The more we learn about the finer points of calf anatomy and behavior, the more we can help them succeed in living their best and healthiest lives.
As an example, there’s a new generation of calf nursing nipples entering the equipment market, and they vary greatly from the sliced-with-a-pocket-knife strategies of the past.
Agri-Plastics of Sidney, Neb. has begun marketing the Milk BarTM Revolution Snap On Nipple, a new, slow-flow nipple that promotes more natural suckling behavior. It features 5 slits in a circular pattern, which promote a slower release of milk flow and encourage saliva production. Like traditional calf nipples, it also has a vent hole at the base.
By allowing calves to drink more slowly, the new nipples also help to ensure that liquid feedings are channeled into the abomasum via closure of the esophageal groove. The esophageal groove is a curved muscle at the base of the esophagus. When calves suckle, it closes and forms a small tube, so milk bypasses the rumen and enters the abomasum.
The late Sam Leadley, longtime calf and heifer specialist from Attica, NY, noted that the abomasum is the ideal place to digest milk, thanks to its acid environment and ready supply of the enzyme rennin, which causes milk to clot.
If calves drink too fast (i.e.: the “pocket-knife hole”), the esophageal groove may not close completely. In that case, milk may enter the rumen instead, where it is not exposed to rennin, takes several hours to eventually transfer over to the abomasum, and creates an environment conducive to scours and bloat.
Calves that drink too quickly also are at a greater risk for respiratory disease. In his calf training sessions, Leadley explained without fail that calves overwhelmed with milk flow often inhale some of the liquid as they attempt to simultaneously breathe and swallow, putting them at considerable risk of aspiration pneumonia.
Cross sucking is another concern addressed by slower-flow nipples. When calves nurse their dams, they extract about 1 quart of milk every 4-5 minutes. Depending on volume fed, calves nursing rapid-flow nipples may consume their entire meal in as short as 1 minute, which doesn’t allow enough time to satisfy their natural suckling instincts. That can lead to cross-sucking in group housing.
Mt. Calvary, Wis. dairy producer Joe Loehr raises his calves in group pens of 4, and feeds them with a Milk Bar system. He has solved challenges with cross-sucking by switching to the new slow-flow nipples, and leaving the feeder in the pen for at least 30 minutes. Calves have plenty of time to suckle, even after their meal is consumed.
Loehr told the audience at the recent 2023 Dairy Calf and Heifer Association Annual Conference that the new nipples and extended nursing time have allowed him to discontinue using weaning rings to prevent cross-sucking. Animal welfare is improved by allowing calves to exhibit more natural behaviors, while removing the physical deterrent of the weaning rings.
The Milk Bar Revolution Snap On nipple can be used on regular nipple bottles in addition to the Milk Bar feeding system. The manufacturer recommends sanitizing them with a non-chlorinated, alkaline detergent to ensure maximum biosecurity.
A similar nipple product is being marketed by the Coburn company of Whitewater, Wis. In this video, product specialist Eric Boehler notes that their company’s Braden Milk Snap-On Nipple also is designed to mimic calves’ natural nursing behavior.
“Calves that nurse slowly produce the proper amount of saliva, which is an excellent buffer, and provides strong immune protection,” stated Boehler.
The Braden nipple is available in two slow-flow models: a yellow colostrum nipple made of softer rubber that is intended for a calf’s first few feedings; and a black nipple for use through the rest of the milk-feeding period.
For more on calf management, read:
- 7 Tips for More Effective Vaccination Programs in Calves
- The Eyes Have It When Detecting Early Calf Respiratory Disease
- Mixology Matters with Milk Replacer
