Content
Feeding calves is a special process that has certain characteristics. The further development of the animal depends on feeding the calves at an early stage of formation. In contrast to adults, calves eat according to a scheme that is set in accordance with the need for nutrients.
How to feed your calves
Among the variety of feed for cattle, the main species are distinguished, which are classified by structure. The calf needs a different type of feed at each developmental stage. For the first few days of life, calves have enough colostrum from a cow and replacement of whole milk. As you grow, you need to use other types of feed.
Roughage are formulations that contain up to 45% fiber. Animals need fiber to help them digest food further.
- Hay. For the young, grass hay is used. The most valuable parts are leaves, shoots, apices. Hay is harvested from cut grass.
- Haylage. These are canned herbs, the wilting of which is maintained at a level of 25 to 45%.
- Branch feed. These are dry shoots of common trees. It is used as a partial substitute for hay. The branch variety begins to feed young growth, which is 12 months old.
Juicy feed is necessary for young animals. They are harvested from plants by special preparation.
- Silo and combined silo. Seeded and wild herbs are harvested by ensiling. This is a process that involves biochemical reactions between components, provided by special conservation methods;
- Root crops and tuberous. Among the types of these feeds, carrots, beets, potatoes, and pumpkin are considered especially valuable. The fodder varieties of these vegetable crops are grown in special areas. Their taste is different from table varieties.
Green fodder grows in improved meadows and pastures. Collection and feeding depends on the maturation associated with the season.
Concentrated feeds include the presence of cereals and legumes:
- Soy - it is a feed component that contains up to 33% vegetable protein; Soy is used for feed only after heat treatment.
- Legumes and grains. Includes the presence of oatmeal, complex grains, peas.
Milk replacement milk replaces whole milk. It begins to be introduced into the diet on the 5th or 20th day of life. Milk replacer is used for calves after feeding with colostrum and its transition into adult milk.
It is produced on the basis of pasteurized ingredients. As a rule, milk replacer contains:
- return;
- dry whey and buttermilk;
- vitamins of different types;
- vegetable or animal fats;
- lactoferrins.
The dry matter contains up to 75% lactose. Its use on the territory of farms or small farms reduces the use of cow's milk and makes it possible to transfer the newborn calf to feeding without the participation of an adult cow.
Colostrum is a product of the endocrine glands of an adult cow. It appears immediately after calving and remains unchanged for several days. Colostrum differs from mature milk in several ways. Feeding one-week-old calves with colostrum saturates the calf's body with nutrients and transfers the protective proteins necessary for immunity.
How to feed your calves properly
Feeding calves during the dairy period is significantly different from feeding a 6 month old calf. For newborns, the suction method and the use of nipple attachments are suitable. Hanging feeders are arranged for grown animals.
The sucking method implies that a cow will feed the calf until the age of one month. This method has several advantages:
- it is available, does not limit food intake;
- food comes to the calf in small portions;
- the risk of developing diseases decreases, the immune forces of the animal increase;
- milk from a cow is always at the right temperature.
Feeding through drinkers with special attachments is convenient to use on farms where young animals are kept in special pens equipped with feeders. It is important to carefully monitor the cleanliness of the feeders, their filling and the temperature of the milk.
Feeding schemes for calves up to 6 months
Calves develop according to a specific scenario associated with the characteristics of the animal species. At each stage of development, they need to receive certain substances. Timely food supplements, as well as adherence to feeding techniques, reduces the risk of disease and loss of individuals.
Feeding calves up to 1 month
Newborns should receive colostrum within the first 30 minutes. after birth. Colostrum contains the necessary substances and useful elements, these are protein compounds, fats and carbohydrates. Feeding colostrum has several distinct advantages:
- provides protection against diseases, forms natural immunity;
- activates the release of the calf's intestines from meconium (original feces);
- contributes to the saturation of the newborn body due to the high energy value of the product.
If you do not provide the calf with food in a timely manner, then, obeying instinct, he will begin to suck on the objects that surround him. The ingress of microbes can lead to the development of various diseases.
