Content
Feeding calves is a special process that has certain characteristics. The further development of the animal depends on feeding calves at an early stage of development. Unlike adults, calves eat according to a schedule that is set in accordance with the need for nutrients.
What to feed calves
Among the variety of feed for cattle, there are main types that are classified according to structure. At each stage of development, a calf requires a different type of feed. For the first few days of life, calves need enough colostrum from the cow and a replacement for whole milk. As they grow, it is necessary to use other types of feed.
Roughage is a composition that contains up to 45% fiber. Fiber is necessary for animals to ensure further digestion of food.
- Hay. For young animals, grass hay is used. The most valuable parts are leaves, shoots, and apical parts. Hay is made from cut grass.
- Haylage. These are canned herbs whose wilting is maintained at 25 to 45%.
- Branch food. These are dry shoots of common trees.It is used as a partial replacement for hay. The twig variety begins to be fed to young animals that are 12 months old.
Young animals need succulent food. They are prepared from plants through special preparation.
- Silage and combined silage. Seeded and wild herbs are harvested by ensiling. This is a process that involves biochemical reactions between components provided by special conservation methods;
- Root and tuberous vegetables. Among the types of these foods, carrots, beets, potatoes, and pumpkin are considered especially valuable. Forage varieties of these vegetable crops are grown in special areas. Their taste differs from table varieties.
Green fodder grows in improved meadows and pastures. Collection and feeding depends on the maturation associated with the time of year.
Concentrated feeds include the presence of cereal and legume components:
- Soybeans – this is a feed component that contains up to 33% vegetable protein; Soybeans are used for feed only after heat treatment.
- Legumes and grains. Includes the presence of oatmeal, complex grains, and peas.
Milk replacer is a replacement for whole milk. It begins to be introduced into the diet on the 5th or 20th day of life. CCM is used for calves after feeding with colostrum and its transition into adult milk.
It is produced on the basis of pasteurized ingredients. As a rule, milk replacer contains:
- return;
- whey powder and buttermilk;
- vitamins of various types;
- fats of vegetable or animal origin;
- lactoferrins.
The dry matter contains up to 75% lactose.Its use on farms or small farms reduces the use of cow's milk and makes it possible to transfer a newborn calf to feeding without the participation of an adult cow.
Colostrum is a product of the endocrine glands of an adult cow. It appears immediately after calving and remains unchanged for several days. Colostrum differs from mature milk in several ways. Feeding colostrum to week-old calves saturates the calf's body with nutrients and provides the protective proteins necessary for immunity.
How to feed calves correctly
Feeding calves during the milking period is significantly different from feeding a 6-month-old calf. For newborns, the sucking method and the use of nipple attachments are suitable. Hanging feeders are provided for older animals.
The suckling method means that the cow will feed the calf until it reaches one month of age. This method has several advantages:
- it is accessible and does not limit the supply of food;
- food reaches the calf in small portions;
- the risk of developing diseases is reduced, the animal’s immune strength is increased;
- milk from a cow always has the right temperature.
Feeding through drinkers with special attachments is convenient to use on farms where young animals are kept in special pens equipped with feeders. It is important to carefully monitor the cleanliness of the feeders, their filling and the temperature of the milk.
Feeding schemes for calves up to 6 months
Calves develop according to a certain scenario associated with the characteristics of the animal species. At each stage of development they need to receive certain substances.Timely food supplements, as well as adherence to feeding techniques, reduce the risk of disease and loss of individuals.
Feeding calves up to 1 month
Newborns should receive colostrum within the first 30 minutes. after birth. Colostrum contains essential substances and beneficial elements, such as protein compounds, fats and carbohydrates. Feeding colostrum has several distinct benefits:
- provides protection against diseases, forms natural immunity;
- activates the release of the calf’s intestines from meconium (original feces);
- promotes saturation of the newborn body due to the high energy value of the product.
If you do not provide the calf with food in a timely manner, then, obeying instinct, it will begin to suck on the objects that surround it. The ingress of microbes can lead to the development of various diseases.
