Ensuring that calves have access to a high quality ration or concentrates is important during the early stages of life.
Like water and sources of fibre, concentrates are used in the development of the calves rumen.
Calves should be given access to concentrates from around three-days-of-age, with only a small amount being introduced at first.
When choosing a calf starter ration, it should be palatable, of high quality and competitively priced.
Calves are monogastric at birth, which means that they have a single-compartment stomach.
During the rearing period you are aiming to develop the rumen, with starter ration having an important role to play in this.
Calf ration
Concentrates should be introduced from around three-days-of-age. A handful is sufficient to start with, and this can be increased to 1kg or more at weaning.
The concentrates should be kept fresh and changed daily. The aim is to get a balance between encouraging the calf to eat the ration, while not wasting food or overwhelming the calf.
There are generally two main options when it comes to starter ration for calves – coarse or pellets.
Both work, and both have their place depending on the system being operated.
However, research from Teagasc has shown that a calf will eat a coarse ration more willingly than pellets.
The research also determined that a course ration encourages more chewing and saliva secretion, and that calves fed a coarse starter mix eat more and have been shown to have higher weight gains than those fed pellets.
The coarseness also benefits growth of the muscle layers in the rumen wall.
When selecting a concentrate for calves, some ingredient that should be included are: flaked maize; rolled barley; peas; processed soya; beet pulp; linseed flakes; molasses; and a pelleted protein balancer.
It is also important to remember that although the ration is important, calves should also have access to water and a fibre source.