Webinar champions significance of high-quality calf nutrition

This was among the key messages delivered during a webinar organised by SAC Consulting, which aimed to dispel some of the myths about calf milk replacers.

Dr Lorna MacPherson of SAC Consulting discussed product labels and what farmers should consider when choosing a milk replacer.

“There will be a number of different ways with ingredients of varying quality that you can make up a 24% protein, 20% oil and calf milk replacer,” she said.

“Essentially, you get what you pay for. If you're looking at the same sort of spec of product and one's a lot cheaper than the other, the clues as to why, will be in the list of ingredients. It is worth checking the fibre content as ideally this should be less than 0.15%. The higher the fibre, the more vegetable protein sources will be included at the expense of milk protein sources. But if you’re unsure, get some independent advice.”

Dr MacPherson added: “It is important to make sure you're weighing out the correct amount for mixing, especially if you are changing products as the density can be different - and double check that you are feeding at the correct inclusion rate. Farmers should be aware of the impact of high osmolality milk replacers, which can lead to dehydration and scours, and this shouldn't be confused with feeding high levels of milk, which can cause looser faeces but not necessarily a nutritional scour.”

Regarding recommended feeding levels, Dr MacPherson stated: “Recommendations by AHDB are now to feed between 15 to 20% of body weight in terms of volume of milk and there's a lot of research available that supports feeding higher levels of milk to not only improve growth rates and calf health but also milking performance in the first lactation.”

“We know that heifers with good growth rates, together with good fertility (as well as) being bred at the right time are those most likely to calf for the first time at 24 months of age with 85 to 90% of their mature body weight.

“It's the heifers that calve for the first time at 24 months of age with adequate body weight that we know have better fertility, produce more milk, have better udder health, and have the best survival. All those traits drive lifetime daily yield - and it's the animals with the highest lifetime daily yields that are going to be the most profitable and bring with it an environmental benefit in terms of lowering the carbon footprint per litre of milk.”

Dr Cooke recommended feeding calves a milk replacer based on either concentrated whey protein, or one based on a high level of good quality skim.

“Research work at AFBI Hillsborough highlighted that well formulated, high quality milk replacers with either skim milk powder (at above a 40% inclusion level) or concentrated whey protein as the major source of dairy protein both deliver comparable animal performance.”

Dr Cooke concluded that this research confirms that high quality early life nutrition pays dividends and encouraged all calf rearers to be far more discerning over calf milk replacer choice for rearing their milking herd replacements.

“The key is to evaluate value for money carefully when purchasing a calf milk replacer. Always go behind the label and ask your usual supplier key questions. Above all look for a proven track record of performance,” she said.

For further information, contact your local Volac Milk Replacers Ltd representative or email [email protected]