Launched in Canada two years ago, the Texas company’s smart bolus system tracks welfare, productivity and traceability data and has been adopted by 55 Canadian dairies, with Ontario leading the way.

WHY IT MATTERS: The app tracks inventory, manages health and treatment protocols, monitors calf weight and growth, auto-calculates dosages, and sets withholding parameters.

“This is a huge thing for us,” said Kathy Merminod, STgenetics Canadian call centre manager, during the Ottawa Valley Farm Show from March 10-12. “With ST, when we introduce something, we don’t stop there. We are constantly working to improve.”

Merminod said the app regularly updates with new features based on customer feedback and experiences to ensure subscribers receive the highest level of welfare, productivity and traceability protocols possible.

The US$90, easily administered smart bolus can be used by animals as young as 10 days to two-weeks-old, depending on size, and comes with a three-year warranty and a five-year lifespan. Merminod said it has remained effective in early-testing cows for longer, but ST is erring on the side of caution.

Once the bolus, which carries a magnet, microchip and battery, is activated by the animal’s temperature, it doesn’t require any further hardware to collect data.

Once activated, the bolus gathers and stores up to four hours of data, transmitting it every 15 minutes when the animal is within 200 feet of a collector. Multiple collectors work in tandem and must be connected to the internet to receive information from the boluses and send it to a gateway device, which in turn updates the cloud, the subscription-free app, and the website.

READ MORE: Bolus-based sensor companies aim to make dairy cow monitoring smarter

Collectors and gateways cost approximately US$500 each.

Brooklyn Lloyd’s family’s dairy, Sprucetone Farms, milks approximately 60 cows and requires two collectors and one gateway, but the configuration depends on an operation’s herd numbers and barn configurations, or those travelling with a show string who want uninterrupted monitoring.

“One of the advantages for those people who do sell (dairy cattle), you can pull up the entire history of that animal,” added Merminod. “All of the treatments, medications, everything that has gone on through the life of that animal. It’s a nice marketing feature for those people who manage and sell really good animals.”

Lloyd, an early FarmFit adopter, used STgenetics’ UltraPlus gender-sorted semen, but without a heat-detection system, critical breeding windows were missed, especially for heifers.

“When we started putting boluses in the heifers, we noticed our breeding rates going up because we’re catching those heifers in heat faster,” she said. “It’s a whole management system. Not just tracking heat alerts, health and rumination, but you can track and put in all your calving dates, breeding dates and your entire semen inventory.”

System provides in-calf alerts

Two years later, approximately 70 per cent of the herd has a bolus, excluding calves; however, all the animals’ health and welfare protocols are tracked on the free app’s system.

“What sets this system apart from others is that you can put it in a calf, and it stays in their entire lifespan,” explained Lloyd, who is now a FarmFit technical specialist.

READ MORE: Bringing dairy data together in new ways

Having treatment protocols, calving weights and gains, withdrawal timelines or alerts, allows employees and veterinarians to access and update real-time information within a few clicks.

“That’s especially important for things like proAction,” the national dairy quality assurance program, Lloyd said. “They (veterinarians) want to see everything you’ve used that year, medicine-wise and treatments.”

Operators can provide employees and veterinarians with individual logins for real-time updates on treatment and management protocols for each animal. It also helps identify who, what care was provided to which animal.

“It gives you the opportunity to monitor the herd from afar, even when you’re relying on outside help,” Merminod explained. “For example, if you have somebody who’s dedicated to calves. You can have all the calf alerts go to them.”

She added that the alert remains active until the responder logs the action taken.

When used to track calf weight gains, the app calculates medicinal dosages to prevent overdosing or underdosing and mitigates antimicrobial resistance. Merminod said that temperature alerts allow early detection and treatment before symptoms appear — especially for respiratory illness, which can affect a cow’s lifetime performance and production.

“If we can catch those early and eliminate them, it’s a win-win,” she said.

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The Beef Cattle Research Council said national calf death loss within 24 hours of birth averaged 2.2 per cent for cows and 3.7 per cent for heifers in the 2023 calving season.

Death loss between 24 hours and weaning averaged 2.5 per cent for calves born to cows and 2.9 per cent for calves born to heifers across Canada.

WHY IT MATTERS: Calf losses as a result of poor program management or disease can be costly for farmers.

To help mitigate these losses, the council hosted a series of expert-led information sessions focused on reducing calf losses by addressing key factors such as calving difficulties, weak or stillborn calves, scours and pneumonia.

