements used during calf raising have a major impact on the growth, health status and future performance of the calf. Precisely for this reason, in the period between birth and weaning it is extremely important to double the calf’s birth weight and reduce the incidence of health problems to the minimum.
What type of milk replacer should we choose?
After birth, the calf’s first food is the colostrum of complete biological value, which provides the calf with the necessary quantity of immunoglobulins in addition to the nutrients required. Although the immunoglobulin level of the colostrum and the efficiency of absorption of immunoglobulins decrease rapidly after birth, in the first 3–5 days after birth it is recommended to feed the calves primarily with colostrum. From day 6, milk or milk replacer should be given, for a period that lasts, depending on the management technologies of the given farm, for 60–90 days. As in young animals initially the enzymes produced in the abomasum and the small intestine (primarily rennin, lactase and lipase) are of decisive importance, during the administration of milk replacer it is not enough to consider only the nutrient content; rather, special attention should be paid to the source of the nutritive value and to the raw materials used. As far as possible, a perfectly soluble product containing as high proportion of dairy products should be chosen, in which the proteins of vegetable origin have only a minor share. Of the proteins of vegetable origin, primarily the modified (e.g. hydrolysed) soybean or wheat proteins can be recommended.
Experiments with the Crémo 24/20 calf milk replacer
A total of 14 calves of 21 days of age were included in our model experiments conducted with the Crémo milk replacer, in conformity with the technology (Sátorhely, Bóly Co. Ltd.). The calves received a Crémo 24/20 milk replacer adjusted to 14.5% dry matter content up to the time of weaning, according to the following schedule:
- From day 21 to day 53: 2×4 litres of milk replacer
- From day 54 to day 63: 2×3.5 litres of milk replacer
- From day 64 to day 70: weaning – 3 litres of milk replacer in the morning, on days 64–66 electrolyte solution in the afternoon, and on the subsequent days water.
In addition to the milk replacer, the calves were offered a granulated diet ad libitum (Table 2), the quantity of which reached 3 kg/calf/day until weaning. At the time of weaning, the average body weight of the calves was 101.93 kg (Figure 1), which exceeded the expected body weight gain by more than 12 kg. On the basis of this result it can be established that the Crémo 24/20 milk replacer meets even the requirements posed by the most advanced calf feeding technologies.
