5 tips for smart colostrum management
The milk from the first 3 days after calving must not be sent to the milk factory. What do you do with the surplus milk? Sprayfo gives you 5 tips for optimal processing of the first milk:
1.Feed all calves 6 to 8 litres of colostrum per day for the first 3 days. With heifer calves, change to Sprayfo after 3 days.
2.Feed bull calves 6 to 8 litres of 'colostrum milk' per day until delivery. Do you know that 2 litres extra per day results in 2 kg additional growth in a fortnight!
3.When feeding 'colostrum milk' pay special attention to iron provision: give bull calves an iron injection and/or feed FarmOSan StartFit for 3 days (10 grams per day).
4.Feed 'colostrum milk' directly after milking to prevent any hygiene problems.
5.Clean buckets thoroughly before the next feed.
Optimum beestings processing chart:
Colostrum milk Management Module | ||
Number of dairy cows | 100 | head |
Colostrum milk yield in first 3 days | 60 | litres |
Colostrum per year | 6000 | litres |
Percentage of heifers for stock rearing | 50 | % |
Percentage of bull calves for sale | 50 | % |
Colostrum feeding for first 3 days | 21 | litres |
Dairy cow feeds for first 2 weeks | 100 | litres |
Feeding cow calf for stock rearing day 1-3 | 1050 | litres |
Feeding bull calves for sale | 5000 | litres |
Colostrum surplus | -50 | litres |