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Dairy calf nutrition: Milk feeding level, method, preservation , and weaning. Milk Feeding. At first digestive system is suited to digest only milk As calf matures…system adapts to be able to digest solid feeds - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Dairy calf nutrition:
Milk feeding level, method, preservation, and weaning
Milk Feeding
At first digestive system is suited to digest only milk As calf matures…system adapts to be able to digest
solid feeds
First 2-3 weeks are critical for milk intake…very little, to no solid intake occurs
Maintain calves on whole milk or milk replacer (min 20% protein 15% fat) until 6-10 weeks of age
How much should we feed them?
Need to consider what the calf is designed to do…
Milk Feeding Levels
Milk Feeding
How much is being fed daily in Week 1?
0-3 L 4 L 5 L 6 L 7-9 L 10L or more0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Num
ber
of R
espo
nses
Milk Feeding How much is being fed daily in Week 4?
0-3L 4 L 5 L 6 L 7-9 L 10 L or more0
50
100
150
200
250
300
Num
ber
of R
espo
nses
What does the cow do?
• Nurses calf 5 - 10 times/d• Nursing bouts last 5 - 10 min• Provides about 10 kg of milk/d
How much should we feed them?
What does the cow do?• Nurses calf 5 - 10 times/d• Nursing bouts last 5 - 10 min• Provides about 10 kg of milk/d
What have we traditionally done?• Feed 2 times a day• Provide about 4-6 kg of fluid milk
(whole or replacer)
How much should we feed them?
Traditional milk feeding levels
Traditional calf management programs: Emphasis on use of milk replacer powder containing
20% protein and 20% fat Fed at rates of approx. 400 - 500 g/calf/day.
As a comparison, whole milk testing 3.5% fat and 3.0% protein would contain 27% fat and 24% protein (on an equivalent basis)
In many instances, particularly in Canada, this level of nutrition may not provide sufficient nutrients to meet maintenance requirements during cold weather.
Feeding programs based on feeding 500 g of milk (4L) or milk replacer DM day puts the calf at serious risk for limited or no growth during the first 2 - 3 weeks of life unless environmental conditions of temperature and moisture are optimal
Examples: At 32°C, 454 g of a 20:20 milk replacer provides sufficient
energy for 45 g gain, yet when temperature drops to zero calves will lose weight.
Similarly approximately 4L of whole milk does not provide enough nutrients for gain at 0°C.
Traditional milk feeding levels
Increased milk feeding levels for accelerated growth
Recommendation now is to feed calves more milk – increase rate of frame growth (not fattening per se) Feed whole milk ad libitum (free access) or at other
high levels (8-10+ L/day) Feed more milk replacer
1 to 1.5 kg of powder/day26-28% CP, 15-20% fat
Achieve gains of 1 to 1.5 kg/d of growth pre-weaning
0
2
4
6
8
10
0 2 4Calf age (weeks)
Milk
consu
med
(kg
/d)Calves will drink more milk
when they are provided the opportunity
Ad libitum
Conventional
Jasper & Weary, 2002; J. Dairy Sci. 85: 3054-3058.
Free Access Feeding of Milk to Calves
Providing more milk allows for faster growth during the milk-feeding period…this advantage can be maintained through proper weaning
40
50
60
70
80
90
Calf w
eig
ht
(kg
)
0 2 4 6 8
Calf age (weeks)
weaning
Ad libitum
Conventional
Jasper & Weary, 2002; J. Dairy Sci. 85: 3054-3058.
Free Access Feeding of Milk to Calves
Higher milk intake slows starter intake before weaning, but will not after weaning
0
1
2
3
0 2 4 6 8
Sta
rter
inta
ke (
kg/d
)
Calf age (weeks)
Ad libitum
Conventional
weaning
Jasper & Weary, 2002; J. Dairy Sci. 85: 3054-3058.
