Survival vs. Performance

 

A couple of things we would like to emphasize this month:

1. Winter is coming.

2. We can increase your heifer’s first lactation milk production by 1000 lbs. by preparing them as baby calves for the coming of cold weather.

 

Dairy calves treated with antibiotics produce 1,087 lbs. less milk in their first lactation than calves with no record of being treated.

 

MRVS sees a huge increase in sick calves as the daily temperatures begin to fluctuate from day to night in the fall.  This is the time of the year that we also see a marked increase in the number of calves we are asked to give intravenous fluids.

 

Some Goals:  <10% sick calves that require treatment

                         <5% Death loss

 

How do we attain this?  Colostrum management and Liquid feed consumption.  If these are perfect, you will not have sick calves. To capture this profit, we need to make sure that these calves start and stay healthy in the first eight weeks of life.  From nutrition to environment to colostrum management to vaccine protocols, MRVS has the game plan to keep your calves thriving in cold weather.

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Call MRVS to set up an appointment to review your cold weather calf plan, or mention it to us at herd visits.