Dairy calf nutrition: Milk feeding level, method, preservation , and weaning

Dairy calf nutrition:

Milk feeding level, method, preservation, and weaning

Milk Feeding

At first digestive system is suited to digest only milk As calf matures…system adapts to be able to digest

solid feeds

First 2-3 weeks are critical for milk intake…very little, to no solid intake occurs

Maintain calves on whole milk or milk replacer (min 20% protein 15% fat) until 6-10 weeks of age

How much should we feed them?

Need to consider what the calf is designed to do…

Milk Feeding Levels

Milk Feeding

How much is being fed daily in Week 1?

0-3 L 4 L 5 L 6 L 7-9 L 10L or more0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Num

ber

of R

espo

nses

Milk Feeding How much is being fed daily in Week 4?

0-3L 4 L 5 L 6 L 7-9 L 10 L or more0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Num

ber

of R

espo

nses

What does the cow do?

• Nurses calf 5 - 10 times/d• Nursing bouts last 5 - 10 min• Provides about 10 kg of milk/d


What does the cow do?• Nurses calf 5 - 10 times/d• Nursing bouts last 5 - 10 min• Provides about 10 kg of milk/d

What have we traditionally done?• Feed 2 times a day• Provide about 4-6 kg of fluid milk

(whole or replacer)


Traditional milk feeding levels

Traditional calf management programs: Emphasis on use of milk replacer powder containing

20% protein and 20% fat Fed at rates of approx. 400 - 500 g/calf/day.

As a comparison, whole milk testing 3.5% fat and 3.0% protein would contain 27% fat and 24% protein (on an equivalent basis)

In many instances, particularly in Canada, this level of nutrition may not provide sufficient nutrients to meet maintenance requirements during cold weather.

Feeding programs based on feeding 500 g of milk (4L) or milk replacer DM day puts the calf at serious risk for limited or no growth during the first 2 - 3 weeks of life unless environmental conditions of temperature and moisture are optimal

Examples: At 32°C, 454 g of a 20:20 milk replacer provides sufficient

energy for 45 g gain, yet when temperature drops to zero calves will lose weight.

Similarly approximately 4L of whole milk does not provide enough nutrients for gain at 0°C.

Traditional milk feeding levels

Increased milk feeding levels for accelerated growth

Recommendation now is to feed calves more milk – increase rate of frame growth (not fattening per se) Feed whole milk ad libitum (free access) or at other

high levels (8-10+ L/day) Feed more milk replacer

1 to 1.5 kg of powder/day26-28% CP, 15-20% fat

Achieve gains of 1 to 1.5 kg/d of growth pre-weaning

0

2

4

6

8

10

0 2 4Calf age (weeks)

Milk

consu

med

(kg

/d)Calves will drink more milk

when they are provided the opportunity

Ad libitum

Conventional

Jasper & Weary, 2002; J. Dairy Sci. 85: 3054-3058.

Free Access Feeding of Milk to Calves

Providing more milk allows for faster growth during the milk-feeding period…this advantage can be maintained through proper weaning

40

50

60

70

80

90

Calf w

eig

ht

(kg

)

0 2 4 6 8

Calf age (weeks)

weaning

Ad libitum

Conventional



Higher milk intake slows starter intake before weaning, but will not after weaning

0

1

2

3

0 2 4 6 8

Sta

rter

inta

ke (

kg/d

)

Calf age (weeks)

Ad libitum

Conventional

weaning



What milk feeding levels is required by and recommended to producers?

Requirement: calves must receive a volume…of milk or milk replacer to maintain health, growth and vigor.

Recommended best practice: offer calves…20% of body weight…until 28d…(approx 8L/d for a Holstein)

Does feeding calves higher levels of milk have long-term

benefits?

Higher growth rates during the milk-feeding phase have long-term benefits!

Great weight at calving increased weight gain during the first 2 mo of life results

in significantly greater body weight at 24 mo of age (Moallem et al. 2010. J. Dairy Sci. 93:2639-2650)

Survivability Heifers that reached second lactation grew more

between 12 and 65 d of age than those that did not (Bach. 2011. J. Dairy Sci. 94:1052-1057)

Feeding more milk increases milk production later in life!!

Study Response__ Soberon et al. 2009 1061 kg (1st lactation)

616 kg (2nd lactation)

Bar-Peled et al., 1998 454 kg

Foldager and Krohn, 1994 1403 kg

Foldager et al., 1997 518 kg

These responses were achieved by increasing pre-weaning milk intake by at least 75% over conventional intake

How do we maintain Milk Quality?

Feeding higher levels of milk increases the risk of bacterial growth in milk available to calves throughout the day

Milk quality should be maintained: Use robotic calf feeder which mixes milk at each

feeding Pasteurization Limit time availability Acidification


Pasteurization Reduce disease-causing bacteria Need constant supply of non-

saleable milk and/or use saleable milk

0

2.5

5

7.5

10

Min

/ h

0 6 12 18 24T

ime

on

teat

24h/d

4h/d

von Keyserlingk et al., 2006. J. Dairy Sci. 89:2126-2131


Limit time availability? Providing access to

ad libitum milk for 4 h/d vs. 24 h/d

has no detrimental

effects on intake

How to maintain Milk Quality?

