Calf health and subsequent lifetime production can be optimised through good colostrum management, feeding more milk solids and controlling moisture inside calf housing.

According to Georgina Thomas, young animal feed manager for Trouw Nutrition, research shows feeding a higher level of milk solids could improve health and organ development.

Speaking at a Wynnstay Calf and Youngstock event, she highlighted a study that showed every 110g of average daily gain in the first two months of life equated to 225kg of extra milk in first lactation.

She also challenged farmers to feed calves more milk and said: “We think we should limit meal size. The thought was if we fed too much milk it would overflow into the rumen and cause nutritional bloat and scour.”

Contrary to this traditional thinking, she said research showed the calf’s abomasum – which makes up 60% of the baby calf’s stomach capacity until the other three stomachs mature – will stretch comfortably, with one study showing calves that voluntarily drank 8.6 litres of milk daily, showing no signs of adverse effects.

Hence, Ms Thomas advised farmers to offer milk ad-lib as soon as possible and use teats to control feeding speed.

“If calves are clearing buckets, start to offer half a litre more and aim to get up to top volumes by seven days of age,” she said.

Charlie Humphreys, from Horizon Vets, reiterated the role good colostrum management plays on early life nutrition.

“Calves should be fed at least 10% of their bodyweight within the first two hours of life,” she said. She also encouraged farmers to start measuring serum total protein levels by blood testing calves when they are less than seven days old. This is a good barometer of colostrum management and the close-up calving diet, with colostrum production starting four to five weeks before calving.

While nutrition is key to providing good immunity to disease, Aaron Brown, commercial calf nutritionist from Trouw Nutrition Ireland, said moisture control in housing is essential to prevent disease.

Mr Brown, who completed a PhD on calf housing at the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), said cold stress on calves was intensified by moisture.

He pointed to his research that showed no difference in the average daily gain (ADG) of calves housed at either 8°C or 18°C when the relative humidity was 65%. However, earlier research showed ADG fell when humidity was 95% combined with a lower temperature of 7°C.

He advised farmers to keep bedding clean and dry, provide a minimum of 2.5m2 of space per calf and ensure pens were free draining.

“We need to build around the needs of the calf rather than putting calves in locations that are not desirable,” he added.

Vet Tommy Heffernan echoed these sentiments, adding that cleanliness was also critical to control pathogens. He discussed the importance of the gut microbiome and how this is fundamental to calf health due to 70% of the calf’s immune system being in the gut.

“Doing the simple things well is difficult but to improve disease control we must reduce infection pressure and improve calf immunity.

“Firstly, cleanliness is god; 50% of calf diseases are related to hygiene, do you have good simple protocols, that are repeatable and easy to do? Secondly, I strongly believe that the unique liquid blend, of pro and postbiotics is a game changer in calf health. Maintaining good gut health is going to be the key to any successful calf enterprise,” said Mr Heffernan