Colostrum is given according to a specific scheme, using one of the feeding methods. The first feeding should be done under strict supervision. Colostrum volume should be 4 to 6% of the calf's total body weight. In this case, the average portion per day should not exceed 8 liters. Frequent feedings, small in volume, are considered the best option.
There are times when a cow does not produce colostrum. This may be due to the characteristics of the body of an adult animal or the development of diseases. Colostrum is prepared independently: 4 raw eggs are mixed with fish oil and table salt (10 g each), then 1 liter of milk is added. The mixture should become completely homogeneous, the salt crystals must be dissolved. The liquid is poured into a drinking bowl with a teat and the calves are fed. A single dose of self-prepared colostrum should not exceed 300 g.
From the 7th day of life, the animals are fed with hay. It contributes to the stable functioning of the digestive system. Freshly dried hay is hung in small portions of the feeders.
Young animals one month old are fed by the suction method or from teat drinkers. On the 10th day, colostrum passes into adult milk. On the 14th day of life, the calf is fed with prefabricated milk or milk replacer. By the end of the 1st month of life, boiled potatoes and chopped liquid cereals begin to be introduced.
Feeding calves up to 3 months
When the calf reaches one month of age, the feeding ration is expanded. Succulent feed and complexes containing vitamins are added to milk or milk replacer.
Roughage is mixed with parts of juicy, while adding to the hay:
- peeling apples, potatoes;
- fodder beets, carrots.
From 1 to 3 months, gradual accustoming to concentrated feed is carried out. One of the options is oatmeal jelly. It is prepared according to the formula: for 100 g of oatmeal, 1.5 liters of boiling water.The cooled mixture is given to the calf from a teat cup.
After the young calves reach one month of age, feeding includes vitamin supplements. For this purpose, specially prepared mixtures are used.
10 g of meat and bone meal is diluted in 1 liter of milk, 10 g of salt and chalk are added. This mixture will make up for the lack of sodium, calcium and potassium. The agent is given from a drinking bowl, then they begin to add to juicy liquid-type feeds.
Feeding 2-month-old calves is associated with the transfer of animals from milk or milk replacer to return. The volume of vegetables is gradually increased in accordance with the increase in calf weight.
The weight of the hay should be increased to 1.7 kg. From the 2nd to the 3rd month, green grass is introduced.
Feeding calves up to 6 months of age
After the 3rd month of life, the calves receive all types of feed that are available to 1 - 2-month-old animals. In addition, the volume of prepared feed is increased: after three months it can be:
- fresh hay, combined silage, root crops - from 1 to 1.5 kg;
- compound feed or concentrates - up to 1 kg;
- return - about 5 liters.
Changes may be related to the particular climate and season. Instead of hay in the summer they begin to accustom them to green grass. If the calf receives more daily volume in the pasture, then the volume of coarse and succulent feed is reduced.
Feeding calves up to a year
The period that occurs after the calf reaches the age of 6 months is called the post-milk period: this means that the milk component is removed from the diet. The basis of the diet is now represented by compound feed. Further development depends on its quality:
- hay or fresh grass in the pasture can be supplied to calves in unlimited quantities;
- the volume of the combined feed is about 5 kg;
- chopped vegetables - about 8 kg.
Complex vitamin supplements are required at this stage of development. For calves that belong to the spring-winter calving, vitamins are especially necessary. Supplements must contain the required elements:
- vitamin A;
- fish fat;
- vitamin D 2;
- vitamin E.
Complex formulations suitable for feeding calves: "Trivitamin", "Kostovit Forte".
Calf feeding tables from the first days of life
As a rule, on farms or small subsidiary plots, the feeding scheme for young stock is drawn up in advance. This allows you to calculate the amount of feed required and take into account the developmental characteristics of the animal:
Age | Rate per day | ||||||
| Milk (kg) | Hay (kg) | Silo (kg) | Root crops (kg) | Compound feed (kg) | Vitamin supplements (g) | |
1st month | 6 |
|
|
|
| 5 | |
2nd month | 6 | Up to 0.5 |
| Up to 0.5 | Up to 1.1 | 10 | |
3rd month | 5 — 6 | 0.7 to 1.5 | 1 to 1.5 | Up to 1.5 | Up to 1.2 | 15 | |
With the combined type, the feeding rates for calves that have reached six months of age will differ from the schemes adopted for calves up to 6 months of age.
