YES – spring calving is approaching. It might feel a long way off yet but now is the time to prepare – the animals born will become your future herd. A review of last season, followed by some planning to work out how to implement quality colostrum collection and feeding on your farm along with an assessment of your current biosecurity practices, could make a real difference to your future profits. 

Why now? 

There is time to get it right. Don’t add extra stress with last minute rushing, get started now and work through a calf rearing assessment with your Vet. Get things sorted now so you can prepare for any future challenges; this might include on-farm staff training, sourcing some new equipment and reviewing some procedures and protocols. 

Why is colostrum important? 

Quality colostrum, collected and fed correctly means better calf health and growth. Unfortunately colostrum management on a significant number of farms is still below par leading to:
!  Lower immunity
!  Increased chance of illness
!  Stilted growth
!  Higher fatality rate
But it’s not only colostrum that can affect the new generation – biosecurity practices on farm, the way calf pens are set up, calf pen stocking and management can not only affect the quality of the next generation but also how stressful spring on your farm may be. 

Plan now 

• Improve communication between staff 
• Ensure that you have considered modern calf rearing recommendations and how you can apply them on your farm 
• Know that the best biosecurity recommendations are appropriate for your situation are in place right from the first calving. 

If you have any concerns or would like to make sure that your system is fully compatible with modern calf rearing recommendations, we have developed a simple system to check your facilities and operational management. Please talk to your vet at Anexa Vets to book a time to do this check pre-calving.