As a consequence of increased cow numbers on most Irish dairy farms, there are more calves to rear and in the majority of cases, calf housing and management is down the pecking order in terms of priority.

Since the abolishment of milk quotas, farmers are becoming more and more focused on the benefits of whole milk v milk replacer as a feed for calves.

Auctus, which specialises in animal nutrition, says it has seen a spike in interest in its Champion and Turbo Thrive milk replacers.

Feeding Calves

The company gives on-farm one-to-one advice on how to set up for calf rearing using milk replacer to avoid pitfalls and reduce expense.

Auctus says that by using its calf rearing procedures, farmers follow a one-page document and feedback has indicated reduced incidence of scour and in some cases reduced calf deaths.

Furthermore, calves daily live weight gains have increased significantly.

Auctus does this by providing high energy into the diet and in doing so, early rumen development can be stimulated under the correct feeding plan.

There are five reasons why Auctus says its Champion and Turbo Thrive milk replacers are becoming popular:

1. Economic Benefits

While farmgate base milk price is running at 26.00c/L, compared to a litre of mixed Champion milk replacer, the cost is 22.00c/L.

This gives a saving of €560 per 50 calves reared. Also, if milk solids are higher than base or milk price rises, this saving is a lot greater.

2. Convenience

Feedback from Auctus customers has indicated that calves can be fed before milking with Champion milk replacer and this shortens their working day.

3. Health

Champion and Turbo Thrive is well known for its health package ‘Triple Shield Protection’, which increases the growth of intestinal micro flora.

It also reduces the incidence of digestive scours and minimises the growth of harmful bacteria such as E-Coli, Clostridia and Salmonella.

4. Balanced Diet

Champion and Turbo Thrive have a high vitamin, mineral and trace element inclusion, which allows for better utilisation of the high-quality milk proteins.

5. Disease

As all Auctus milk replacers and complementary colostrum products are double pasteurised, there is no risk of disease transfer in comparison to whole milk.

The risk of Johne’s disease on Irish farms is increasing and the ability of calves to build up antibiotic resistance fed waste milk is of great concern to many vets.

Champion and Turbo Thrive milk replacer helps eliminate this risk.

In association with Auctus