Colostrum is given according to a certain pattern, using one of the feeding methods. The first feeding should be carried out under strict supervision. The volume of colostrum should be 4 to 6% of the calf's total body weight. In this case, the average portion per day should not exceed 8 liters. The best option is frequent feedings, small in volume.
There are times when a cow does not produce colostrum. This may be due to the characteristics of the adult animal’s body or the development of diseases. Colostrum is prepared independently: 4 raw eggs are mixed with fish oil and table salt (10 g each), then 1 liter of milk is added. The mixture should become completely homogeneous, the salt crystals must be dissolved. The liquid is poured into a drinking bowl with a nipple and fed to the calves. A single dose of self-prepared colostrum should not exceed 300 g.
Starting from the 7th day of life, animals are fed with hay.It promotes stable functioning of the digestive system. Fresh, dried hay is hung into feeders in small portions.
Young animals one month old are fed by suckling method or from nipple drinkers. On the 10th day, colostrum passes into adult milk. On the 14th day of life, the calf is fed with prefabricated milk or milk replacer. By the end of the 1st month of life, boiled potatoes and crushed liquid cereals begin to be introduced.
Feeding calves up to 3 months
When the calf reaches one month of age, the feeding ration is expanded. Juicy group feeds and complexes containing vitamins are added to milk or milk replacer.
Rough feed is mixed with parts of succulent feed, and the following is added to the hay:
- peeling apples, potatoes;
- fodder beets, carrots.
From 1 to 3 months, animals are gradually accustomed to concentrated food. One option is oatmeal jelly. It is prepared according to the formula: for 100 g of oatmeal, 1.5 liters of boiling water. The cooled mixture is given to the calf from the milk bottle.
After small calves reach one month of age, feeding includes vitamin supplements. For this purpose, specially prepared mixtures are used.
10 g of meat and bone meal are diluted in 1 liter of milk, add 10 g of salt and chalk. This mixture will compensate for the lack of sodium, calcium and potassium. The product is given from the drinking bowl, then they begin to add it to succulent liquid feed.
Feeding 2-month-old calves involves switching animals from milk or milk replacer to reverse. The volume of vegetables is gradually increased in accordance with the increase in calf weight.
The weight of hay should be increased to 1.7 kg. From the 2nd to the 3rd month, green grass is introduced.
Feeding calves up to 6 months of age
After the 3rd month of life, calves receive all types of food that are available to 1-2 month old animals. In addition, the volume of prepared feed is increased: after three months it can be:
- fresh hay, combined silage, root crops - from 1 to 1.5 kg;
- mixed feed or concentrates – up to 1 kg;
- return – about 5 l.
Changes may be related to climate and time of year. Instead of hay in the summer, they begin to accustom them to green grass. If the calf receives more daily volume on pasture, then the volumes of roughage and succulent feed are reduced.
Feeding calves up to one year
The period that begins after the calf reaches the age of 6 months is called post-milk: this means that the dairy component is removed from the feeding ration. The basis of the diet is now represented by mixed feed. Further development depends on its quality:
- hay or fresh grass on the pasture can be supplied to the calves in unlimited quantities;
- volume of combined feed – about 5 kg;
- chopped vegetables - about 8 kg.
At this stage of development, comprehensive vitamin supplements are necessary. For calves that are calving in spring and winter, vitamins are especially necessary. Supplements must contain the following required elements:
- vitamin A;
- fish fat;
- vitamin D 2;
- vitamin E
Complex formulations that are suitable for feeding calves: “Trivitamin”, “Kostovit Forte”.
Feeding tables for calves from the first days of life
As a rule, on farms or small farms, a feeding plan for young animals is drawn up in advance. This allows you to calculate the amount of feed needed and take into account the developmental characteristics of the animal:
Age | Norm per day | ||||||
| Milk (kg) | Hay (kg) | Silage (kg) | Root vegetables (kg) | Compound feed (kg) | Vitamin supplements (g) | |
1st month | 6 |
|
|
|
| 5 | |
2nd month | 6 | Up to 0.5 |
| Up to 0.5 | Up to 1.1 | 10 | |
3rd month | 5 — 6 | From 0.7 to 1.5 | From 1 to 1.5 | Up to 1.5 | Up to 1.2 | 15 | |
With the combined type, feeding rates for calves that have reached six months of age will differ from the regimens adopted for calves up to 6 months.
