At a recent series of calf-rearing information events, farmers were warned to be weary of “cheap” milk replacers and to check the ingredients before deciding what is their best-value option.
Speaking at a recent series of calf-to-beef farmer information meetings, ABP Food Group’s Advantage Beef Programme farm liaison team leader Amie Coonan advised farmers to examine milk replacer labels before deciding which one to use.
Coonan told farmers: “Milk replacer is going to be an expensive input next year but it’s important to compare like for like if you’re comparing milk replacer prices.”
She acknowledged that milk replacer labels “can be difficult to read” and said calf-to-beef farmers that want help can contact the Advantage Beef Programme team.
Tips for knowing good milk replacers
Coonan told farmers that the first thing to look at is the protein content.
“Ideally, you want a protein content between 20-25%,” she said.
“The more protein you have the more your calf will grow because protein is what grows the skeleton and grows the calf to get the liveweight gain.
However, the ABP representative warned that some types of cheaper protein are not as digestible to a young calf.
“The protein in milk replacers can come from three sources. Whey and skim or vegetable proteins,” she explained.
“Whey and skim are by-products of the dairy processing industry and are highly digestible. They’re also natural to the calf and will promote good calf growth.
“Alternatively, the non-milk products or vegetable proteins come from the likes of soya, peas and wheat. A young calf will find it very difficult to digest these vegetable proteins and they won’t grow terribly well and you could end up with sick calves.
“These are often the cheaper milk replacers that might look like great value but in cases, the reason they’re cheaper is because they contain the vegetable protein.”
Coonan continued: “Fibre is often an indication of whether milk replacers are made from that vegetable or milk protein.
“You want that (fibre) below 0.15%. Anything below that 0.15% usually means its a milk by-product and is good quality product rather that the vegetable protein.”
Other ingredients
The ABP farm liaison team leader added that the fat content of good milk replacers should be around 17-18%.
“This makes mixing it a bit easier and also helps the calf health,” she said.
And the ash content of a good milk replacer should be between 6.5-8.5% but preferably below 7%.
“A high ash content can lead to scours and stomach upsets,” she said.
“You often hear of farmers switching milk replacers and they end up with a lot of bloat in their calves that can be caused due to a very high ash content.”
Commenting on the topic of feeding whole milk or milk replacers, Coonan said: “The studies have shown very little difference between the growth in a calf that is fed milk or milk replacer.
“The benefit of milk replacer is that if there’s an issue with disease on the farm, milk replacer will reduce the risk of it passing it on to youngstock.”
The information meetings were aimed at farmers buying calves and rearing them to beef, and were open for both Advantage Beef Programme members and non members to attend. The meetings were well attended by both beef and dairy farmers.