These strategies begin as early as the yard, said Dr. Van Mitchell of Metzger Veterinary Services. Mitchell said overall yard management can help cut calving losses by reducing the chance of disease transmission after birth, such as calf scours from dirty udders.

He also recommended using caution when bringing new animals onto the farm.

“I would strongly urge anybody who’s bringing in new cows, new calves, and especially foster calves, to really do that with caution, because you’re bringing in bugs from the outside,” he said, adding there is no way to make calves fully immune from pathogens. However, he said steps can be taken to reduce exposure, such as keeping calving areas clean and segregating sick animals.

Maintaining a vaccine schedule

Mitchell said vaccines are a critical step in reducing calf losses, noting that pre-breeding and pre-calving vaccines can offer significant protection. He recommended a modified live vaccine as providing the best protection.

He noted that calves born in the last third of the calving season are at higher risk of scours and pneumonia. Being aware of calving schedules ensures calves receive proper attention at the right intervals.

Proper calving techniques

Avoiding injury during birth is one of the most effective ways to reduce calf losses. Dr. Lisa Freeze of the New Brunswick Department of Agriculture recommended farmers contact their veterinarian as soon as they believe a cow is in distress.

She advised having tools and resources prepared for both the farmer and veterinarian to make delivery smoother, such as a pail of warm water with a cleaning agent, clean rags and lubricant.

Freeze also suggested farmers invest in a good pair of calving chains and handles.

“They are really handy tools if you know how to use them, but they can also do a lot of damage to the calf and the cow if you’re using them improperly,” she said.

Freeze advised farmers to be aware of cow behaviour leading up to birth. She noted the cervix will dilate up to 24 hours before calving. Cows may begin to isolate or walk with their tail up.

As the cow moves through the stages of delivery, she warned that if the placenta is visible ahead of the calf or the water bag is emerging, it is time to call the vet.

Freeze said cows will often struggle if the calf is too big, something that can occur if cows are mismatched during breeding. She noted that if two people are not strong enough to remove a calf with the correct equipment, then a C-section is necessary.

Overall, she said that if a farm is experiencing more than five per cent assisted calving procedures, it is time to re-evaluate the calving program.

The value of colostrum

Passive transfer failure — a condition where newborns fail to absorb adequate maternal immunoglobulins (antibodies) from colostrum within the first 24 hours of life — remains a challenge during calving season.

Dr. Lauren Wilson of Peterborough Veterinary Services said this can occur when the calf misses the window of opportunity, receives poor-quality colostrum, there is no colostrum present or the calf is hypothermic.

Wilson noted there is a limited window of 24 hours to get colostrum into calves effectively. Not only does it build immunity, but it also reduces the risk of pneumonia.

“New research is showing that if calves are not up and nursing by four hours, they are at an increased risk for failure,” she said, adding twins are at particular risk.

Once the risk is identified, Wilson recommends moving to a colostrum supplement, particularly if the calf is not up and suckling.

Producers can go online to register for or particpate in a Beef Cattle Research Council webinar.

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Ventilation: The key!
Having the animals in a common environment means that if one calf is sick, the others can quickly catch the disease. That is why air quality is important. “Good health starts with good ventilation,” explains Hallbach.
She adds that fresh air never harms the calf if the nursery has been well designed. She adds that great attention must be paid to the calf’s microenvironment.
Unlike cows, calves do not generate enough heat to stimulate air movement in the building, which is called the chimney effect. The warm air produced by the cows rises and mixes with the cold air that would otherwise tend to fall. This is what happens in a nursery.
However, calves need a minimum of four air changes per hour in winter. It is therefore necessary to pay attention to air inlets. The partitions in the buildings are also important since they create barriers that prevent wind from circulating.

Positive pressure tubes
A good way to bring in fresh air without the cold air falling directly on the calves is through natural ventilation provided with positive pressure tubes. These tubes are connected to fans that provide fresh air to the calves, without drafts. It is relatively inexpensive. Since it is in positive pressure, it does not create difficulty in opening the doors. It’s easy to operate.
Feed calves in groups can also be easier, with automated milk feeding systems now popular and in long use across the industry. These systems do require more maintenance and calf health has to be monitored. Labour, however, is reduced and calves get milk when they are most in need of it.

