WINTER BONUS MAGAZINE 2025

• Aim for about 10% of the calf’s body weight in colostrum within the first 12 hours (typically 3–4 litres). • Remember the Q’s for colostrum: Quality, Quantity, Quickness. Housing and hygiene: • Keep calving pens and calf housing clean and dry to prevent disease. • Ensure good airflow without drafts to reduce respiratory issues. • Provide enough space to prevent overcrowding – one calf per pen or ample space in group housing. Nutrition: • Milk or milk replacer: Feed 10–15% of body weight daily. Ensure consistent feeding times and temperatures (~38–40°C). • Offer clean, fresh water from day two to encourage rumen development. • Begin offering a quality starter (high in energy and protein) from day 3–5. • Wean when the calf consumes at least 1–1,5 kg of starter feed consistently for 3+ days (usually around 6–8 weeks). Healthmonitoring: • Observe daily to check for signs of scours, coughing, nasal discharge, or lethargy. • Follow a vet-recommended schedule for dehorning and a vaccination programme specific for your farm. Dehorn early (under 8 weeks) for less stress. • Dip the navel in iodine shortly after birth to prevent infections. Record-keeping: • Track birth dates, colostrum intake, weight gain, vaccination, and any health treatments to monitor growth and catch issues early. Even with good fundamental measures in place, excellent facilities, and well-trained staff, calves still get sick, and there will always be some challenges, as we cannot eliminate all possible risks that nature will throw at us. With modern dairy farms being highly stocked and with very tight breeding seasons, there is often a high concentration of calves. The challenge of numbers will always lead to a higher risk of underperforming calves. Sickness and diseases spread more quickly when dealing with large numbers of animals in a restricted place. The facility itself might not be adequate for the number of calves, and there might be a lack of attention to detail if staff are under pressure, which is understandable. These conditions highlight the value of preventative measures. Just as people take multivitamins to support their health during periods of increased risk, strategic preventative protocols can help reduce the challenges of calf rearing in high-density operations. There is a large industry built on these preventative measures, and these products can have positive health effects and are certainly useful at times. The challenge is to use one that works for your situation, and that’s practical and affordable. Products such as oral minerals and vitamins, rumen development, and gut enhancing agents like yeasts, probiotics, prebiotics, and many other products fall into this category of preventative measures. Naturally, calves would not need preventative and treatment measures, but they do not live in a natural environment on a modern dairy farm, and we need these calves to survive, grow, and produce to the best of their ability. The last measure is treatment, and this is the serious stage. Vets and other animal health experts should be consulted to help you plan this approach. If the calf is a little sick, it will receive a treatment plan. Moderately sick calves could have a slightly different plan, and severely sick calves might receive the “last chance” plan, which is often the most expensive. The idea is to try to avoid having to go directly to the dangerously sick measure of treatment. An example would be: Fundamental measure: Good, dry cow management and vaccinations, good colostrum management, good hygiene and biosecurity measures, a good weaning and nutrition plan, well-trained staff, and consistency. Preventative measure: Having a designated sick camp so that sickness and disease do not spread. Using products like minerals and www.agribonus.co.za Winter 2025 BONUS 75