Feeding the calf: diet and norms

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-02 13:48

To grow high-quality he althy livestock, a farmer needs to follow generally accepted standards for growing. Calves are weak at birth, so they need all the necessary components to get stronger. A diet that contains all the necessary foods and vitamins is important. Proper feeding of the calf leads to its intensive growth and harmonious development. You just need to know how to correctly compose a diet.

Basic nutrition

It should be taken into account that due to the balanced nutrition of cows during the dry period before calving, he althy and strong calves are born. Feeding monthly calves is especially important. Since animals are sterile and susceptible to various viruses and bacteria from the moment they appear, they must be properly cared for. From the moment of birth, gamma globulins appear in the body as a defense.

Feeding a calf from birth is different from feeding cows. The first product given to the animal after calving should be colostrum. It contains important vitamins for the baby - A and D, which are necessary for the proper growth and full development of newborns. Nutrition should include foods that allow the animal to grow and get stronger.

Dairy

For 3 days after the cow's calving, newborn calves are fed with colostrum 6 times a day, then the calf needs to be weaned from the mother and in the dispensary they give 2 liters of milk 3 times a day until they are 20 days old. Feeding a calf up to a month old involves the introduction of skim milk, boiled concentrates and carrots.

Fattening monthly animals involves the introduction of different feeds into the diet. With the strengthening of the gastrointestinal tract, the daily menu consists not only of milk, but also of silage. When 5 months old, 2 kg of concentrated feed is introduced into the diet per day, and from 6 months, portions are cut.

Milk substitutes

Other products are important for the animal. Useful substitutes for whole milk. Barley, peas, wheat are used in their preparation. Extruded cereals include many useful components. The use of milk replacer helps to protect the baby from diseases that can be transmitted from the cow after calving.

Vitamin mixtures saturate the body with the necessary components that are not in full in mother's milk. From the moment of birth, the calves are fed with milk, with which the animal receives 9.5 kg of milk fat. This is very important for heifers who will also need to reproduce in the future.

When a calf has problems with digestion, milk replacer is removed from his diet. But a decoction of flax, tea with glucose, decoctions of herbs will be useful. From a month you can safely give carrots, potatoes and other root crops.

Vitamins

A calf needs food,including natural vitamins, which is especially important in winter and spring. Vitamin preparations are also used. The main cause of animal diseases is the lack of carotene, which occurs when feeding with colostrum and milk. To avoid this, 5 drops of Trivitamin (A, D_{3, E), as well as 30 g of glucose and 0.5 g of ascorbic acid, should be added to colostrum at the first feeding.}

To strengthen the body, fish oil, fodder yeast and other vitamin complexes are suitable. Please note that the intake of vitamins A and D_{3 is 300 and 50 IU for each gram of animal weight. Feeding norms for calves in summer are much less compared to the cold period.}

Now there are many dietary supplements that are sold in specialized stores. For example, "Kostovit forte" contains the necessary minerals and vitamins. An indispensable natural vitamin carotene is grated carrots, which are provided to babies up to a month old. You also need to remember about mineral dressing, which consists of chalk with s alt. Bacitrin and Grizin preparations are needed to improve the metabolism of young animals.

Grain nutrition

It is known that feeding calves with grain concentrates is necessary to accelerate the development of the rumen. Dry food is needed for the normal functioning of the digestive tract. Thanks to whole grains, corn, oats, chewing muscles are strengthened. Therefore, these products should be included in the diet regularly.

When the calfcomes out of the milk period, he is given oats, corn, soy flour, flaxseed flour, dried corn bard. Useful wheat bran, fodder molasses. Feeding calves should include muesli, which shortens the period of feeding of young animals, and is also needed for the assimilation of concentrates and roughage. They serve to prevent gastrointestinal diseases, improve he alth.

Drinking

The period up to a month, when the young are getting stronger, is considered the most difficult for farmers. It is necessary to drink colostrum of the baby about 6 times a day. It is important to avoid overfeeding. Animals after maternal feeding should be fed milk from a special nipple. Such drinking is useful if the necessary sanitary and hygienic rules are observed.

