Diarrhea remains the leading cause of death in dairy calves

The number of calf barns with automated feeders is certainly on the rise. More and more farmers are going that route for their calf raising needs

On many farms, it’s well understood that the calf’s first meal is of vital importance

When it comes to calf housing, we often think about what’s around the animal (including pen walls and air movement), but how much consideration is given to what lies beneath the calf as bedding?

With a wealth of information about the care and treatment for calves on dairy farms available, it can be easy to forget some of the basics that have the biggest impact on calf health

We all have learned a lot more about the importance of facilities and cow comfort by studying cows housed in freestall barns, which may include turn-out lots on dirt or pasture

While colostrum is known to be needed by newborn calves as they are born without any immunity, there is more to this picture

The first colostrum feeding not only helps calves establish passive immunity, it also populates the intestinal tract with bacteria needed for digestion

Sometimes I think water is not valued enough for dairy cattle because it seems to be “free” or costs little compared to other feedstuffs. And it all begins with calves

Calf housing is most often designed with health benefits and labor efficiency in mind. With limited complexity in their environment, calves will often turn to non-nutritive suckling for entertainment

It’s the most important meal a calf will ever receive, but is it as nutritious as it should be? With no immunity to fight off illness, colostrum is essential within the first few hours of life

“The opportunity for higher daily liquid feeding rates, smaller meal sizes, and getting back to what’s more normal biology for the calf,”

You’ve heard it before: calves fed a higher plane of nutrition make more milk in the first lactation. But how does it happen?

Do we really have the opportunity to improve first-lactation milk yield with the decisions we make when the calf is still consuming milk or milk replacer?

Research has shown us that a calf’s diet today can influence its milking potential two years down the road

Farms that utilize medicated milk replacer or calf starter should make adjustments now before the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) takes effect on January 1

A dairy feeder calf is a young (1 to 14 days of age), often male, calf that leaves the dairy farm to enter the red meat industry

Serving up the very first meal What matters more: The amount of colostrum fed or the method in which it is delivered? If quality colostrum is fed in large quantities, both bottle and esophageal tube delivery...

For years, preweaned dairy calves were housed individually as a means to reduce the spread of disease and monitor feed intake. Yet, over time, researchers have suggested that calves may benefit from socialization...

We're all influenced by two factors: genetics and the environment. Genetics are preset, but how we feed our calves influences their future potential