Acidification? Preserve milk with formic acid Acidification with formic acid preserves milk

for storage at room temperature and allows batch mixing at 1-to 3-day intervals to save labour

In addition, the milk is fed cool to avoid gorge feeding


Acidification to pH 4.0 -4.5 is to preserve the milk/milk replacer

Once preserved from growth of bacteria and molds, the milk can be stored at room temperature for several days

Proper preservation permits free-access feeding of milk to calves without the need for refrigeration of the milk

Acidification decreases a calf’s exposure to bacteria because it decreases the bacterial load in milk or milk replacer


Timely stirring of acidified milk assures calves receive a consistent mix when they suckle

Since acidified milk gels and separates, timely stirring is essential

Vigorous stirring at high rpm for a short duration will achieve excellent mixing


Least expensive equipment includes: Electric drill and paint mixer attachment to mix the

milk and preservative Container to hold a reservoir of milk Teats on the container or attached to a feeder bar

on a wall

System may be gravity fed with teats at the bottom of the container or line-fed with teats attached to a plastic line with a one-way valve


Free-access feeding systems can be automated with mixers on timers or recirculation pumps to deliver milk from one reservoir to several groups of calves and back to the reservoir

In general, acidified milk may be prepared at 1-3 day intervals and the equipment cleaned 2x per week

The use of a preservative (acidification to pH 4.0 -4.5) and feeding at a cool (20°C in winter) temperature (to limit intake per meal) are essential to the success of free-access feeding systems

For further information on acidified milk feeding:

See notes by Dr. Neil Anderson for instructions: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/d

airy/facts/mimick.htm

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/dairy/facts/mimick.htm

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/dairy/facts/mimick.htm

Appleby et al., 2001. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.74:191-201

How should we provide milk to calves?

By bucket? During each feeding

calves spend on average 44 s drinking milk, and 6 min sucking on the empty bucket

Appleby et al., 2001. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.74:191-201

How should we provide milk to calves?

By teat? When provided free access,

calves spend on average 47 min drinking milk, and typically spread this feeding time into 6 to 10 milk meals.

Teat feeding also increases insulin and CCK levels (good for digestion!)

Recommended best practice: - provide milk via a teat or provide a dry teat after milk feeding to satisfy the calf’s motivation to suck

Which way of providing milk is recommended?

Feeding milk to calves in groups

Group housing and feeding is possible when calves are fed: Free access (ad libitum) through a teat

system Using an automated calf feeder

• Cross-sucking is very rare among teat-fed calves (less than 0.2% of time) when provided sufficient amounts of milk

Chua et. al. 2002. J. Dairy Sci. 83:360-364.

Does group housing not increase the risk of cross sucking?

0.5

1.0

0 2 4 6 8Calf age (weeks)

Wei

ght

gain

(kg

/d)

PairSingle

Chua et. al. 2002. J. Dairy Sci. 83:360-364.

Group housing of calves also helps make calves more successful transitions at

weaning

Pair housed calves fed ad libitum via a teat showed

similar weight gains to individually housed calves

show less of a growth check at weaning

How does milk feeding level affect solid feed consumption and weaning?

For calves with higher milk solids intake it is not unusual for calves to begin consuming calf starter until after the second week

Lower starter intake may slow the rate of rumen development, which has been assumed to contribute to calves "stalling out” (having a growth check) when weaned from milk

Weaning off milk

Weaning – Survey Results

How are calves weaned off milk? Abruptly stop feeding 22% (191/849) Decrease volume 29% (249/849) Dilution of milk 37% (311/849) Intermittent feeding 12% (98/849)

Combination of methods 93

How is the time of weaning decided? Calf age 812 Calf weight 293 Starter/grain intake 454*often this is a combination*

Weaning Age – Survey Results

5 weeks or less 2.4% (21/863)

6 weeks 12% (101/863)

7 weeks 9% (77/863)

8 weeks 36% (311/863)

9 weeks 10% (86/863)

10 weeks or more 31% (267/863)

How best to wean calves fed higher levels of milk?

Conventional ‘Cold turkey’ Simply remove milk Too much of a growth

check at weaning

Calf age (weeks)

Calf w

eig

ht

(kg

)

40

50

60

70

80

90

0 2 4 6 8

weaning

Calves used to consuming high quantities of milk are typically not consuming sufficient dry feed at weaning to maintain growth Conventional ‘cold turkey’ weaning is NOT appropriate

Solid feed intake needs to be encouraged in the 1-2 weeks prior to weaning Milk needs to either be:

DilutedReduced in amount

Recent research comparing weaning calves fed and weaned conventionally to those fed a

higher milk level and stepped down

Khan et al., 2007. J. of Dairy Sci. 90:3376-3387

0

2

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6

8

10

12

4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34 37 40 43 46 49

Milk

con

sum

ptio

n (k

g/d)

Calf age (days)

Step-downConventional

Solid feed (calf starter) intake increased before and after weaning in calves fed through step down method


0

700

1400

2100

2800

3500

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Sta

rter

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g/d)

Calf age (days)

Step-down

Conventional

0

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90

120

1 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Calf age (days)

Bo

dy

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igh

t (kg

)

Step-downConventional

Improved weight gains were observed in calves fed through step down method…NO growth check!


Take Home Messages Providing milk in sufficient quantities to maintain health

and growth is key to long-term calf health, welfare, and productivity Feed calves minimum of 20% of body weight in first 4 weeks of

life

Providing milk by a teat is the most appropriate method of milk delivery

Milk quality is important and needs to be maintained to prevent bacterial growth

Calves should be weaned off milk gradually to ensure proper transition to solid feed

Dairy calf nutrition: Milk feeding level, method, preservation , and weaning

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