Build a better heifer
Three things define a successful calf-raising program. “Calves are alive, calves are healthy and calves are growing well,” says Tina Kohlman, dairy extension agent in Sheboygan County, Wis. It sounds simple, but to achieve that means doing a task “the same way, everyday, by everyone.” Kohlman stressed these points during a calf-care lecture at the 10th International Dairy Short Course held last week in conjunction with World Dairy Expo.
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Judicious use of sexed semen
Consider using DNA-profiling to determine which heifers are the best candidates for sexed semen. As the word spreads about DNA-profiling, including word-of-mouth at last week’s World Dairy Expo, it becomes obvious that it is a good fit with sexed-semen technology. Because the supply of sexed-semen is limited or relatively costly, in some cases, producers will want to use it as judiciously as possible. DNA-profiling can help identify the best heifers for fertility, productive life and other important traits. For more information, follow this link.
Use sexed semen carefully
Along those same lines, be sure to use proper technique when using sexed semen. That’s because the larger surface-to-volume ratio of the 0.25-milliliter straws make sperm more sensitive to cold shock and semen-handling errors, says Joe Dalton, University of Idaho extension dairy specialist. That factor is especially critical as cooler temperatures set in. To maximize fertility with the technology, Dalton suggests that heifer heat detection be accurate and that you employ well-trained inseminators to breed heifers on your operation.
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Maternity-pen protocol gets calves off to good start
All of the calves born at Sunshine Genetics, Whitewater, Wis., are high-value embryo-transfer calves. That means the dairy does a lot to ensure that the calves get off to a good start. Karen Marsh outlined these key points for getting calves off to a good start at World Dairy Expo last week:
- The maternity pen is located in an area of the barn that is away from traffic to give cows a quiet, relaxed atmosphere for birth.
- The pen is cleaned, sanitized and bedded with new bedding after each calving.
- Whenever an employee goes into the maternity pen, he or she must put on clean coveralls and boots.
- All births are supervised.
- All calves receive colostrum from mature cows that test negative for bovine leukosis, Johne’s disease, neospora and are BVD-PI free.
Zip ties denote treatment
Scherbring’s Heifer Hotel uses plastic zip or cable ties to identify treated post-weaned heifers. A zip tie is secured to the heifer’s metal identification tag each time she is treated for sickness. A heifer with more than two zip ties attached to her tag is a signal that the farm needs to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment used, says Marianne Scherbring, of Minnesota City, Minn. They use different colors of zip ties to denote the type of treatment used. Scherbring shared this tip during a Dairy Calf & Heifer Association outreach event held on the Expo grounds.
Have pasteurizer protocols in place
How you handle waste milk before and after it goes into the pasteurizer may be as important as the pasteurizer itself. That was one of the messages the pasteurizer folks were putting out last week at World Dairy Expo. For instance, the cleaning and sanitation protocols need to be just as rigorous with a pasteurizer as they are in the milking parlor. When using a high-temperature, short-time pasteurizer, it is important to use a concentrated non-chlorinated cleaner rather than a chlorinated cleaner, because the combination of chlorine, milk residue and heat can cause a residue to form on the inside of the pasteurizer that is very hard to clean. A “whole-systems approach” can help ensure that there is a sufficient reduction of bacteria in the waste milk.
Washing machines not just for clothes
Amber Hills Ranch in Rupert, Idaho, uses washing machines to clean and sanitize calf-bottle nipples. They add a commercial detergent with chlorine to the hot water in the washer, says Bart Hanson. “Then it spins all the water out,” he explained during a calf and heifer idea-sharing session at World Dairy Expo. The nipples air-dry in buckets with holes in them to further expedite drying. The calf ranch has four washers on hand.
Lower your death loss
Do you know that 40 percent of dairy producers queried in a nationwide survey did not have enough of their own replacements to maintain current herd size? Each heifer calf born is vital to replenishing a herd someday. However, “a lot of times we treat them as second-class citizens,” says Tina Kohlman, dairy extension agent in northeast Wisconsin. A calf is the second-largest cost on a dairy operation. Knowing this, “why would I totally ignore her?” Kohlman posed this question to international guests at a calf-care lecture last week in Madison, Wis. It’s a good reminder to keep death loss low. Many of the calf growers that Kohlman works with in Sheboygan County achieve a death loss well below 5 percent.
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They test waste milk three times
At Hall’s Calf Ranch, Kewaunee, Wis., all calves are fed pasteurized waste milk that has been tested for bacteria counts three times. It is tested before pasteurization and then again immediately afterward. And one final test is performed on the milk fed to the last calf. “We want to make sure the last calf fed receives the same quality of milk as the first calf fed,” says Karen Hall. This third test provides an extra check to make sure that milk quality doesn’t deteriorate before all of the calves are fed.
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