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BOVASOL

Liquid Additive

for Milk Fed Calves

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RABAR PTY LTD

CALF REARING PROGRAM

1 .    Ensure the calf suckles the dam for one day in order to obtain colostrum. Use frozen colostrum immediately in bought‑in calves or if the calf is produced from a heifer.

2.     The calves should be individually penned and housed in a dry environment. Calves can withstand low temperatures but the combination of wet conditions and low temperatures can be detrimental. Rear calves away from adult animals.

3.     Feed whole milk twice a day during the first two or three weeks. Twice a day feeding does not challenge the animals stomach with too much milk and it is always best to inspect young calves as much as possible. Twice a day feeding helps to achieve this. Use Rabar Pty Ltd Bovasol (25 mL in milk once a day) during the period on milk.

A suggested feeding regime is to start the calf off after 2 days with 2 ‑ 2.5 litres of whole milk a day and build this up to 4 litres a feed after one week. The level is then decreased to 1.5 litres per feed during the following week.

After three weeks the three litres is fed once a day. At this stage, once a day feeding of whole milk will stimulate improved intake of dry calf starter feed.

4.     From day 2 the calf should have access to fresh water at all times and also have access to high protein calf starter. To encourage early consumption a handful of calf starter should be placed in the bucket as the calf finishes drinking.

Calf starter should be available all the time. This should be frequently changed in the younger calves. Fresh material will encourage greater intakes. Any stale starter should be fed to older calves which have good appetites.

5.     Calves should be offered good quality cereal straw rather than lucerne hay. Lucerne is often consumed in preference to the high protein starter pellets because of the calves craving for fibre. The proteins in lucerne hay are more volatile than the proteins in commercial calf starters (fish meal, soybean meal, etc) and a good deal of the protein nitrogen is excreted in urine. This not only results in a loss of protein but it also contributes to increased ammonia levels in the calf shed which often results in respiratory problems in the calves.

6.     Weaning the calf off milk should be achieved when the consumption of starter concentrate is more than 800 – 1000 g/day. Remember that best live weight gains and feed intakes are achieved by offering the starter ration on an ad-lib basis.

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