CA7 - Beef from Dairy Herd (Calves) 7

CA7 - Beef from Dairy Herd (Calves) 7

1. 20. Weaning

   • = Cessation of liquid milk feeding
     • Now depends on energy from dry food. Growth rate usually reduced (the reduction is minimised if calf is eating 1kg conc/day)
   • Timing
     • @ fixed date from birth e.g. 5 wks
     • When calf has consistent intake of 1kg dry feed/day
     • When calf has reached suitable liveweight e.g. 60kg
   • Farmers want weaning ASAP (5-6 wks) becasue 1) milk sub costs 3X dry feed per unit ME (metabolisable energy) 2) Feeding milk sub is time consuming 3) Individual pen needed for bucket feeding (expensive) 4) Diarrhoea less of a problem post-weaning
   • 2 methods: 1)Abrupt cessation of liquid feeding 2) Gradual reduction in quantity & sometimes conc. of milk sub.
     • Abrupt is possible if enough dry feed is consumed
     • If milk sub intake has been high - insufficient dry feed will have been consumed => Wean gradually
   • Low intake of solid feed @ weaning (which happens when given milk ad lib) severely reduces performance immediately after weaning
     • Prevented by 1) Limiting quantity +/- conc of milk replacer 2) Limiting daily access to nipples before weaning 3) Reducing bore of pipeline to restrict milk flow

2. 21. Costs of Weaning - Machine vs Bucket

   • Machine-fed calves grow faster & hence wean slightly earlier - but consume more milk powder (also consider costs asso. w/ machine)

3. 22. Post-weaning

   • Continue w/ same ad lib conc. mix w/ hay/straw & drinking water
   • From 10 w.o. 14% CP compound gradually introduced & either fed ad lib or restricted w/ ad lib hay/silage
   • Moved from single pens to group pens

4. 23. Difference between purebred & crossbred dairy calves in terms of beef potential & market value

   • See extra notes

5. 24. Why some dairy bull calves are shot before being registered

   • Factors affecting their rearing = Deadweight beef price, Conc costs, cost of calf (all variable)
     • Currently cereal price is v. high & fluctuating - its increase doesn't necessarily result in increased beef price (also gross margin doesn't consider fixed costs which are as high as 40%)
       • Hence some dairy bull calves are shot before they're registered (although in the right circumstances a profit can be made)
     • History: Calves were valuable as exports to countries that like veal production until exports were banned. Causes sudden surplus of male calves in UK (but UK has banned crates in veal production + low demand for veal). Then export ban lifted but then there's a ban on imports to Netherlands which was a big importer of bull calves