Top tips on calf rearing to reduce mortality and antibiotic rates

Manager Dom McKenzie says growth rates average 1.2kg per day – dialled back from 1.3kg which was costing too much

Over the years, Adam Buitelaar has addressed the issues affecting most farmers rearing young calves, at his Long Lane unit near Frome, and is happy to share the operation’s ‘not-so-secret secrets’.

“It’s like cheating in exams and getting away with it,” he says. “Who wouldn’t want fewer dead calves, affordably better growth rates, calves you’re proud to show to friends? Whether beef or dairy, they’ll repay you handsomely for the best start in life you can give them.”

This year, the unit will rear more than 6000 dairy-beef calves including Longhorn, Angus, continentals, and black-and-white bulls.

The stand-out achievement is 1.1% mortality against the UK average rearing stage death rate which falls between 8% and 13% according to figures from AHDB and NADIS respectively. The Buitelaar average is despite collection from a wide range of farms at 2-3 weeks of age.

Calves remain on the site for 14 weeks after gaining a minimum of 150kg minimum liveweight and are then moved to grower-finisher units.

Contented calves reared in their age groups

Manager Dom McKenzie said daily growth rates across the entire unit averaged 1.2kg – dialled back from 1.3kg because the marginal extra 100g was found to be costing too much.

“Of course, this distinction between output and much more importantly, productivity, can only be known by collecting and analysing specific measures such as weight gains, feed use and management costs in easy to analyse formats,” he said adding that in addition to half of Dom’s time, the commercial rearing unit employs three full-timers and one assistant for a day each week.

The other half of Dom’s time and one additional full-timer are required for research and development, including new product development and farm-scale trials. These include a soon to be launched lateral flow test (LFT) for checking individual calf colostrum status. This farm-DIY technique was co-invented by the rearing unit, its veterinary practice and science partner, and will soon be available from their commercial partner.

Open calf unit owned by Adam Buitelaar rears 6000 head of calves per year

Buitelaar has been able to reduce mortality by several key practices to include:

• Respiratory vaccine on arrival and 21 days later, with the vaccine stored according to maker’s instructions, fridge temperature checked regularly.

• Plentiful dry bedding, good drainage, draught-free clean air, high daytime light intensity.

• Calves weighed, matched and batched on arrival. Three weeks in, calves re-batched on visual assessment. Calves are weighed again at six and 10 weeks post-arrival, with significant outliers re-batched accordingly to slower or faster growing groups.
• Milk fed twice a day in easy-clean troughs, 150g/litre (i.e, 13% milk solids) of powder, three litres/feed for three weeks; then a week at two litres/feed and one more week at one litre/feed. This makes 25kg milk powder in total per calf.
• Scrupulous twice-daily cleaning of milk feeding equipment.
• Calf pellets and water available from the start.
• Coccidiosis preventative in second week.
• Toplines clipped and residual pour-on fly control for all calves.

Farm manager Dom’s observation: “Great for calves and workers alike. Bonus is much less ringworm because scratching is more or less eliminated.”

IBR vaccine at 10 weeks.

On leaving the unit at 150kg-plus, calves go to Buitelaar-approved grower-finisher units, mostly on a bed-and-breakfast basis. This means ownership is retained by Buitelaar, saving farmers a vast sum in working capital for the livestock.

Farmer-partners are paid for the total liveweight gain achieved and they cover the costs of buildings and grazing, forage and concentrates, veterinary care and mineral-vitamin supplements. Protecting farmers’ and Buitelaar’s investments mutually, the company provides as much (or little) guidance as needed and a computerised performance recording system.

Calf scheme manager Mickie Blackett said 187g/day of additional liveweight gain is being recorded in the company’s purpose designed high-health housing compared with other conventional sheds on the same farm.

“Over a 12-week rearing period, this amounts to 16kg more liveweight at minimal extra cost,” she said.

Now on their sixth generation of improvements, these units include insulated roofing and walls to keep calves cool in summer and warm in winter. They are available as off the shelf kits for DIY on-farm installation, one module being suitable for up to 1000kg liveweight, ie 10 calves up to 100kg or 12 at 83kg for example.

Ms Blackett said a combination of housing improvements, detailed daily protocols and workforce training, analysis of accurate records, and using higher genetic merit sires on sourced dairy farms were the bedrock of Long Lane’s continuous improvement process.

“One particularly pleasing result across the entire unit is 60% lower antibiotic use over the past 18 months. Within this, it is 27% lower in the latest high health housing units than the farm’s other buildings, which have also been modified to be as calf friendly as feasible.”

Mickie Blackett attends to the calves

Ben Barber from Synergy Farm Health is the company’s regular vet at the unit. In addition to the technicalities of high performance calf management, he pointed out that the management of those working with the calves is the difference between ordinary and extraordinary results.

“It’s the attitudes of humans,” he explains. “Attention to detail and persistence are the critical. Unfortunately, complacency and acceptance that some calves just die will always undermine results. These are matters of clear leadership from those in charge to establish the kind of excellence on farm.”

Open day host Adam Buitelaar is keen to welcome farmer groups to see “through the keyhole” at the unit in action. Over two consecutive days last month, more than 300 attended including a coach load from Ireland.

“There are no secrets here and we want to share proven, ‘evidence-based facts’ about successful, high-health calf rearing,” he said. “Opinions are cheap and potentially unreliable, whereas facts are better. And we know that farmers recognise this.”