How to ace the basics of calf rearing

It starts in the cow

The cow is the calf’s first “rearing system”. From conception right through to the last trimester, she is responsible for building the calf you will be working with. Your responsibility as a farmer is to give her everything she needs to deliver a strong vigorous calf and high quality colostrum. This means paying close attention to late lactation body condition, maintaining accurate mineral and trace element status, ensuring vaccinations are timed to maximise immunity transfer and providing well balanced nutrition.

Colostrum: The 5 Qs

When it comes to calf rearing, nothing matters more than colostrum. We work firmly by the ‘5 Qs’: Quality, Quantity, Quickly, sQueaky clean, and Quietly. Each of these is essential, and leaving out even one can compromise the calf’s early life immunity. No matter the rearing system, nothing influences early calf health more than colostrum. Day one colostrum management can still be hit and miss on many farms, and the challenges begin the moment the cow calves. As the cow’s antibodies (IgG) levels drop rapidly after she calves, by around 3.5 percent per hour, the first milking as close to her calving is the best chance of harvesting true gold colostrum that will test >22 percent Brix. But once collected, another race begins. Bacteria counts can double every 20 minutes, especially in warm, or ‘topped up pooled’ colostrum. These bacteria do not just add pathogen pressure; they scavenge IgG, reducing the number of usable antibodies available to the calf. At the same time, the calf’s gut is closing rapidly and by 12 hours of age, it can only absorb 5 percent of the antibodies fed. Combine declining IgG, rising bacteria in mishandled colostrum, and the calf’s shrinking absorption window, and the importance of speed in giving a new born their colostrum feed and its hygiene becomes crystal clear. For these reasons, improperly stored colostrum should never be mixed with fresh collections. Fresh, clean colostrum fed immediately remains the single most effective tool for protecting calves. In short, harvest colostrum early, handle cleanly, feed at least 10-15 percent body weight as soon as possible after birth as two feeds, ideally within 12 hours of birth, the first feed being 2-3L either tubed or suckled in a measured way. These basics have a massive lifetime impact. By around three weeks into calving, pathogen pressure on most farms is already climbing, exactly when newborns are least equipped to defend themselves. Re-assessing the basics every day avoids things spiralling downhill. Most scour cases involve multiple pathogens at once. The most effective prevention isn’t complex, it is simply doing ALL basics well and having consistently great management.

Stress: The hidden thief

One of the least talked about but most damaging factors in calf rearing is stress. This drives the fifth Q (Quietly) and plays a surprisingly large role in whether calves (and people) thrive or struggle. When a calf is stressed, whether from separation, relocation, cold, rough handling, loud noise, sudden diet changes or agonistic behaviour, it goes into fight-or-flight mode. Blood moves away from the gut and towards the limbs, leaving far less available for digestion and immunity. Pathogens gain the upper hand, and growth slows immediately. Studies on lairage (a time to settle after any travel/relocation) show that while cortisol should drop back to normal within 12 hours of arrival, it can remain elevated for up to nine days in some high-stress situations. Prolonged stress is closely linked to increased disease susceptibility of respiratory and gastrointestinal disease, dehydration, inflammation, growth setbacks, higher morbidity and mortality. Transporting young calves (either day one pick-up or for the four-day-old markets), is particularly taxing and can cause dehydration even before they reach a calf shed. This underlines the need for calm handling, warm environments, clean colostrum or milk, and minimal pressure during the first few days of life. How the calf experiences the first 24 hours of life can shape its performance for months to come.

Electrolytes for stress

Electrolytes are essential when calves are stressed. They should be on hand before the season begins, not purchased in a panic once calves are already dehydrated. Home made brews are never recommended, as incorrect concentrations make dehydration worse, not better. When doing electrolyte therapy on stressed calves, milk is still needed for energy. Keep electrolytes separate and do not add electrolytes to the main water supply. Our favourite is Reliance Blue Boost from Farmlands, formulated by in-house calf nutrition experts for rapid hydration and containing helpful extras to support faster stress recovery.

Housing, bedding and comfort

Even if colostrum and feeding programmes are perfect, poor housing can undo the season. We see so many sheds poorly positioned, not making the most of the spring sun, or just not enough infrastructure to house half the calves born in the first three weeks of calving. Calves need dry bedding, no draughts at calf height, plenty of airflow above them, and at least 1.5- 2.2m² of space per calf. Damp bedding rapidly increases energy loss, bug load and creates perfect conditions for respiratory disease. Using absorbent products underneath bedding and between bedding top ups, such as MS DryCare Des, helps maintain dryness, keeps airways clear, and reduces bacterial activity. It is one of the simplest ways to reduce stress and protect calf health. Don’t wait for bedding to become saturated.

Milk, meal, and the making of a ruminant

Calves begin life digesting like a monogastric, and the rumen is tiny, so the first week’s focus is supplying enough nutrition through milk. Whether you use volume feeding, adlib, restricted or fortified programmes, success still relies on consistency and protein. We find that throwing a heap of low protein calf milk replacer won’t support high levels of growth like a higher (26% protein, 20% fat) protein one will, especially early on. Kicking that tiny rumen into gear early on is also key for successful weaning later without a big check. This is why we start forming good habits early by offering calf hard feed from day two of life. Small fresh amounts are offered daily as initially they are just tasting and learning, but it is important for early rumen development. Calves also need long fibre for practising rumination, but only 5-10% of the diet should be restricted hay/ straw. By six weeks it is important to gradually step down milk and we increase solid feed amounts before weaning off milk fully. Starch from processed grains is the key driver of early rumen papillae growth. We see weaning checks if rumen development is delayed or if insufficient supplement for the right amount of time is provided to help calves through the transition. Premium textured and pelleted starter feeds can turn out to be the most cost-effective options. Fine dusty blends attract birds and rodents, irritate airways, and encourage selective feeding where calves pick out the highfat bits and miss essential minerals and starch. Starting with the right feed saves money and prevents setbacks later. Clean, accessible water is also a vital nutrient that aids in digestion and growth. We recommend the Reliance and SealesWinslow calf feed ranges. We trust the science behind them, and they consistently deliver the starch quality, palatability and essential mineral balance young calves need for smooth transition, healthy rumen development and supporting balanced nutrition for growth.

Coccidiostats

Because calves can pick up coccidia from the day they are born, a preventative approach is best, with coccidiostats in both milk and meal. Meal alone cannot provide adequate preventative levels early on because young calves may only consume 50 grams per day initially. If using whole milk with no coccidiostat, we helped develop a proactive product to balance out specific needs of young calves with essential nutrients and additives to support gut health to have a successful season. Talk to your local Farmlands store, or Technical Fields sales rep about Reliance Level Up, which contains a coccidiostat.

Final thoughts

There are 100 different systems to rear a calf, but the farms with the healthiest, fastest growing, best performing calves all have one thing in common: they get the basics right, every single day. There are no shortcuts and no substitutes for meticulous consistency. There is far more to say than fits in one article, so keep an eye out for our upcoming spring calving content series, where we will break down the basics of calf rearing to give you the tools to build healthy, resilient calves from day one.

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