Free Access Feeding of Milk to Calves
What milk feeding levels is required by and recommended to producers?
Requirement: calves must receive a volume…of milk or milk replacer to maintain health, growth and vigor.
Recommended best practice: offer calves…20% of body weight…until 28d…(approx 8L/d for a Holstein)
Does feeding calves higher levels of milk have long-term
benefits?
Higher growth rates during the milk-feeding phase have long-term benefits!
Great weight at calving increased weight gain during the first 2 mo of life results
in significantly greater body weight at 24 mo of age (Moallem et al. 2010. J. Dairy Sci. 93:2639-2650)
Survivability Heifers that reached second lactation grew more
between 12 and 65 d of age than those that did not (Bach. 2011. J. Dairy Sci. 94:1052-1057)
Feeding more milk increases milk production later in life!!
Study Response__ Soberon et al. 2009 1061 kg (1st lactation)
616 kg (2nd lactation)
Bar-Peled et al., 1998 454 kg
Foldager and Krohn, 1994 1403 kg
Foldager et al., 1997 518 kg
These responses were achieved by increasing pre-weaning milk intake by at least 75% over conventional intake
How do we maintain Milk Quality?
Feeding higher levels of milk increases the risk of bacterial growth in milk available to calves throughout the day
Milk quality should be maintained: Use robotic calf feeder which mixes milk at each
feeding Pasteurization Limit time availability Acidification
How do we maintain Milk Quality?
Pasteurization Reduce disease-causing bacteria Need constant supply of non-
saleable milk and/or use saleable milk
0
2.5
5
7.5
10
Min
/ h
0 6 12 18 24T
ime
on
teat
24h/d
4h/d
von Keyserlingk et al., 2006. J. Dairy Sci. 89:2126-2131
How do we maintain Milk Quality?
Limit time availability? Providing access to
ad libitum milk for 4 h/d vs. 24 h/d
has no detrimental
effects on intake
How to maintain Milk Quality?
Acidification? Preserve milk with formic acid Acidification with formic acid preserves milk
for storage at room temperature and allows batch mixing at 1-to 3-day intervals to save labour
In addition, the milk is fed cool to avoid gorge feeding
How to maintain Milk Quality?
Acidification to pH 4.0 -4.5 is to preserve the milk/milk replacer
Once preserved from growth of bacteria and molds, the milk can be stored at room temperature for several days
Proper preservation permits free-access feeding of milk to calves without the need for refrigeration of the milk
Acidification decreases a calf’s exposure to bacteria because it decreases the bacterial load in milk or milk replacer
How to maintain Milk Quality?
Timely stirring of acidified milk assures calves receive a consistent mix when they suckle
Since acidified milk gels and separates, timely stirring is essential
Vigorous stirring at high rpm for a short duration will achieve excellent mixing
How to maintain Milk Quality?
Least expensive equipment includes: Electric drill and paint mixer attachment to mix the
milk and preservative Container to hold a reservoir of milk Teats on the container or attached to a feeder bar
on a wall
System may be gravity fed with teats at the bottom of the container or line-fed with teats attached to a plastic line with a one-way valve
How to maintain Milk Quality?
Free-access feeding systems can be automated with mixers on timers or recirculation pumps to deliver milk from one reservoir to several groups of calves and back to the reservoir
In general, acidified milk may be prepared at 1-3 day intervals and the equipment cleaned 2x per week
The use of a preservative (acidification to pH 4.0 -4.5) and feeding at a cool (20°C in winter) temperature (to limit intake per meal) are essential to the success of free-access feeding systems
For further information on acidified milk feeding:
See notes by Dr. Neil Anderson for instructions: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/d
airy/facts/mimick.htm
Appleby et al., 2001. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.74:191-201
How should we provide milk to calves?
By bucket? During each feeding
calves spend on average 44 s drinking milk, and 6 min sucking on the empty bucket
Appleby et al., 2001. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.74:191-201
How should we provide milk to calves?
