Today’s Dairy Heifer Calves Deserve 5-Star Treatment

If there were a bovine equivalent to an “A-list” celebrity, it would be today’s dairy heifer calf.

Just a few decades ago, most dairies bred their cows, crossed their fingers for heifer calves, and usually tried to raise every one of them, whether they needed them as replacements or not. Today, we’ve become much more strategic in the heifer calves we create, thanks to sexed semen, genomics, and the explosion of beef-on-dairy breeding.

Stacked together, these factors add up to a far lower number of dairy heifers being created than in the past. Industry estimates indicate that as few as 15-35% of calves born on today’s dairies are full-blood dairy heifers. This percentage will vary depending on a herd’s growth plans and anticipated replacement needs.

“ Raising calves is a costly endeavor, whether you do it well or do it poorly.”

While we are now raising fewer heifers, those animals also are more valuable than ever before. They have been strategically designed to become replacement females with the greatest potential to carry the herd forward. Once they hit the ground, these carefully curated creatures literally deserve the best of everything to maximize their full potential – “5 stars,” if you will. They include:

(1)   Colostrum delivery – We always knew colostrum was important, and now we’re starting to understand why. In addition to antibodies, colostrum is loaded with other nutrients and bioactive ingredients that prime calves’ digestive and immune systems. Careful attention to the timing, volume, quality and cleanliness of colostrum delivery all make irreplaceable differences in a calf’s lifetime health and performance. Feeding transition milk is becoming a more widespread practice on dairies as we learn more about its merits as well.

(2)   Nutrition – There is now a large body of research-based evidence that the better you feed a heifer calf in the milk-feeding stage, the more return you will receive in terms of milk production in her first, second, and third lactations. Today’s heifer calf nutrition programs include formulations with higher levels of protein and fat, fed at higher volumes, compared to the “old days” of one pound of 20:20 powder per day.

(3)   Housing – Clean, dry, well-bedded calf housing with adequate resting space is a hallmark of a successful calf program. Ventilation also is key to calf respiratory health, and may require daily attention depending on the calf housing system. Based on recent research showing the merits of socialization for calf health and performance, raising calves in pairs or group pens is a growing trend.

(4)   Weaning transition – Weaning is a very stressful time for calves. Particularly if they have been fed a very high-volume milk diet, calves have been known to lose ground in terms of weight gain and sometimes health after weaning, cancelling out the gains and investments in an excellent pre-weaning nutrition program. Stepping down liquid feedings slowly, weaning calves in small groups, allowing plenty of comfortable resting space, and training calves to find water all can support this major life transition. Before they are weaned, calves also should be consuming enough solid feed to support their nutritional requirements.

(5)   Lung protection – All of the effort to create those made-to-order calves can be lost if animals get sick. Even if they recover, much of their lifetime potential may be diminished, particularly if they experience lung damage due to pneumonia. Researcher Dr. Terri Ollivett at the University of Wisconsin has studied lung health and lifetime performance extensively using lung ultrasound technology. She and other researchers have determined that respiratory disease in calves leads to decreased growth; increased odds of leaving the herd before calving and during the first lactation; and a more than 1,100-pound loss in 305-day mature equivalent milk. Vaccinations to prevent pneumonia can help, but must be supported by the other four “stars” above for a complete respiratory health package.

Each of the 5 stars works in concert with the others to achieve healthy, well-grown replacement heifers. The effort and investment in raising them should complement the effort and investment that was put into creating them. Raising calves is a costly endeavor, whether you do it well or do it poorly. But the long-term result of doing it well is that those valuable heifers will eventually pay you back.

Recent Posts