Multiple small, narrow buildings
With larger herds in the United States, experts are talking about the possibility of housing calves in small, narrow buildings. Being able to manage the building in an all-in/all-out manner limits the risk of disease. It’s also easy to ventilate.

Pair housing
Pair housing is a compromise between individual housing and large groups. Two is already better than a single calf.
The big benefit is in terms of social interaction. The calves play together and stimulate each other. It prepares them for group life and new things.
Housing calves in pairs encourages them to eat more. They also increase their average daily gain. The calves also have a better weaning weight. Another advantage is the better social acceptability in the population.
“There are no negative points,” says Cook. “What’s interesting about this system is that it’s not a big change from individual housing,” adds Courtney Hallbach.
However, these two experts point out that this type of housing has not been as popular as expected. They say they’re surprised by this. They are concerned that producers don’t understand the importance of developing social behaviors in calves. Some producers are afraid of suckling between calves, although research has shown that if calves get the milk they need, suckling is minimal.
Pair housing can be done in pens, but also in hutches. Some are designed for two calves.

Factors for successful calf housing
In conclusion, here are the factors for successful calf housing:

• colostrum management
• milk quality and quantity
• hygiene, sanitation
• animal density
• age groups of calves in the pen and building
• dry bedding and cleaning
• disease detection and treatment
• ventilation and air quality

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Purple coneflower, known by the scientific name echinacea, has long been used by humans to try and prevent the common cold, infection and skin wounds and conditions. It is thought to stimulate immune function. 

Why it matters: The livestock sector is working to limit the amount of antimicrobials used on farms, so supplements that aid in improving immunity are valued.

Dr. Trevor DeVries, professor in the Department of Animal Biosciences at the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) and Canada Research Chair in Dairy Cattle Behaviour and Welfare, studied 240 male Holstein calves to evaluate how purple coneflower supplementation, scientifically called Echinacea purpurea, could affect immunity markers, disease, feed intake, and growth of these calves.

“Like humans, dairy calves are susceptible to diseases like diarrhea and respiratory problems, which can cause high levels of morbidity and mortality,” says Dr. DeVries.

“We are particularly looking for ways to improve the health and welfare of male calves because they often have the added stress of transportation to another facility. This medicinal herb could improve animal health and reduce antimicrobial use in dairy and dairy beef calves.”

In collaboration with Mapleview Agri Ltd., located in Palmerson, Ont., Dr. DeVries and MSc student, Brooke McNeil, studied 80 dairy calves split into three treatments: Control (no supplementation), supplementation with three grams per day of Echinacea purpurea powder mixed into the milk replacer for 14 days (from day 14 to 28 of this study), or 56 days (from day one to 56 of this study).

Supplementation of purple coneflower had promising effects, especially on immunity and inflammation of calves supplemented during the whole study (from day 1 to 56). Some changes in blood markers, including lower levels of haptoglobin (an indicator of inflammation) and segmented neutrophils, and higher levels of lymphocytes, indicated better immunity and anti-inflammatory properties.

Supplementation of purple coneflower was also associated with a higher post-weaning body weight among calves that were heavier at the beginning of the study.

“This study lays the ground for additional research on the benefits of purple coneflower. Just like in male calves, this medicinal herb could also help female calves,” said Dr. DeVries. “More studies are needed to investigate the effects of this herb under different conditions, classes of animals, or periods of supplementation.”

This research project was funded by the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, a collaboration between the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the University of Guelph.

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The fourth annual Calves for a Cause sale brought together more than 100 lots to raise funds for the London Hospital Foundation.

The sale, which was hosted by the Canadian Dairy Xpo (CDX), brought together about 40 top genetic calves, but also rare semen, embryos from top cows and even old, rare dairy sales catalogues and a cow sculpture created by renowned livestock photographer Patty Jones.

Calves for a Cause has become one of several rallying charity events in Ontario run by the dairy industry, including Dairy Cares events in southern and eastern Ontario.

The Calves for a Cause sale, ran on April 3 at CDX in Stratford, had a high seller of $17,000 for Walnutlawn PG Bullseye Beverly.

Calves was created by the dairy farming Markus family, when Brooks, the son of Darrell and Sarah Markus was born with Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome (CCHS), a nervous system disorder that disrupts the brain’s control of autonomic functions like breathing.

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Now they are pushing the boundaries further on uses for colostrum and finding value in feeding transition milk.

Why it matters: Heifers that don’t receive colostrum early in life are at significantly greater risk of being less productive cows.

