Birth of a calf

is a crucial moment even for experienced farmers. The fragile body of the baby needs special care. During this period, it is extremely important to create comfortable conditions for him and develop the right diet.

Рождение теленка

ответственный момент даже для опытных фермеров. Неокрепший организм малыша нуждается в особом уходе. В этот период крайне важно создать для него комфортные условия содержания и разработать правильный рацион.

Conditions of detention

Warmth. A newborn calf is still too weak, so any slight cooling or draft can cause illness or even death. Therefore, it is recommended to keep it in a warm room, on a thickened straw bedding.

Hygiene. It is necessary to clean the place of stay at least twice a day: remove feces and change the bedding. Wash the drinker and feeder after each use. If the calf is fed by a cow, keep the udder clean. Wash at least twice a day.

Tools. If feeding occurs separately from the mother. It is necessary to organize quality food. In the first days, the diet of the cub consists of colostrum. The first day it is desirable to use it in small sips, so a nipple would be useful. In the absence of such, you can pour colostrum into a container, and moistening your finger in it, indicates the direction to the calf. In the following days, when the cub remembers the location of the container, it can be fixed.

Calf feeding

The first feeding of the newborn should occur no later than an hour after birth. An important condition for his future health is compliance with the norm of colostrum consumption: at least 10% of its mass. For example, if a heifer weighs 40 kg, he must eat at least 4 liters. It has been scientifically proven that this is the size of the first serving that is optimal for the proper formation of food microflora and future immunity.

Feeding systems

There are two main systems: natural and industrial.

Natural. A method of feeding in which the calf receives food directly from the udder. Has a number of advantages. Saving time in preparation. And more active growth of young animals, a third faster than artificially fed individuals.

Industrial. In such a system, there is no contact between the calf and the cow. The first few weeks, feeding is done using containers with a nipple or just buckets. Colostrum, and later milk, is heated to 37 degrees before serving. The method is used, which is clear from the name, in large farms.

Pros: Save space and control the amount consumed.

Cons: slower pace of development.

Undersuch conditions, milk is a commodity. An increase in its consumption is a financial loss. Therefore, animals receive milk only for the first few weeks, then they are transferred to artificial substitutes.

Feeding mode

The first week the heifers eat only colostrum, 5-6 times a day. Colostrum is a thick white sticky substance, which is a concentrate of useful vitamins and minerals necessary for a high-quality start of the newborn’s body. It has been proven that it has a direct impact on the formation of the
immune system, digestive microflora and the overall growth rate of young animals.
The first feeding should occur no later than one and a half hours after the appearance. The portion volume is gradually increased from one to three liters at a time.
Water. Important for newborn calves. It improves digestive function. Food is digested faster and better. Therefore, they begin to give it from the 2nd day of life. The volume is up to one and a half liters per day.
At the end of the first week, vitamins are added to the diet.
From the second week, milk becomes the diet, the frequency of feeding is reduced to 4-5 per day. Feeding with a mixture of milk from several cows is considered useful. This provides the baby with a wider range of nutrients.
At the end of the third week, the diet gradually expands, more roughage appears in it. The optimal time for the gradual transition of livestock to combined feeds. You can buy ready-made feed for calves, or you can cook it yourself. Compound feed is more balanced, growth rates are higher with
it. Homemade mixers come out cheaper, but require a lot of time and quickly deteriorate. After half an hour, the wet mash is no longer usable.

Regardless of which type of feeding you choose, the main thing is to monitor not only its qualitative, but also its quantitative composition. For active growth, the correct ratio of components is extremely important.