After a few days, the calf should be taught to drink from a bucket. To do this, they put a bucket where milk is poured, in which you need to dip your finger, and let the baby lick it. Then the muzzle of the animal must be bowed to the bucket. If the calf drinks milk quickly, then it should be watered at some intervals.

Milk and colostrum should be given to animals in pairs. The shorter the interval between milking and drinking, the fewer microbes in the product. After drinking, the bucket should be washed with water, and then scalded with boiling water and treated with a soda solution. When the calf is 3 days old, one hour before feeding, he is given cooled water. If there is adequate feeding of the calf, the farmer will raise a strong and he althy livestock of young animals.

Diet

Specialists recommend a special diet for feeding calves. It consists of colostrum, lactation and post-milk periods. Colostrumshould be given to newborn animals, as this product is enriched with vitamins. Per day it is given in the amount of 1/5 of the weight. An hour after feeding, the baby is given water.

Useful hay infusion. After 10 days, the calves are fed with hay, and from the 15-20th day - with concentrated and juicy feed. The daily diet should include feeding from chalk, bone meal, s alt. Milk replacer given after colostrum and skimmed milk contains many different ingredients.

There are special schemes for feeding young animals, given its purpose. Food should be given to the animal according to its age, and then it will have good he alth. For the correct calculation of the daily diet, you need to take into account data per 100 kg of weight. This allows you to provide a balanced diet, which is necessary for good he alth.

Digestion

The amount of milk a calf should be given is regulated based on weaning. This reduces stress on the cow and reduces the risk of harm to the baby. Due to the consumption of the product from the teat, the animals produce saliva. And this increases the production of enzymes necessary for high-quality digestion.

In a newborn calf, the stomach includes 4 sections, although at the beginning only one works for him - the abomasum. Liquid products pass into it through a tube obtained by closing the esophageal trough. The reflex weakens as the animal grows.

For 4 weeks, the best absorbable substance that comes with liquidfeed is considered milk protein. These include vegetable, dairy, animal fats, sugars. Mineral components and vitamins are perfectly absorbed.

Animal hygiene

With the birth of a calf, it is necessary to adapt to various external factors. For 2 weeks, he needs to be helped to adapt. The airways, digestive system, and umbilical cord are sensitive for some time after birth. Therefore, it is important to ensure animal hygiene.

The calving area is considered the most dangerous area where infection can pass to the calf, so it must be well disinfected. For summer calving, you can choose a lawn, and in winter - a room. The cattleman needs to be there when the baby appears, and also for some time after that. The calf should not be touched unless the hands are sanitized.

The animal must be transferred to a clean film. Clean it of mucus with a clean cloth. The umbilical cord is affected by microorganisms, so it is treated with 5% iodine. Animal hygiene is also needed in feeding calves.

Care

The calf is not adapted to temperature changes and humidity. During this period, thermoregulation is not yet working properly. Therefore, due to hypothermia and overheating, the body's resistance decreases. The animal is transferred to a dispensary, and in the cold it is dried with an infrared lamp. This room should have a comfortable temperature and humidity.

The dispensary creates an environment where the risk of microorganisms entering the lungs is minimal. By controlling the temperature and humidity of the calvesbecome strong. Calves should be regularly checked for diseases, which will allow them to be detected and eliminated in time.

Animals with inappropriate care develop many diseases. The reasons for this may be different factors. Often diseases occur due to stress, the penetration of bacteria and viruses. To prevent this, zoohygiene is observed. It is not uncommon for animals to be moved to a quarantine area that only professionals who are taking the necessary measures to eliminate infections have access to.

Thus, raising strong calves is the main problem of dairy cattle breeding. Many of them die from diseases or inadequate growing conditions. The reasons due to which ailments appear include improper maintenance, feeding, and hygiene. With the right care and diet, you can raise he althy calves. If all the rules are observed, you will not have to use expensive medicines.