Practical constraints which had prevented a dairy farmer from rearing milk-fed calves at an off-lying site have been overcome with the introduction of Shine Once-a-Day milk replacer.
Conor Molony has nearly doubled his herd to 160 cows and, with two-thirds of those calving in just five weeks, it is a challenge to house all the calves.
He has housing on off-lying land but carrying milk to that site twice a day wasn’t feasible.
Conor switched to Shine Once-a-Day after milk quotas were abolished but it also means that he can now move the calves to the outside block while they are still on a milk diet, freeing up housing on the home farm.
“I like the versatility it allows,” he said
And the product is very easy to mix. “One of the best things about Shine is that it is very easy to mix and the calves love it,” Conor said.
He runs the spring calving herd of Holstein Friesian and New Zealand Friesian crossbred cows on a grass-based system and supplies milk to Centenary Thurles Co-op.
There is a strict AI breeding regime on the farm which results in very compact calving.
The target heifer replacement rate is approximately 18%. Bull calves and all calves born after the first five weeks are sold at approximately three weeks of age.
All calves are bottle fed between three and four litres of colostrum as soon as possible after they are born.
Thereafter, calves are fed three litres of transition milk both in the morning and evening, for between two and three weeks, and are then introduced to milk replacer.
Conor Moloney with Dr Christine Cummins of Bonanza Calf Nutrition
Each calf is fed 700g of milk powder daily and all calves have constant access to fresh water, straw and ad-lib concentrates, beginning with a calf muesli. A week prior to weaning, calves are gradually introduced to a 17% crude protein nut.
Calves begin life in pens of two or three. Once they are progressing, they are moved into groups of eight and fed in a ten-teat feeder before moving onto 20-teat feeders.
Calves are very close in age and are grouped according to size and strength.
Only calves that are good drinkers are moved to bigger groups.
After weaning, calves are turned out to grass and fed 0.5kg of nuts throughout the summer. From mid-November, when grass quality declines, they are moved to a 21% crude protein heifer nut at a daily rate of 1.5kg per head.
Shine is also contributing to calves exceeding their target weights. Before housing, at the end of November, calves are weighed and most were ahead of target. The average weight for all 51 calves was 242kg.
As there was still some grazing available, 26 calves were left at grass while the remaining 25 calves were housed and fed grass silage.
Bonanza calf rearing meetings
To help farmers get the best results when rearing calves Bonanza Calf Nutrition, the producers of the renowned range of Shine milk replacers, is hosting a series of calf rearing information evenings.
These evenings will allow farmers to understand the ins and outs of Once-a-Day calf feeding.
When and where:
- Caffreys Bar, Oldcastle (in conjunction with Oldcastle Co-op) – January 19 at 8pm
- Clayton Hotel, Co. Galway – January 25 at 7.30pm
For more information on the renowned range of Shine milk replacers call 042 9336001 or Click here
