Mom, you should watch what you eat
Controlling energy intake during the dry period may help dairy cows ward off metabolic disease in early lactation. Now researchers want to know what effect this type of dry period diet has on the immunological status of newborn calves.
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Podcast: Colostrum, a critical start for every dairy calf
Stan Moore and Phil Durst, extension dairy educators with Michigan State University discuss the importance of a good colostrum management and feeding program to calf health and survival in the latest Dairy Moosings podcast.
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Straw works with a limit-fed ration
If heifers are in a limit-feeding regime, they may benefit from the inclusion of straw alongside their limit-fed ration. In an experiment reported in the February edition of the Journal of Dairy Science, researchers at the University of Guelph in Canada examined the behavioral and growth responses of dairy heifers when straw was provided with (either within or alongside) a limit-fed ration.
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Maternal cells in colostrum
New immunology research is showing the effects of maternal cells in colostrum when given to newborn calves.
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When a colostrum replacer may be needed
There are definitely situations where the quality of maternal colostrum cannot be guaranteed and a colostrum replacer should be considered.
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Case Study: Handling of colostrum and its effect on the neonate
Handling of colostrum is an area of great interest and one that contains many complex paradoxes. “First, there are ‘naturalists’ among us who argue that fresh, high-quality maternal colostrum is the optimal vehicle for transfer of immunity to the calf and possible for seeding a productive transfer of microbes for immune development,” says David Hurley, PhD, University of Georgia College of Vete-rinary Medicine.
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5 Qs of colostrum management
First milking colostrum is an important source of nutrients, non-specific immune factors and passively absorbed maternal antibodies (immunoglobulins or Ig), critical to promote growth and to protect the newborn calf against infectious disease in the first weeks and months of life, says Sandra Godden, DVM, DVSc, University of Minnesota.
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Keep energy levels up
Spring’s arrival is still several weeks away, which means heifers, especially younger ones, still need extra energy in the diet to maintain target growth rates. A Central Minnesota heifer grower offers advice to increase dietary energy levels in winter.
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Water your calves and watch them grow
Research shows that depriving calves of drinking water decreased starter intake by 31 percent and decreased weight gain by 38 percent over those calves provided water free-choice.
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Know your additives
You may or may not use feed additives in your milk feeding program.
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Get familiar with feed
New research published in the January Journal of Dairy Science takes a look at how exposure to grain or hay at an early age impacts feeding behavior post-weaning.
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