Monday, March 12, 2007
Volume 2, Issue 5  

Heifer demand to remain firm
High feed costs and tight margins have led to increased dairy-cow slaughter. Since last May, slaughter has been running nearly 11 percent ahead of year-earlier numbers. However, cow numbers remain virtually unchanged as producers appear to be replacing less-productive cows with replacement heifers. That, in turn, should help lower the cost of feed per pound of milk, says Greg Scheer, dairy analyst at Doane Advisory Services in St. Louis. With dairy cow numbers expected to decline only slightly in 2007, improved milk prices and aggressive culling should help keep demand for replacement heifers firm.


Welcome to the March 12 edition of Calf and Heifer Adviser, published by Dairy Herd Management® magazine.

Calf and Heifer Adviser and its core sponsors are committed to providing you with the information you need to make informed and timely business decisions.

Land 'O Lakes


Limit-fed heifers generate less manure
 Imagine 10 pounds less manure per heifer per day. That was one result of a study reported in the February Journal of Dairy Science. In the study, bred heifers limit-fed for 80 percent of intake generated 2 pounds less manure dry matter per heifer per day than ad-libitum-fed heifers. That's 10 pounds less manure per heifer per day on a wet basis, says Pat Hoffman, dairy researcher at the University of Wisconsin's Marshfield Agricultural Research Station. "We are exploring pushing the envelope on limit-feeding strategies for dairy replacement heifers," Hoffman said last week at the Western Dairy Management Conference in Reno, Nev. Things look promising, but proceed with caution if you decide to use this strategy. More research is planned.

Heifer-feeding options plentiful
 There’s definitely more than one way to feed a heifer. So, researchers at the University of Minnesota’s Southern Research and Outreach Center in Waseca, Minn., decided to examine several feeding regimens. They evaluated diets based on limit or full-fed concentrate mixtures, with or without access to long hay during part of the feeding period from two to six months of age. The researchers concluded that all of the diets studied resulted in acceptable average daily gains, hip heights and body weights. For more, follow this link.


Communicate for successElanco Rumensin
Routine communication is one of the best things you can do to keep heifer owners happy and confident in the care you provide. Initial evaluations, monthly progress reports, quarterly benchmark reports and poor-doer reports go a long way in keeping clients apprised, explains Greg Goodell, veterinarian and partner in The Heifer Authority in northern Colorado.

Report card works well here
Each truckload of heifer calves that arrives at The Heifer Authority in Carr, Colo., receives a report card. Body condition and basic health events are noted (see examples below). “Looking at these criteria provides a good indication of the heifers’ status when they arrive, and alerts us if they may need special care,” explains Greg Goodell, veterinarian and partner at the heifer-raising facility. As heifers are unloaded and moved into a quarantine pen, they are scored on the following criteria:  

  • Body condition score of 2.5 to 2.75. Anything less and the heifers don’t have enough body reserves to fight off a disease challenge should one occur.
  • Ringworm, an indication of the animals’ health and nutrition status.
  • Lameness and hernias, which reflect on the animals’ prior care.
  • Injuries, which can indicate how well the animals were transported.

Each group receives a percentage score for each item. If more heifers than normal fall outside of expectations, the owner is notified.

Rotavirus and coronavirus commonly found
Experts say that if you test for rotavirus or coronavirus, you’ll probably find it. These viruses have been found on virtually all farms tested. However, whether or not these two pathogens cause severe, mild, or even no clinical cases of diarrhea in calves depends on your management. The key is to monitor passive transfer, calf energy status, and to practice good housing hygiene. The same goes for good hygiene of feed and treatment equipment — and hands — plus ventilation. For more details, follow this link.

Neonatal-calf-care workshop set
Mark your calendars for March 20-21 and plan to attend the Neonatal Calf Care and Management Workshop II in Wooster, Ohio. Topics of discussion include: diagnosis, treatment and prevention of calfhood diseases, assessing calf health, fluid therapy, nutrition and growth, hygiene and managing the calf enterprise. For more information, send an e-mail to Diane Shoemaker at: shoemaker.3@osu.edu. Or, you can follow this link to download the conference brochure (PDF format).

Calf & Heifer Resource Center
Dairy Herd Management has created the Calf & Heifer Resource Center to help you find the information you need without having to search the Internet for it. The Center includes links to informative articles and research from Dairy Herd Management and our sister publication, Bovine Veterinarian, as well as a list of pertinent Web sites that contain specific calf-and-heifer tools and information. All materials are organized by topic for easy reference. The site is continually updated, so if you have a favorite online resource that we missed, please let us know. To check it out, go to: www.dairyherd.com. Once there, click on the Calf & Heifer Resource Center link on the right.

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