Meeting Heifer Nutrition Goals

Goals of replacement program

• Optimum net profit

– Rearing cost

– Lifetime performance

• Interrelationship of:

– Feed resources

– Facilities

– Labor and management

Key Focus Areas

• Prepartum nutrition

• Colostrum management

• Preweaning nutrition

• Weaning management

• Post weaning

• Transition management

Prepartum nutrition

• Good body condition

• Attention to details – Qualitative nutrition –

vitamins and trace minerals

– Rumen health –• Bulky diets - >40% NDF

• Free of molds

– Good DMI

• Goal: Production of quality colostrum and easy calving!

Colostrum management

• Quality

– >50 g IgG/liter

– < 100,000 cfu/ml

• Quantity

– >150g IgG

– 4 liters

• Quick – < 6 hours

Clean is important!Colostrum and Environment

6

Excessive early intake of bacteria - particularly coliforms – from colostrum or dirty calving environment reduces IgG absorption in the small intestine.

Impact of colostrum on growth

Variable Conventional Intensive

Poor Good Poor Good

Number of calves

21 20 17 25

Mean serum IgG – mg/ml

558 1793 609 2036

Average daily gain – lb/day

1.17 1.09 1.39 1.63

Poor/good = Indicator of colostrum status; Cut point = 1,000 mg/dl serum Conventional = 1.25 lb. 22:20 CMR/day ; Intensive = 1.75 – 2.5 lb 28:20 CMR

Osorio and Drackley, 2010

Other benefits of colostrum?

• Improved glucose absorption

• Improved growth of intestinal villi

• Absorption of immune cells from fresh and calf’s maternal colostrum

– ++++ Immune response in later life.

Preweaning nutritionand feeding management

• Feed calves to meet their nutrient requirements for maintenance and gain

• Calves behavior and diet differ greatly during the 1st weeks of life.

Are maintenance requirements the same?

10

Critical temperatures for calves

42oF (> 21 d)

59oF (< 21 d)

42 °F (> 21 d)

82 °F

Thermoneutral zone

(energy use

at minimum)Lower CT Upper CT

Increased energy needed to stay

warm

Increased energy needed

to cool off

Effective environmental temperatures where

animals must expend energy to maintain body

temperature

2001 Dairy NRCM. E. VanAmburgh slide

Energy allowable gainwhole milk vs. 20:20 CMR

Week 1Calf Whole milk 20:20 Milk Replacer

68oF 32oF 68oF 32o F

80lb. calf –week 1

1lb DMI - 4 qts

0.85 lb. day 0.19 lb./day 00.64 lb. /day No gain Weight loss

80 lb. calf week 1

1.5 lb DMI – 6 qts

1.67 lb. /day 1.15 lb./day 1.15 lb. /day 0.85 lb. /day

12

Additional challenges influencing nutrient requirements? Temperature < 32oFBedding adequacy?

We need to feed more milk solids!!!

Additional challenges?

• Training calf to drink from a bucket?

• Intervals between feedings

– Confounded with amount of daily volume?

• Less than 4 qts / day – impact on metabolism during long PM interval?

• More than 6qts/ day - Calves don’t consume all meal after short interval.

How much energy/nutrients do these hold?

2 vs. 3 quart bottles?

Buckets hold more!

Challenge of buckets

Energy Content of Milk and Milk Replacer

Whole milk (26:31): 2.44 Mcals/lb DM, ME basisMilk replacer (26:20): 2.2 Mcal/lb DM, ME basis

90 lb calf Maintenance requirement

68°F is 1.62 Mcal/d (ME)

0.7 to 0.75 lbs of milk or replacer (6 lb ) to meet requirements

20°F is 2.71 Mcal/d (ME)

1.2 to 1.3 lbs of milk or replacer (~10 lb)to meet requirements

We need to feed more milk solids!!!

Increasing intake of milk solids

• Increase feeding frequency??• Sockett, D.C., C.E. Sorenson, N.K. Betzold, J.T. Meronek, T.J.

Earleywine 2011. J. Dairy Sci. Vol. 94 (Supp. 1):264

• 3 x vs 2x feeding per day– 1.8 lb. powder 1st week

– 2.5 lb. powder wk 2 – 6

– 1.25lb. powder week 7

• Same amount of powder / calf / day

3X vs. 2X daily Feeding Same Total Amount Daily.

Calf feeding managementchallenges?

• Nutrient intake – amount of solids and consistency. –weigh powder and water

– Measure temperature for proper mixing and to prevent cold stress. - 101 – 105oF

• Environment optimized to reduce maintenance expenses.

• Adjust for environmental temperature changes

– More solids – up to 15% DM

– More volume – extra feeding

How to feed more milk successfully

• From the calf perspective

– Higher intake without contributing to digestive upsets – smaller, more frequent meals

• From the labor perspective

– Not feeding calves all day long

• From the owner perspective

– Affordable, return on investment

Alternatives for delivering more solids.

• Mob feeders • Acidified free choice

Alternatives for delivering more solids

Automatic calf feeders

Feeding Plan Example

Control daily allocationControl meal size Facilitate more gradual weaningRecord of daily intake and

drinking speed

Successful calf management

• Colostrum management

• Environment

• Enough solids

– Challenges of higher volume with 2 X feeding

– Labor challenges of 3 X feeding – group housing alternatives.