“The single most important thing that you can do is ensure that you give colostrum right away,” says Dr. Dave Renaud, a veterinary epidemiologist at the University of Guelph. “There’s no other magic bullet that’s out there. This is the magic bullet.”

Colostrum, the first milk from the mother just after calving, is highly nutritious for calves and also gives them passive immunity. Calves are born with no immunity.

In 2004, now-retired Guelph professor Ken Leslie studied 500 calves. About 37 per cent failed passive immunity tests and were in the poor category.

In 2019, 1,200 calves were studied and 19 per cent failed a passive immunity test.

“We’ve had improvement over time, but there’s still opportunity to improve,” Renaud said at the recent Dairy at Guelph research symposium in Elora.

“I think we deserve a little bit of a pat on the back in terms of what’s changed through time.”

Farmers are also monitoring their herds for passive immunity. A recent study showed 26 per cent of farms measure passive immunity, done by a blood test that looks for serum immunoglobulin (IgG) levels.

“I think there’s a big opportunity out there to create farm-specific data to see where you are with regards to passive immunity,” said Renaud.

Now that there’s a broader understanding of the value of colostrum feeding, researchers say the next step is ensuring calves get the best quality colostrum available, because higher IgG levels have been shown to create better immunity in calves.

The industry aims for 10 grams per litre of IgG.

“Recently there’s some data that’s come out to show that we should be striving to achieve much higher levels and get closer to this 25 grams per litre to really protect the calves against disease and protect against mortality.”

While farms have improved colostrum management, more can be done.

Renaud’s research group have looked at feeding transition milk — the milk that comes from cows after initial colostrum production — and they’ve found it can improve calf health.

There’s also power in using colostrum as a treatment for calfhood diarrhea. Havelah Carter, a student in Renaud’s research group, looked at more than 108 calves with diarrhea. They fed one group half milk replacer and half colostrum for four days. A second group was fed the same milk mix for eight days.

The results showed that calves fed the longer colostrum mix diet resolved their diarrhea two days quicker and had 100 grams more gain per day, over 56 days, than the control group. The eight-day colostrum-mix fed group showed little difference in gain to calves with no infection.

Renaud and his group plan to continue their study on the value of colostrum as a therapy for neonatal diseases.

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According to Dr. David Renaud, an assistant professor in the Department of Population Medicine at the University of Guelph and a consultant with ACER Consulting Inc., diarrhea remains one of the most commonly diagnosed illnesses in calves, and if not managed early, it can negatively affect calf health as the calf grows to maturity. 

Studies have also shown that up to five per cent of calves that require treatment for diarrhea will die. 

Why it matters: Diarrhea, if left untreated, can be a deadly condition for calves.

FCS is a visual assessment of feces and scoring it on a scale of zero to three. Renaud says that proper identification of diarrhea — using fecal consistency scoring — can help to lower the short- and long-term consequences of the illness.

Feces with a score of zero are firm, but not hard, and the original form of the fecal matter is only slightly distorted when dropping to the floor and settling.

Scores of one are given to feces that are a little softer and pastier; it does not hold original form and spreads slightly.

Feces with a score of two is runny and spreads readily; it does not form a pile on the ground.

Finally, a fecal score of three is given to fecal matter that is watery — feces with liquid consistency that “splatters.”

“Probably the best way to (understand it) is through visual pictures,” says Renaud.

FCS helps farmers decide when to intervene. Fecal scores of two or three have high water contents and therefore indicate the presence of diarrhea.

Once diarrhea is detected, Renaud suggests the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

“There’s good research to show that using NSAIDs can actually improve feed intake and improve recovery from the disease,” he says.

As well, fluid therapy through electrolytes is important with the ongoing loss of fluids at the time of an abnormal fecal score.

“Probably the most important thing to consider is providing fluid therapy right at the onset of the calf having that abnormal fecal consistency,” says Renaud. “The fluid loss is really contributing to the calf not doing well and becoming sicker as it progresses through the course of the diarrhea.”

FCS should be used in calves from birth to 14 days of age, when majority of diarrhea occurs.

The onset of diarrhea is more complex than just pathogen exposure and subsequent diseases, says Renaud.

“I think it’s the changes that happen at the level of the bacterial communities in the gastrointestinal tract that increase the probability of them getting diarrhea. They either have bacteria in their gut that makes it hard for calves, or their gut, to protect them from pathogens.”