6 to 12 months:
Feed type | Quantity in kg per day |
Hay | 1,5 |
Haylage | 8 |
Salt | 40 g |
Phosphate feed type | 40 g |
Concentrates | 2 |
Roots | up to 5 |
How to care for calves
The feeding rates of young cattle are determined according to standard tables, taking into account the characteristics of age. In addition, there are rules for caring for animals that must be followed to prevent the loss of young calves or maturing individuals.
The calves are placed on the territory of the farm, based on the available possibilities:
- Newborn. Care begins from the first minutes after calving. The umbilical wound is cauterized with iodine, the ears, eyes and nose are cleaned of mucus. For the first few hours, the newborn stays with the cow. She does not allow him to cool down and freeze, and she herself will take care of the cleanliness of the skin. At this stage, the most important thing is getting the calf colostrum from the cow. It is a nutrient and a protective barrier against disease at the same time.
- Weekly. The animal is arranged with a place where it will sleep. The best option is a small mobile cage. It provides for a dense litter, an installed feeder. The floor is laid from not completely adjoining boards. In this way, free flow of urine is provided.If it is not possible to build a cage, then the calf is placed next to the cow, in a small fenced-off pen with warm bedding.
- 2 - 3 months old. Upon reaching this age, the young are transferred to separate pens - stalls, where they are equipped with a feeder and a drinker in accordance with their growth.
Feeding utensils are washed and sterilized daily by releasing them into boiling water. Drinkers are washed in the morning and in the evening, nipples for drinkers are changed once a week.
It is important for calves to keep the air temperature at least 13 - 15 ° C. The food with which the young are fed must be warm, not lower than 35 ° C. Control over the availability of clean drinking water is considered a prerequisite for care.
For calves, the daily routine is important. Feeding on the clock promotes the development of a temporary reflex. The production of gastric juice for the digestion of milk at set hours promotes the rapid absorption of food. Violation of the feeding regime makes the animal nervous, it can become greedy with the next feeding, which will lead to indigestion and the development of diseases.
Walking becomes an important step in the care. For animals of 3 weeks of age, walks are allowed for 30 - 40 minutes. in special pens equipped with feeders and drinkers. The walls of the corrals are whitewashed with lime once a week. This is due to the instinctive need of the young to lick the surrounding walls. In this way, they protect the calves from the consumption of harmful substances and saturate the body with useful chalk.
Upon reaching 2-3 months of age, young animals begin to release for 2 hours or more. At this stage, walks with the herd are not suitable, since there is a high probability of infection with worms from adults. Admission to the herd becomes possible upon reaching 7 - 8 months.
Violation of the rules of maintenance leads to the development of diseases. About 70% of young animals develop gastrointestinal diseases. The main reasons for this are:
- feeding with cold or too hot milk;
- excess feed;
- poor feed quality;
- a sharp transfer from colostrum to milk replacer or mixed feed.
Constipation is one of the most common problems when caring for young animals. If bloating is detected, the calves are fed with castor or vegetable oil (about 100 g) and the milk volume is reduced.
After the calf reaches 3 months of age, the veterinarian can diagnose dysplasia. This is joint underdevelopment that does not appear at an early age. Calves with dysplasia begin to walk with difficulty, then fall to their feet. It is impossible to cure dysplasia in calves.
The health status of young animals largely depends on the cow that produced the offspring. Caring for future calves begins at the gestation stage. The cow is closely monitored, provided with nutrients and the rules for caring for her are followed.
In addition to the basic rules for care, there is an obligation to comply with the vaccination table:
- on the 10th day, vaccination against viral diarrhea is carried out;
- on the 12th day, they are vaccinated against viral diseases;
- on the 30th day, the animals are vaccinated against infections.
Conclusion
Feeding calves is one of the key aspects of young cattle care. The growth and development of animals depends on the choice of diet, timely feeding and the introduction of all necessary additives.
