Discover why Dan Truttman made the decision to invest in group housing and utilize autofeeders to raise the best calves.
Calf autofeeders allow us to collect helpful data on each calf we care for. I’ve analyzed this data across many farms to share three key learnings about calves and how to use the data in a feeding program.
Register now for this informative calf webinar with experts from University of Guelph.
We are aware of the importance of that first milking colostrum in providing immune globulins (Ig) or antibodies as a source of protection from disease for the newborn calf. Feeding four quarts of clean colostrum with a low bacteria count as soon as possible after birth is the key to success. However, have we missed other benefits from feeding colostrum and the “transition” milk from the first to sixth milkings to calves during their first few days of life? Read more …
Alyssa Dietrich graduated from Penn State University in 2013 with a B. S. degree in Animal Sciences. During the summer of of 2013 she interned with Elanco Animal Health. She obtained an M.S. degree in Dairy Science at Virginia Tech and was part of a joint study with Dr. Whitney Knauer on the management of automatic calf feeders. Read more …
Successful calf rearing is a contemporary issue all over the world. Everybody should know that healthy calves are the future of dairy farms. But how important is professional calf rearing for US farmers? How important is it for the Europeans? For the Germans? Do we have similarities? What is different? What can we learn from each other? Have a look at a highly interesting discussion with my German counterpart, blogger and veterinarian Dr. Peter Zieger…
“If you aren’t using the 40-Fit option on you autofeeder, both you and your calves may be missing out!” Read more…
Hi, I’m Dr. Bob James… welcome back. As we kick off the calf blog, I want to let you know a bit about the content and what format we will use over the next year. Read more…
Group housing systems for calves are gaining rapid acceptance supported by research and experiences of successful dairy producers. However, success is dependent upon some serious advance planning and knowledge of the essentials for achieving success. Read more…
Group housing systems for calves are gaining rapid acceptance in the dairy industry as a means to enhance animal welfare, enable more “biologically normal” feeding of preweaned dairy calves and provide an environment whereby calves can be “managed” by skilled personnel. Read more…