Studies have shown that each case of diarrhea within calves can create a loss of $150. This includes the initial cost of treatment, but there is a loss in average daily gain.

“I think it’s about 110 grams per day reduction compared to calves that don’t have any diarrhea,” says Renaud.

As well, diarrhea can affect milk production later in life. Renaud says studies show a 350-kilogram reduction in a cow’s first lactation if she had diarrhea as a calf.

Although the concept of fecal scoring is not new, it hasn’t been used frequently.

“This fecal scoring has been around since 1977, when a paper published the first kind of fecal scoring guidelines. It’s been around for a long time, but I think very few people look at it in terms of looking at the severity and the impact,” says Renaud.

“I think (FCS) is something that can be easily incorporated into any farm. It’s getting the routine of just walking through pens and looking at each individual (calf’s) feces.”

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Transition milk is defined as the second to sixth milking after calving.

“It’s low in IGG (immunoglobulin G) concentrations, but higher in other bioactive molecules like hormones and oligosaccharides and antimicrobials that have other benefits for the calf,” says Amanda Fischer-Tlustos, PhD candidate with the University of Guelph.

Why it matters: Understanding milk quality can help to improve calf health.

The study looked at different bioactive compounds in multiparous and primiparous cows, and compared bioactive compounds, such as hormones, oligosaccharides, and proteins in the colostrum and the transition milk, to the same compounds in mature milk.

“We found from a multitude of papers that we published from this study that the levels of these bioactives, in contrast to IGGs, decline at a much slower rate. These bioactive compounds remain high until milking four and don’t go down until levels of less than 10 per cent of their maximum concentration until about milking seven or eight.”

These concentrations are vital in many aspects.

As an example, oligosaccharides are a simple sugar, like a pre-biotic, and help promote a healthy gut.

“There are some hypotheses that certain components of these oligosaccharides, a certain part of it might actually help enhance transfer of passive immunity. They help get that IGG into the intestinal cells of the calf and promote its passive immunity,” Fischer-Tlustos said.

Aside from oligosaccharides, it is difficult to separate the compounds and evaluate each, because there are hundreds of bioactives in colostrum and milk, she adds. But it has been proved that when feeding transition milk, calves have better average daily gain during the pre-weaning period, lower signs of respiratory disease and better health.

“When we feed calves transition milk on farm, there is a benefit to their overall health even though we might not know which specific compound is causing this benefit.”

Although about 75 per cent of producers in Ontario are feeding transition milk, it’s not certain whether the full benefit of the practice is completely understood.

“I was speaking with a farmer on the phone last week. He thought that by feeding transition milk he was helping to promote passive transfer, helping that calf establish immunity, but by that point the calf is not absorbing IGGs. That is going to happen mostly in the first six to 12 hours of life.

“Colostrum and transition milk is so much more than IGGs. We know IGG is the most important thing but there are so many other things in there that can have a positive benefit on calf health.”

Fischer-Tlustos and other teams at the University of Guelph are looking at doing further research to learn more about the compounds of transition milk and how they could improve newborn calf welfare.

She is now working on a study isolating oligosaccharides from colostrum and feeding a control and treated product to calves.

“Basically, what we want to do with newborn calves is feed them a control, just regular colostrum, with an average amount of oligosaccharides in it, while feeding an oligosaccharide supplement colostrum, where they will have three times the oligosaccharides being supplied in that colostrum meal.”

The study is looking to outline the effects of giving calves an average amount of oligosaccharides, versus “bumping it up”.

“Is it what is influencing the gut development? Is it what is helping with passive transfer? Right now, no one has done anything on this at the calf level.”

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For decades the tradition has been to house calves individually in the pre-weaning stage, as its thought to reduce disease risk and allows attendants to have easy access and make observations, improving calf care. 

However, although calves in individual housing normally have visual and auditory contact with other calves, lack of direct access to each other doesn’t allow for socialization. This socialization is what researchers believe is what can lead to better growth and welfare outcomes for calves housed in pairs versus those housed individually in the period before weaning. 

 Why it matters

Calves are the future of the dairy herd and their early health is critical to profitability. 

But do these advantages continue post-weaning? That is the question that researchers with the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine at the University of Minnesota wanted to answer in a recently published study in the Journal of Dairy Science, and in a yet-to-be-published study completed late last year. 