• Records to evaluate management

Weaning?

• Preweaning liquid feeding programs influence weaning

• What are the goals?

• Traditional – Limit feed liquid diets (~1 lb. DM) to encourage dry feed

intake and early weaning.

– Is this biologically normal?

– Feeding less than 1 lb. of milk or CMR solids places metabolic stress on young calves less than 3 weeks of age.

• “Intensive” feeding programs - > 2 lb. dry matter intake from liquid diets - delays starter intake. – Is this a problem??

Weaning transitions

• Dietary

– Nutrient sources – highly digestible liquid feeds to grains and forages.

– Fermentation of carbohydrates to produce butyric acid appears to stimulate rumen development

• Behavioral - Individual to group housing?

– Group fed calves preweaning have advantage.

– Delay grouping until several weeks after weaning if previously individually housed.

Weaning challenges

• High susceptibility to respiratory disease

• Minimize non-nutritional stressors within two weeks of weaning.

– Movement from individual to group pens

– Movement to “new” group of calves.

• Environment – ventilation and moisture control.

Weaning management and nutrition

• Issues influence weaning management– Rate of liquid diet feeding – 1 lb. to 2.5 lb. of milk

solids– Milk replacer or whole milk quality ?? – Calf starter dynamics

• Molasses level • Fat level • Starch source • Corn processing• Fiber level / physical form

– Forage source – pre / post weaning– Facilities – individual or group housing preweaning?

Focus areas

• Maintain DMI • Palatable, nutrient rich calf starter grain.• Fermentable carbohydrates

– ~5% molasses – 25 – 35% starch

• Particle size – no response to fine grinding• Starch source - corn>wheat>oat>barley

– ~2.5 – 3% fat – no added fat – doesn’t support fermentation

• Forage fiber– Not needed for papillae growth– Clean, digestible fiber added @15% of DMI may have merit

• Early maturity grass or small grain hay.

• Protein sources – degradable to support rumen microbe needs. 18 – 22% CP. Higher levels for intensive feeding programs. Risk management.

Impact of liquid feeding program on weaning

• 28:20 milk replacer - 22% CP Starter

• 20:20 milk replacer – 18% CP starter

• Wean @ 48 – 52 days

• Harvest calves at 4, 8 , 12 weeks

K. Daniels, 2012

K. Daniels slide

Weaning strategies

• Gradual or abrupt

• Sweeney et al , 2010 – four weaning strategies

– Abrupt, 4d, 10d, 22d

– High level of milk feeding < 12 kg/day

– 4 or 10 day weaning was optimal for energy intake and body weight gain.

Energy intake

4 – 10 day weaning period – most consistent energy intake

Body weight

10 day weaning – best gains and less disruption in energy intake at weaning.

Post weaning feeding management

What are the goals?• Rate of growth which permits pregnancy at a

timely age of 12 – 14 months.

• Desirable composition of gain? Not too fat??

• Reasonable cost per unit of gain – resource driven.

• Low morbidity and mortality

Key factors for success

• Resource driven – Environment and land resource

• Extensive – pasture• Intensive – confinement

• Grouping – Post weaning – 2 months - adjust to group and new

forages – Prebreeding– Breeding– Bred– Transition

Post weaning

• Ration formulation based upon available forage.

• Adjust for environmental challenges

– Confinement systems improve (12 – 25%) feed efficiency depending upon body size

– Hair coat, mud, wind, temperature have great impact on heifer nutrient requirements.

Ad lib or restricted DMI diets?

• Heifer diets > 8 months of age

• Limit feeding – Diets formulated to provide adequate nutrients w/ intake at 1.5 to 2.0% of body weight.

• Ad-libitum feeding – Use lower energy/higher fiber feeds to limit over consumption of energy - mostly for heifers > 8 months of age.

Limit feeding

• Lower DMI = higher concentration of nutrients = more “concentrate” ingredients and less “forage”.

• Higher feed efficiency – Greatest with restriction at 80 – 90% of ad lib intake

– Less manure production

• Must have adequate bunk space for all heifers to eat

• Metal fences and structures - heifers have “oral” needs

• More expensive rations / lb. of DMI. Overall feed cost efficiency???

Ad libitum rations

• Well suited to older heifers > 12 months of age.

• Use higher fiber feeds to prevent overconsumption of energy.

• Utilize less expensive byproducts and higher fiber feeds.

• Feed available at all times – less bunk space/heifer needed

• More “normal” feeding behavior.

Feeding management

• Prepartum heifers – making the transition to the milking herd.

• 30 – 60 days prepartum

• Dietary adjustment to milking herd forages and to new environment.

Sound Nutrition Programs

• Meeting the nutrient requirements• Focus on the young animal

– High risk – morbidity and mortality– Impact on future performance– Nutrition and environment

• Post weaning – Utilizing available feed resources – Delivery of nutrients in a labor efficient manner – Adjusting for environmental impact on maintenance

requirements – Records to monitor performance and management

decisions.

Sound Nutrition Programs

Combining Science and Management