Extension > Agriculture > Dairy Extension > Calves and heifers
Calves and heifers
Table of contents
Keeping calves cool and comfortable in summer
What affect does very hot weather have on the well being of a calf?
Strategies for raising dairy heifers with high feed costs
Find ways to reduce feed costs without affecting dairy replacement.
Management
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Improving feed delivery for dairy heifers over 6 months of age
An efficient feed delivery system reduces competition at the bunk, provides a well-balanced ration, uses a TMR. These reduce feed costs, promote consistent nutrient intake and result in efficeint gains.
Production and performance standards for growing Holstein heifers
Explanation of the new “Gold Standards” guidelines from the DCHA.
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Solutions for hot feed prices and cold nursery calves
Solutions to address the challenges of hot feed prices and cold calves include feed sources, inventory management and technology.
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Caring for calves in cold climatic conditions
Two critical issues for Minnesota's cold winters: housing and nutrition
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Calf starter nutrition and management
Calf starter physical forms, formulations, and feeding programs for rumen development and growth (318 K PDF)
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Colostrum management
Principles of colostrum management: quality, quantity, quickness, and cleanliness (352 K PDF)
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Group feeding dairy calves
Management practices that can lessen risk and disease incidence when grouping calves (663 K PDF)
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Milk replacer feeding and management
Basic principles of feeding milk replacers, research on alternative milk replacer products (197 K PDF)
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Pasteurization considerations for dairy calves
On-farm pasteurization for reducing the risk of transmitting infectious pathogens (828 K PDF)
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Post-weaning management for dairy calves
Minimize stress with consistent feed, small group sizes, adequate space, and ready access to water. (502 K PDF)
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The “ABCDEFGs” for healthy calves
Management factors do influence the illness and death rates of calves.
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“Quenliness” – The new Q of colostrum management
Add cleanliness to the formula of quality, quantity, and quickly, to keep calves healthy.
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Pasteurizing milk and colostrum for calves: An option or necessity?
Waste milk and colostrum – What are the issues? Presentation (528 K PDF), Paper (33 K PDF)
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Calf and heifer research: developing tomorrow's dairy cow
Presentation (1.1 MB PDF), Paper (500 K PDF) Southern Research and Outreach Center (SROC)
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New research challenges opinion on mammary development in heifers
Research investigated the effect of pre-pubertal elevated vs. restricted dietary energy levels.
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Effect of nutrition and management of dairy heifers on resultant cow longevity
A balance of investment return and longevity involves attention to many variables. (92 K PDF)
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Is your heifer program consistently good? Or just good?
Consistent management practices are important in developing a quality heifer for the future milking string.
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Good feed bunk management can improve the bottom-line for growing dairy heifers
That final important step of feeding: the nutrient and energy intake by the dairy animal.
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Raising dairy heifer calves from birth to 6 months of age
Management principles and standard protocols used at the Southern Research and Outreach Center (1.7 MB PDF)
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Reproductive management of dairy heifers
The most important factor affecting estrus detection rate is weight of heifers at start of breeding program.
Nutrition
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How many of your calves will the abominable snowman eat this winter?
Low total caloric intake is the chief cause of poor performance and increased mortality rates in the winter. Calves raised in colder conditions eat more starter. May need to add up to 40% more total volume of milk replacer per day in extremely cold conditions.
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Will the form or flavor of calf starter improve intake?
Research: Is adding flavors beneficial to improving calf performance?
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An overview of four years of calf research at SROC
2004-2008 University of Minnesota Southern Research and Outreach Center research.
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Effects of a modified intensive milk replacer program
Improve efficiency of the feeding program.
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Feeding strategies for post-weaned dairy heifers, 2 to 6 months of age
The goal is to provide consistent performances across all seasons of the year.
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Grain mix options with hay for dairy heifers 9-25 weeks of age
Improve efficiency of the feeding program.
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Perspectives of dairy calf nutrition and health
Key points from national experts at a Holstein-Beef conference.
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Research using standard diets for calves
Results in very good performance to two months of age.
Economics
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Calf feeding options to control costs
Alternative plant proteins sources in milk replacers and aspects of feeding waste milk.
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Partial budget model of the economics of feeding pasteurized non-saleable milk
Pasteurizing waste milk spreadsheet. (34 K XLS)
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Replacement costs - are your heifers eating your lunch?
Must consider culling rates and total heifers in inventory. Optimize replacement cost by minimizing involuntary culling, grow heifers rapidly on low cost diets, develop a breeding strategy that gets all heifers bred rapidly.
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Know costs of raising heifer replacements, identify critical control points for savings
The significant investment is an incentive to raise high quality productive heifers as economically as possible.
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Raising dairy heifers in feedlots or under a management intensive grazing system (MIG)
A comparison with a traditional confinement feedlot with corn, soybeans and alfalfa crop rotations. (93 K PDF)
Housing
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Give them some A.I.R.
An automated calf feeding system, labor-saving but requires more bedding, bedding materials, ventilation.
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Ventilating calf barns with tube systems
Key tube system decisions include fan airflow rate, tube diameter and length, and number, size and location of distribution holes.
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Impact of bedding source on calf performance during summer
Studies showed that bedding source should be considered for comfort as well as fly population.
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The “best” dairy calf housing design?
Calves can be raised in many different kinds of facilities, but every design involves trade-offs.
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Automatic calf feeding systems for pre-weaned dairy calves
Computer controlled feeding systems have labor-saving benefits.
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Cold weather calf and replacement heifer comfort
Comfort factors minimize body heat loss and manage body temperature in cold weather.
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Is there enough light in the calf house?
Long-day photoperiod (LDPP), 16-18 hours of light/day can increase milk yield as much as 8-10%.
Health
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Clean feeding utensils help keep calves healthy
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Ten strategies to battle calf scours
Calf managers can combat scours with these steps.
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Mastitis control in first lactation heifers
DHIA Herd Summary report: Why are so many infected within less than 30 days in milk?
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GPS the pneumonia problems in your dairy calf enterprise
Gather and analyze data to “stay on course” to minimize pneumonia.
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Clostridial bacteria – questions and answers
What is the most common reason for sudden death in a young calf?
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Dairy calves need cleanliness
Dirty calves become sick calves, and sick calves should not be an acceptable standard.
Other calves and heifer resources we recommend
- Colostrum supplements and replacer (213 K PDF) – The Pennsylvania State University
- Strategies to improve feed efficiencies in dairy replacement heifer feeding programs – University of Wisconsin on eXtension.org
- Monitoring dairy heifer growth (865 K PDF) – The Pennsylvania State University
- Raising dairy herd replacements (98 K PDF) – Kansas State University
- Dairy heifer budgets – North Carolina State University
- Calf rumen images – The Pennsylvania State University
- Calf notes website
- Publications and articles on calves – Purdue University
- Dairy Calf & Heifer Association