By teat? When provided free access,
calves spend on average 47 min drinking milk, and typically spread this feeding time into 6 to 10 milk meals.
Teat feeding also increases insulin and CCK levels (good for digestion!)
Recommended best practice: - provide milk via a teat or provide a dry teat after milk feeding to satisfy the calf’s motivation to suck
Which way of providing milk is recommended?
Feeding milk to calves in groups
Group housing and feeding is possible when calves are fed: Free access (ad libitum) through a teat
system Using an automated calf feeder
• Cross-sucking is very rare among teat-fed calves (less than 0.2% of time) when provided sufficient amounts of milk
Chua et. al. 2002. J. Dairy Sci. 83:360-364.
Does group housing not increase the risk of cross sucking?
0.5
1.0
0 2 4 6 8Calf age (weeks)
Wei
ght
gain
(kg
/d)
PairSingle
Chua et. al. 2002. J. Dairy Sci. 83:360-364.
Group housing of calves also helps make calves more successful transitions at
weaning
Pair housed calves fed ad libitum via a teat showed
similar weight gains to individually housed calves
show less of a growth check at weaning
How does milk feeding level affect solid feed consumption and weaning?
For calves with higher milk solids intake it is not unusual for calves to begin consuming calf starter until after the second week
Lower starter intake may slow the rate of rumen development, which has been assumed to contribute to calves "stalling out” (having a growth check) when weaned from milk
Weaning off milk
Weaning – Survey Results
How are calves weaned off milk? Abruptly stop feeding 22% (191/849) Decrease volume 29% (249/849) Dilution of milk 37% (311/849) Intermittent feeding 12% (98/849)
Combination of methods 93
How is the time of weaning decided? Calf age 812 Calf weight 293 Starter/grain intake 454*often this is a combination*
Weaning Age – Survey Results
5 weeks or less 2.4% (21/863)
6 weeks 12% (101/863)
7 weeks 9% (77/863)
8 weeks 36% (311/863)
9 weeks 10% (86/863)
10 weeks or more 31% (267/863)
How best to wean calves fed higher levels of milk?
Conventional ‘Cold turkey’ Simply remove milk Too much of a growth
check at weaning
Calf age (weeks)
Calf w
eig
ht
(kg
)
40
50
60
70
80
90
0 2 4 6 8
weaning
Calves used to consuming high quantities of milk are typically not consuming sufficient dry feed at weaning to maintain growth Conventional ‘cold turkey’ weaning is NOT appropriate
Solid feed intake needs to be encouraged in the 1-2 weeks prior to weaning Milk needs to either be:
DilutedReduced in amount
Recent research comparing weaning calves fed and weaned conventionally to those fed a
higher milk level and stepped down
Khan et al., 2007. J. of Dairy Sci. 90:3376-3387
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34 37 40 43 46 49
Milk
con
sum
ptio
n (k
g/d)
Calf age (days)
Step-downConventional
Solid feed (calf starter) intake increased before and after weaning in calves fed through step down method
Khan et al., 2007. J. of Dairy Sci. 90:3376-3387
0
700
1400
2100
2800
3500
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Sta
rter
con
sum
ptio
n (
g/d)
Calf age (days)
Step-down
Conventional
0
30
60
90
120
1 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Calf age (days)
Bo
dy
we
igh
t (kg
)
Step-downConventional
Improved weight gains were observed in calves fed through step down method…NO growth check!
Khan et al., 2007. J. of Dairy Sci. 90:3376-3387
Take Home Messages Providing milk in sufficient quantities to maintain health
and growth is key to long-term calf health, welfare, and productivity Feed calves minimum of 20% of body weight in first 4 weeks of
life
Providing milk by a teat is the most appropriate method of milk delivery
Milk quality is important and needs to be maintained to prevent bacterial growth
Calves should be weaned off milk gradually to ensure proper transition to solid feed