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The lifetime performance of a dairy cow is affected by how she was managed as a calf in the first hours and weeks after birth, scientific studies have shown.
Explaining the concept of “metabolic programming” at last week’s CAFRE, Dairy UK, UFU dairy conference, ruminant researcher from Trouw Nutrition R&D Dr Leonel Leal said genetics alone do not influence how animals grow and perform during their lifetime.
Instead, environmental factors in early life such as nutrition and housing have a strong influence on how an animal’s metabolism develops, Leal said.
The Netherlands-based researcher highlighted various studies which showed that calf management affects the onset of puberty, survival rates until first calving, age of first calving and milk production.
At Trouw Nutrition’s research centre in the Netherlands, calves are bought in from neighbouring dairy farms at 24 hours of age
“Colostrum is the single most important meal that the calf will receive during its entire lifetime. It is the most complex bio-fluid in nature; the number of different bio-active components in it is huge,” he said.
At Trouw Nutrition’s research centre in the Netherlands, calves are bought in from neighbouring dairy farms at 24 hours of age.
Researchers then measure levels of immunoglobins (IgG) in the blood. This is effectively a measure of immunity, that correlates to colostrum intake in the first hours of life.
They found that 27% of calves died before weaning if IgG levels were low.
Administer colostrum
Leal also discussed a study which examined different methods of administering colostrum. It found that most colostrum ended up in the abomasum (fourth stomach) if it was fed through a bottle, whereas colostrum that was fed through a stomach tube went into the rumen (first stomach).
Importantly, the level of IgG in blood was exactly the same with either of the two methods
Some researchers have suggested that colostrum IgG absorption might be less efficient in the rumen.
“Importantly, the level of IgG in blood was exactly the same with either of the two methods,” said Leal.
Based on this finding, he said he had no preference for colostrum administration, although he acknowledged that from a labour efficiency point of view, stomach tubing is quicker and allows for a standardised practice.
Liveweight
Research was also quoted which showed that calves fed four litres of colostrum in the first feed averaged a daily liveweight gain of 1.03kg up to 500 days of age, compared to 0.80kg for calves that received only two litres.
The study looked at performance through to second lactation and found that 87.1% of the four-litre colostrum group survived until second lactation, compared to 75.7% in the two-litre group.
The four-litre group also averaged an extra 1,000 litres of milk over the first two lactations.
Delayed
When delayed colostrum feeding was investigated, the higher level of IgG in calves that were fed colostrum immediately after birth was statistically significant when compared to calves that were fed colostrum after six hours and 12 hours.
“It is a race between colostrum and bugs to get inside the calf first,” Leal said.
It is also important to ensure colostrum is of sufficient quality
His key advice to farmers was to keep calving pens and calf sheds clean and feed at least four litres of colostrum within one hour after birth.
It is also important to ensure colostrum is of sufficient quality. Leal recommended the feeding of colostrum with at least 50mg/ml of IgG which equates to a brix reading of 22% on a refractometer.
During his presentation, Leal also listed numerous studies which have showed that pre-weaning daily liveweight gain is related to subsequent milk yield as cows.
In one US study, where calves were fed an enhanced level of milk replacer, at 54 days of age these calves had significantly heavier mammary glands than those on a more standard diet.
“Calves can drink more milk than we are providing them with. Their intake ability is immense; they can drink 12 litres a day,” Leal said.
The intake capacity of the calf is not the issue
However, he suggested that the limiting factor on most farms is not the calf’s intake ability, but rather the method of milk feeding.
“The intake capacity of the calf is not the issue – the issue is that our production is set in such a way that maybe we do not have on-farm the best tools to feed such a high amount of milk.
Conservative
“For example, if you are feeding calves twice a day on a bucket, I wouldn’t suggest to go as high as 12 litres per day. I would be more conservative and stay somewhere between the 7-8 litre mark.
“But if you have an automated feeder where you can feed calves many small portions in a day, you can easily perform ad libitum and the calf will have that intake capacity [of 12 litres],” he said.
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