Like many similar studies, this study showed that paired calves had a better average daily gain (ADG) which led to higher weaning weights than individually housed calves, said lead researcher Dr. Whitney Knauer in a recent podcast with the American Association of Bovine Practitioners. She explained the reason for this is that paired calves likely learn feeding behaviour from each other, and tend to eat more starter ration than calves do on their own. 

Health outcomes (such as incidences of scouring) were found to be similar amongst the two test groups, but paired calves were found to vocalize less, lay down more, and have lower cortisol levels than individually-housed calves, which are all important indicators of stress. 

In the unpublished study, the decrease in vocalizing, increase in lying down and growth advantage was also seen post-weaning (after 50 days of age). “This is important because calves face a lot of stresses at weaning, due to (likely) being moved into a new environment,” she said. Being able to socially cope when moved into group housing aids in the transition and makes management simpler. 

“I think that the big take home with pair housing, is that we’re really setting these calves up to succeed at weaning,” she said.

Interestingly, Knauer notes that housing calves together rather than separately can also help with public perception of dairy farming. She cites a University of Wisconsin survey where attendees at the State Fair were asked which is more preferable – a calf in an individual hutch, or a group of calves housed together – and the majority preferred the calves in a group. 

The next step in her research efforts is to study the effects of pair housing on a commercial dairy farm, which began last month and will continue through the summer. 

Knauer said although her studies and others have shown growth and welfare benefits, small groups of calves have been used, and studies have been conducted within a university setting, which isn’t necessarily indicative of what could happen on a large farm. Having a large group to study (several groups of 600 calves or more) will also help her team dig deeper into the causes of behavioural, health, and feeding parameters.

She said nearly 15 per cent of the U.S. dairy herd currently uses some form of group housing for pre-weaned calves, and that it’s easy to implement or set up a trial on most farms without a significant financial investment or increase in space requirements. She recommends that each calf have its own hutch, and the square footage should be doubled (for pairs) or tripled (if putting three calves together), as well as its own grain and water bucket. Calves can be paired at birth, but she recommends no more than a seven-day age difference in calf age.

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With the goal of increasing not just body weight but also lean tissue gain, a new University of Illinois study finds enhanced milk replacer with high crude-protein dry starter feed is the winning combination.

“Calves fed more protein with the starter had less fat in their body weight gain, and more protein was devoted to the development of the gastrointestinal system, compared with the lower starter protein,” says James Drackley, professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at Illinois and co-author on the study. 

“Our results say producers who are feeding calves a more aggressive amount of milk for greater rates of gain should be feeding a higher protein starter along with that.”

Producers typically feed milk replacer along with a grain-based starter feed to kick-start development of the rumen ahead of forage consumption. Yet the Journal of Dairy Science study is the first to specifically examine body composition changes, versus simple body weight, in response to milk replacer and high-protein starter feed.

Understanding where the nutrients go in the body makes a big difference.

“If producers aren’t providing enough protein in the starter as the calves go through the weaning process, they might be limiting development of the gastrointestinal system, which is needed to provide nutrients for the rest of the body,” Drackley says.

Drackley and his co-authors started two-to-three-day-old calves on one of three experimental diets: a low rate of milk replacer + conventional starter (18 per cent crude protein, as-fed basis); a high rate of milk replacer + conventional starter; and a high rate of milk replacer + high crude-protein starter (22 per cent crude protein, as-fed basis). 

Additional protein in the high-protein starter was provided by soybean meal, compared with conventional starter, which was a mixture of wheat midds, soybean meal, and corn, among other ingredients. The calves were weaned at six weeks of age, and were harvested at five or 10 weeks to determine body composition.

“After weaning, the weights of the digestive system and liver were greater with the higher protein starter,” Drackley says. “It might be part of the reason why a slump in growth is often seen right around the time of weaning when calves are fed a conventional starter. The calves just don’t have the developed digestive system to be able to keep things going as they change from the milk diet to the dry feed diet.”

He adds that calves fed the higher rate of milk replacer grew more rapidly and had more lean tissue, with less fat.

“The low rate of milk replacer has been fairly standard, historically. It’s designed to provide the maintenance needs and a small rate of growth, and to encourage calves to consume the dry feed at an earlier age. But research has supported the use of higher rates, so we’re trying to shift the industry towards rates of milk feeding we think are more appropriate,” Drackley says. “Now we have good reason to point producers to high-protein starter, as well.”

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