CALVES & HEIFERS

When the Henschel family of Manawa, Wisconsin, built a freestall barn for robots last year, they could not stand the thought of the former tiestall barn sitting empty. After a thorough gutting and renovation, the barn has a renewed purpose for calves, dry cows and maternity.

Calves experience the least amount of stress when dehorned before they are 2 weeks old. For young calves, two dehorning methods can be used: paste and burning.

Weight gain. Two words that strike fear in humans – unless they’re talking about calves. It’s well documented a healthy calf should, at a minimum, double their birthweight before weaning, but the scale doesn’t tell the whole story and, sometimes, it can be misleading.

We have found substantial evidence for utilizing synthetic amino acids to better supply building blocks for growth and reduce costs associated with overfeeding protein.

Retrofitting a stanchion barn can be a cost-effective way to house calves. However, producers must pay close attention to barn ventilation to help calves stay healthy in their new home.

“We need to make things as simple as possible, but no simpler.” This quote, which is often attributed to Albert Einstein, accurately sums up our quest to deliver optimal nutrition to pre-weaned calves.