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Water, roughage and concentrates
- From the 2nd week on, it is important to supply good hay, alfalfa and calf concentrate. Good pre-dried silage is always better than bad hay.
- From the 2nd week on, fresh water should be made freely available. This will stimulate the intake of roughage and concentrates.
Rumen development
Offering water, roughage and concentrates to the calf from the 2nd week onwards will speed up rumen development. Rapid rumen development ensures an optimal growth pattern. After weaning, the calf will be fully dependent on the digestion of feeds which have to be decomposed in the rumen. It is highly undesirable to have a growth delay after weaning, due to insufficient rumen development. Any such delay can be compensated for only to a limited extent. The calf has a rather high chance of suffering fat degeneration (e.g. of the udder tissue) with negative consequences. So the sooner rumen development is underway, the easier it will be to wean the calf, and the heifer will develop into a dairy cow in the proper way.
Starting with an easily digestible Sprayfo calf milk replacer ensures rapid rumen development, less weaning-related stress, good health and a proper development from calf to dairy cow.
The calf’s development is crucial. In other words, the farmer has control over the time of weaning but not the feeding schedule. If circumstances dictate that cow’s milk must be supplied, vitamins and minerals should be added.
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