by-DR. Chandrakiran Sant,
International Dairy Management Advisor, Mumbai.
When a calf is born its rumen will not be developed and it will take a few months until rumen is fully developed and start functioning. Until them the calf is similar to a simple-stomached animal nutritionally. It implies the following :
i) Essential amino acids should be provided in required quantity in the ration of calves. In other words they will benefit from high quality protein and from a mixed source of protein. ii) Vitamins belonging to the B-complex group are a nutritional necessity for them apart from vitamins A and D.
ii) They cannot utilize non-protein nitrogenous substances like urea. iv) They require more minerals for growth of bone, muscle and other tissues
Importance of Colostrum Feedings :—————-
In cattle the antibodies (gama globulins) are transferred from mother to the calf through colostrum. These gama globulins will be absorbed as such by the calf and will enter its system forming a ready made antibody resistance system for the calf against all the disease producing agents and other antigens the mother has had, encountered during its lifetime. This will protect the calf against diseases in the early stages, until their own ‘antibody manufacturing’ system takes over. Thus, if colostrum is not fed, the calves are denied antibody cover and, therefore, will remain susceptible to many diseases. Most likely, they will perish due to some disease or the other. Besides, colostrum is highly nutritions. It is slightly laxative and prevents constipation. This is helpful because the diet of the young calf being totally devoid of crude fibre is constipatory.
Feeding the antibiotics————————————
Antibiotic feed supplements like Aurcomycin, Terramycin, Penicillin and different combinations of these antibiotics when supplemented in feed result in :
1. Improved appetite 2. Increased growth (from 10-30 percent) 3. Smoother hair coat 4. Reduction in incidence of calf scours
For example feeding Aureomycin at a rate of 80 mg per calf per day between 4th and 116th day resulted in an increase of 10-30 percent in their growth rate. It has been observed that the antibiotic feed supplementation is more effective in less bygienic environments.
Feeding the young calf.———
The calf that is worth raising deserves raising well. The feeding and management during the early stages of life greatly influence the future production when it grows into a mature cow. The new born calf should get colostrum for three to five days. If the calf is weak to drink milk on its own, it may be helped to do so by holding it up to its mother’s udder or by pouring the milk into its mouth. When weaning is practised in zebu breeds where maternal instinct is well developed, it is better not to allow the calf to suckle at all. Even the colostrum may be milked out and fed to the calf from a pail or from a nippled can. Teaching a calf to drink from the pail. Withhold feed to the calf for two to four hours and let it work up an appetite. Dip your fingers in milk and let the calf suckle from it. Slowly lower your fingers to the pail containing milk pushing the calf’s head if necessary. By repeating the process the calf will learn to drink from the pail. The pail should be very clean. Milk given should be heated to body temperature.
Nipple Feeding—–
. In Western countries, milk utensils fitted with rubber nipples are used to feed milk to weaned calves. Milk at body temperature is poured into the vessel, which is kept at the level suitable for the calf to suckle. Strict hygienic measures in washing and sterilizing the nipples and vessels are necessary to avoid calf scours. Avoid overfeeding. Overfeeding young calves causes calf scours. it is better to keep the calf on the hungry side than overfeed it. Similarly, milk with a high fat percentage also causes scours. Milk from a cow with low fat percentage can be fed or the milk with high fat percentage may be diluted with hot water and fed. The calf should be fed according to its weight. They require 1 kg milk for every 10 to 12 kg body weight per day. The calf’s appetite and condition may also be taken into account. Rate of growth and age are other important factors.
Feeding of calf up to 1 year age.———-
Feeding colostrums.————–
Feeding colostrum after birth within one hour to get maximum antibiotics especially in buffalo calves for developing immunity against diseases. Biological significance of the colostrum will be lost if feeding is delayed for more than 2 hours. Cows in 2nd or later lactation’s produce larger quantity of colostrum and have higher immunoglobulins concentrations than cow in first lactation. This is because old cows would have been exposed to a wider range of diseases than young animals and therefore have produced more immunoglobulins against them. The calf is capable of absorbing antibodies from the colostrum only for a short period of time. Maximum absorption occurs immediately after birth and decrease with time. By 24 hours after birth very little absorption of antibodies occurs through the intestinal wall. Allow add iibitum of colostrum in the first 3-5 days.
Milk feeding to calf:———-
1 Whole milk one tenth of calf s body weight 2. Skim milk feeding -> after 2 weeks of whole milk feeding it can be replaced by skim milk at a gradient rate. Skim milk feeding may be discontinued at 24 weeks of age. 3. Reconstituted or butter milk feeding: Normal butter milk or reconstituted skim milk also be fed in place of fresh skim milk for raising dairy calves specially when calves have access to legume hay.
1) After four months of age, calf can utilize grain mixture. The amount of grains needed for calf will depend upon the quality of roughages. 2) Clean and green and leafy legume or mixed hay forms the good fodder for young calves, hay can be offered to young calves after two weeks of age on free choice basis. They may start with handful of hay but will eat more and more with increase in age. Green legumes preferable mixed with other fodder is also good.
2) Pasture specially a mixture of legume with other grasses provides an excellent, feed for growing calves. They may be permitted to graze after 6 months of age. A separate pasture for calves is suggested. 4) A limited quantity of silage may be offered to calves preferably after 4 months of age. Care should be taken only 3-4 kg good quality silage along with mineral supplements. Is continued, watering to calves just before feeding milk should be favoided as it would reduce intake of milk.
Antibiotic feeding:——————–
Use of antibiotics in calf starter or milk replaces will have the following advantages. a) Increase feed efficiency b) Decrease their B 12 requirement c) Exert a protein sparing effect d) Increase livability e) Reduce incidence of calf scours and other disease. f) Reduction in calf mortality rate g) General improvement in conditions of calves. h) Produce a more rapid growth by 15-20 percent. Aureomycin is the antibiotic which is widely using. Others are Terramycin, pencillin, streptomycin, Bacitracin, Chloromycetin, Neomycin and Tetracycline etc.
Supplying Minerals calves should have an abundant supply of mineral particularly calcium and phosphorus. The requirement of these minerals is partly met when legume hay it fed liberally. A simple mineral mixture consisting of 2 parts of dicalcium phosphate and one part salt will usually give results. In areas where deficiency of Iodine and cobalt exists, the iodised salt and cobalt chloride should be included in mineral mixture. Salt licks are also used. Supplying Vitamins: when the amount of whole milk in the diet of calf is being limited, the Vitamin A and D should be supplied in calf starter. Irradiated yeast
good source of Vitamin D or else cod liver oil specially in winter may also be added to skim milk to supply Vitamin A and D. Sun cured hay is also a good source of Vitamin D calves receiving available sunshine probably do not lack Vitamin D. Rovimix can also be added as a good source of Vitamin A, B2 and D. Water for calves Growing calves should have access to fresh, clean water at all times, Particularly when milk feeding is reduced .
Reference:On request.
