CALVES & HEIFERS

How does one know when to breed virgin heifers? On many dairies, the decision is entirely subjective based on if the heifers look “big” enough, reach a certain age, or the pen is getting crowded and they need to move on.

Labour savings has been listed as an advantage for group housing systems. However, fewer but more qualified personnel replace multiple ‘calf feeders,’ with the result that the labour cost might be the same.

Pair housing (or small groups of up to four calves) for pre-weaned calves is increasing in popularity due to the myriad of benefits for calf welfare compared to individual housing.

Calf diarrhea is the leading cause of death among dairy calves and likely contributes at least in part to the second leading cause, pneumonia, due to calves being in a weakened state.

Scours – it’s an unwelcome but far too common problem on many dairies today. Thanks to education and development of new products, tremendous strides have been made in reducing the severity and number of calves lost due to the main causes of calf scours.

Dairy producers are working to raise both the optimal number and the highest-quality heifers for their operations. Developing replacement heifers is a significant and necessary expenditure for dairies, requiring an investment of $1,800 to $2,200 per head to get them to the start of first lactation.