From 6 to 12 months:
Feed type | Quantity in kg per day |
Hay | 1,5 |
Haylage | 8 |
Salt | 40 g |
Feed type phosphate | 40 g |
Concentrates | 2 |
Roots | up to 5 |
How to care for calves
Feeding standards for young cattle are determined according to standard tables, taking into account age characteristics. In addition, there are rules for caring for animals that must be followed to prevent the loss of young calves or maturing individuals.
Calves are placed on the farm territory based on the available capabilities:
- Newborn. Care begins from the first minutes after calving. The umbilical wound is cauterized with iodine, the ears, eyes and nose are cleared of mucus. For the first few hours, the newborn remains with the cow. She does not allow it to cool down and freeze, and also takes care of the cleanliness of the skin. At this stage, the most important thing is that the calf receives colostrum from the cow. It is a nutrient and a protective barrier against disease at the same time.
- Weekly. The animal is given a place where it will sleep. The best option is a small mobile cage. It is provided with dense bedding and an installed feeder. The floor is laid from boards that are not completely adjacent. In this way, urine flows freely. If it is not possible to build a cage, then the calf is placed next to the cow, in a small fenced-off pen with warm bedding.
- 2 - 3 months. Upon reaching this age, the young animals are transferred to separate pens - stalls, where a feeding trough and drinking bowl are equipped for them in accordance with their growth.
Feeding utensils are washed and sterilized daily by immersing them in boiling water. The drinking bowls are washed in the morning and evening, the teats for the drinking bowls are changed once a week.
For calves, it is important to maintain the air temperature at least 13 - 15 °C. The food that the young animals are fed with must be warm, not lower than 35 °C. Control over the availability of clean drinking water is considered a mandatory condition for care.
A daily routine is important for calves. Feeding by the hour promotes the development of a temporary reflex. The production of gastric juice to digest milk at regular intervals promotes rapid absorption of food. Violation of the feeding regime makes the animal nervous, it can become greedy at the next feeding, which will lead to indigestion and the development of diseases.
Walking becomes an important stage of care. For animals 3 weeks of age, walks of 30-40 minutes are allowed. in special pens equipped with feeders and drinkers. The walls of the pens are whitened with lime once a week. This is due to the instinctive need of the young to lick the surrounding walls. In this way, calves are protected from consuming harmful substances and saturate the body with useful chalk.
Upon reaching 2-3 months of age, young animals begin to be released for 2 hours or more. At this stage, walking with the herd is not suitable, since there is a high probability of infection with worms from adults. Admission to the herd becomes possible upon reaching 7 - 8 months.
Violation of maintenance rules leads to the development of diseases. About 70% of young animals develop gastrointestinal diseases. The main reasons for this are:
- feeding cold or too hot milk;
- excess feed;
- low quality feed;
- abrupt transfer from colostrum to milk replacer or mixed feed.
One of the common problems when caring for young animals is constipation. If bloating is detected, calves are given castor or vegetable oil (about 100 g) and the volume of milk is reduced.
Once the calf reaches 3 months of age, a veterinarian can diagnose dysplasia. This is underdevelopment of the joints, which does not appear at an early age. Calves with dysplasia begin to move with difficulty, then fall on their feet. It is impossible to cure dysplasia in calves.
The health of young animals largely depends on the cow that gave birth. Caring for future calves begins at the gestation stage. The cow is closely monitored, she is provided with nutrients and the rules for caring for her are followed.
In addition to the basic rules of care, it is mandatory to follow the vaccination table:
- on the 10th day, vaccination against viral diarrhea is carried out;
- on the 12th day they are vaccinated against viral diseases;
- on the 30th day, animals are vaccinated against infections.
Conclusion
Feeding calves is one of the key points when caring for young cattle. The growth and development of animals depends on the choice of diet, timely feeding and the introduction of all necessary additives.
