A heifer calf feeding system in place at a Co. Cork dairy farm is delivering high animal performance and ensuring optimal use of labour at the busiest time of the year.

Father and son Donal and Thomas Shinnick produce milk from 450 cows at Buttevant, Co. Cork, calving the herd in a spring block with their farm manager James Crawford.

One hundred Friesian heifer calves, along with all the beef calves, are reared on cows' milk for the first two weeks, at which point they are introduced to Shine Original.

That calf milk replacer is initially fed twice a day but from one month-of-age, feeding frequency is reduced to once a day.

Shine Original’s low heat skim and buttermilk formulation is slowly digested throughout the day, and there are multiple reasons why it is the first choice of farmers rearing over 200,000 calves in Ireland, the UK and mainland Europe, according to Joe Murphy, director of manufacturer, Bonanza Calf Nutrition.

Buttermilk

A big percentage of Shine Original is buttermilk powder, a product that enhances a calf’s feed digestion.

Its importance as a key natural anti-inflammatory in both calf and human health is now widely recognised, Joe said.

The components of buttermilk are found in similar quantities in transition milk.

In the past, buttermilk was poorly processed and appreciated, but that has now changed and it is sold at a premium to skim milk powder.

As the industry increases its understanding of the interaction between milk and dry feed in the development of a calf’s digestive and immune systems, it has highlighted the importance that gradual dry feed intake from a young age has in preparing the calf for weaning and for grazing grass.

Shine Original

It was five years ago that Donal was introduced to Shine Original by a neighbour, and the milk replacer has since been a permanent feature of his calf rearing system.

He likes the product’s consistency, that it is easy to mix, and, first and foremost, that it causes no digestive upsets or bloat, even when he uses it to top up the cow’s milk in the calf’s first two weeks, from day three.

From day 14, Donald transitions the calves from that combination to Shine Original only, fed twice-a-day, and, from day 30, fed once-a-day.

Joe highlighted that calves are naturally programmed to consume both milk and dry feed in the morning - they drink more than half of their ad-lib milk in the first feed and spend up to four times as long eating dry feed in the three hours from 8:00a.m than at any other time.

For that reason, it is important that calves have ad-lib access to dry feed, straw and fresh, clean water.

Rumen development

Independent trials found that the rumen development in calves that were fed Shine Original Once-a-day and had access to ad-lib dry feed was double that of animals fed twice a day.

That advanced development reduces post-weaning issues such as pneumonia and also improves a calf’s ability to digest grass, Joe explained.

“This can have lasting effects into adulthood,’’ he points out.

Donal’s heifers all achieve their target weights at weaning, at which point they are consuming 2kg of Kaf Pride concentrates.

The calves are gradually introduced to grass in a transition paddock and offered Prime Elite Rumi Force from 12 weeks, a system that prevents summer scour after turnout.

“The combination of Shine Original fed Once-a-day from 30 days with Prime Elite calf feeds and excellent grass helps deliver animal performance and optimal use of labour at what is the busiest time of the year on Donal’s farm,’’ Joe said.

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