My name is Jan Ziemerink. In this calf blog, I want to share my decades of hands-on experience with farmers to help them get the most out of automated feeding to ensure healthy calves, strong heifers, and good performing cows. Read more
While there are claims of saving in labor with the autofeeder system, the Hammocks wanted to develop a system which provided an environment which allowed more time for management of calves by reducing the demands of some of the more labor-intensive chores of feeding, cleaning, and treatment of calves. Read more…
Their initial experience with one feeder in a retrofitted facility convinced the Hammock’s to make the investment in a new facility designed for use of the Foerster Technik autofeeders. They visited other farms and obtained information from multiple sources including their dealer. Read more…
Hammock Dairy is a family business owned and operated by several generations of the Hammock family and is located in southern Virginia. This blog post will feature a discussion with Paul about their dairy business and how they explored the use of the autofeeder system. 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…
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…
Why should you consider a calf autofeeder? There are several reasons:
The ability to feed calves in a more biologically normal manner! Feeding lots of milk… Read more
Regardless of the calf rearing system what happens to the calf during the first hours of life has a dramatic effect upon their health and future productivity. Two things of primary importance will be discussed in this month’s blog. Read more…