Standards and benchmarks have been of interest to producers for many years. Whether financial, production-based, health-related or otherwise, our human nature is to always want to know “how we stack up,” especially with others in the same business. Last fall, the Dairy Calf and Heifer Association (DCHA) released its own set of benchmarks for calf and heifer nutrition after more than a year of comprehensive input, discussion, meetings and literature reviews by a cross-section of industry groups. DCHA is calling their benchmarks Gold Standards.
Producers looking at the new standards for the first time will find that they do not recommend any one particular nutrition, management or vaccination program. Rather, they provide goals and recommendations which heifer raisers should work towards. The standards are broken down into six main areas of farm assessment.
1. Mortality rates on a dairy are the least subjective area to measure – either a calf is alive or she isn’t. The DCHA standards set aggressive, but achievable, benchmarks for mortality and death loss. Producers struggling with higher death losses in pre-weaned calves should look closely at the other areas of the standards for possible solutions. Colostrum management is the first place to examine.
2. Assessing morbidity rates is a tricky business and one that takes some practice. The most common mistake producers can make is determining whether loose manure is a sign of calf scours and disease or merely that calves are being fed a higher plane of nutrition. Calves fed a high-protein diet to meet growth standards will occasionally display loose stool, just like a human baby who is healthy and growing. A scours scoring guide can help differentiate the two. The most common scale used is 1 to 4, with 1 being normal, fairly solid; 2 being normal, soft but still fairly formed; 3 being abnormal, runny and not formed; and 4 being abnormal, liquid or watery. Scores 1 and 2 are normal and no intervention will be needed. For 3 and 4 scores, intervention with electrolytes, and possibly antibiotics, should begin.
If calves are displaying scours because of a disease challenge, feeding electrolytes can aid in early prevention of dehydration and electrolyte loss. It’s important to continue feeding milk replacer or pasteurized whole milk when calves scour, as both the liquid and nutrients are needed from the normal diet. Removing milk may harden manure quickly, but the calf will not receive the nutrition needed to fight off the disease.
Our goal with morbidity rates should be to ensure that progress is made towards an end target. A recommended goal is to reduce morbidity rates by 10 percent per year. If your disease rates are higher than these guidelines, set achievable goals for your operation and start working toward them.
3. DCHA has set adequate standards for growth rates in young heifers. Heifers under six months of age are the most feed-efficient on the dairy, especially during the pre-weaning phase. Calves fed a full-potential program, consisting of a 28 percent protein, 20 percent fat milk replacer with soluble fiber technology, along with a 22 percent high-protein, highly-palatable calf starter, are able to reach these growth targets and ensure proper structural growth. It’s important that calves be fed to not only gain weight but also grow taller and longer. Calves should increase hip height four to five inches before they reach 60 days of age. Growth should be targeted to reflect the overall goals of the particular farm for age at first calving. More information on targeting heifer growth is included below.
4. Proper colostrum management and handling is the most important part of getting calves off to a healthy start. Calves should be fed a gallon of high-quality colostrum within the first four hours of life. If using a colostrometer, colostrum should be tested at room temperature to ensure an accurate quality result. Feeding should be done with a bottle or esophageal feeder.
Cleanliness of equipment, including the unit which fresh cows are milked with, as well as the cow being milked, are important for maintaining low bacteria counts in colostrum. Additionally, colostrum should be frozen or fed within two hours of harvesting. If it’s being cooled (refrigerated or frozen), producers should use a container with a large surface area so it cools more quickly.
Colostrum replacers are a good alternative as well, especially on farms where harvesting bacteria-free colostrum is a challenge. It’s also wise to keep some colostrum replacer on-hand to replace poor quality maternal colostrum. Producers need to ensure the replacer that they feed contains 100 grams of IgG, not globular proteins, as these are not the same. It’s also best to choose a product that is made from maternal colostrum and proven through independent research.
5. Setting goals for a nutrition program should be primarily based on your goals for the farm. The Target Growth System, which was created by an industry alliance of researchers, industry groups and veterinarians, can be customized for each dairy. Producers need to first determine the size of mature cows on their farm and a goal for age-at-first-calving (AFC). Then, nutrition rations should be balanced to ensure heifers reach 55 percent of their mature size by breeding age and 82 percent of mature size at first calving.
Producers should check the feed tag of their calf starter to see what guidelines the manufacturer recommends for feeding hay. In most cases, hay should not be offered to calves younger than 12 weeks as long as the calf starter is properly formulated to include fiber for proper rumen development.
The DCHA Gold Standards are a good way to begin evaluating a calf and heifer nutrition program. Producers who are not meeting some of the guidelines should look for ways to achieve incremental and cost-effective improvements on their farms, rather than be discouraged by an overly aggressive goal. PD
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