Rearing your own replacements can be one of the most rewarding activities on farm and many farmers are proud and passionate about having bred their perfect cow from bloodlines and genetics dating back generations. Commonly youngstock rearing costs are amongst the top three costs to a farm business, and it makes sense that with such a substantial investment we should get the returns we hoped for. However, rearing calves is not easy, they have very specific needs and come with their own unique set of challenges. At Synergy we are fortunate to have a team of vets and vet techs who are passionate about rearing calves – together they form the ‘0-6 youngstock advisory team’. The team can often be found on farm troubleshooting a multitude of rearing challenges, and work in close collaboration with your routine vet. We advise on a multitude of topics, including:
Colostrum
This starts with appropriate monitoring of colostrum transfer success in the calf, followed by digging deeper into where it potentially goes wrong: from colostrum hygiene checks to advice on how to make things simple, effective and work for your farm.
Nutrition
From milk replacer choice to concentrates, how the milk is fed and weaning strategies, to advice on grazing efficiently.
Infectious diseases
From the common issues of pneumonia and scours to parasite control at grass. Our vet techs offer a free vaccination service for pneumonia vaccines, to ensure all calves get their vaccine on time.
Housing
Hutches or a shed? Individual housing or groups? Every shed is different, none are perfect! Tailored advice regarding grouping, ventilation and cleaning and disinfection pays dividends. Whether it’s as simple as removing a roof ridge covering, or you would like to install a bespoke ventilation system, we can help and advise you.
Breeding
Growth monitoring (our vet techs can provide equipment and assist with weighing) is vital to get heifers bulling at the right age. We can also help you with AI synchronization protocols, bull choice and genomic testing, to select the right heifers and genes for your herd.
Many of our dairy farms have signed up to our ‘0-6 youngstock advisory package’ and enjoy various benefits including access to our informative youngstock discussion group meetings, held 3 times per year, some discounted lab fees, vet and tech time and some free postmortems.
Rearing calves is complex, and many factors influence each other, especially when things don’t go as planned, but rest assured the team at Synergy is here to help with your youngstock needs. Be it dairy replacements for contract rearing or your own herd or calf rearing for the veal market, we can assist and advise on a multitude of issues and opportunities.
Written By Martijn ‘t Hoen, Veterinary Surgeon
