If you’re travelling through Hauraki Plains during the calving period, you may well spot a flurry of colour.
These are the 140-odd calves belonging to Co-op farmer Raelene Williams.
Donned in their bright pink and blue covers, they are proving to be a fine addition to the herd.
While the covers provide a level of “cuteness” to the farm, the real reason for the covers is to maximise warmth. Combined with warm milk, the covers allow the calves to put their energy into growing rather than keeping warm in sub-zero winter and spring conditions.
“I initially bought jackets just for the replacement calves, but now use them on my beefies too. They are all so much happier,” says Raelene.
Raelene is now in her 13th season on the 82-hectare farm, milking 229 cows, and spring calving around 140 replacement and beef calves. She has a five-bay calf shed that is sprayed out regularly and has fresh water, hay and meal on offer from birth.
“We get some horrible days here in winter and spring, and we don’t have a lot of shelter options like trees on the farm. So, I check the cows twice a day and get the newborn calves into the shed for warm gold colostrum that has been Brix tested to ensure they are receiving quality colostrum as quickly as possible.
“The calves are always fed warm milk, and we also have milk warmers that we use when they’re out in the paddock. It means they’re not putting energy into warming themselves up and can put that energy into growing.”
Each calf gets a multivitamin injection when born, regardless of whether they are replacement heifers or beef calves. As they progress onto meal, the calves are also fed an organic natural zeolite supplement, which Raelene says “is really good for their gut”. The meal also includes an ionophore for the control of Coccidiosis.
“I keep them on meal for quite a while because I’ve got these calves for their whole lives. I didn’t stop feeding last season’s calves meal along with silage until around April this year, when I was happy that they had got the right nutrients, and grass had come away. I like to keep it going if I feel like they need it,” Raelene says.
Calves are kept in mobs of no more than 30-40 to minimise the risk of infection and maximise growth opportunities. Each calf is also weighed weekly, which helps Raelene assess weaning times.
“I love weighing them because you often can’t tell by looking at them, particularly the cross-breeds, if they’re at the optimum weight. I like the calves to look like they need to be weaned off milk and to have the measurements to back it up,” she says.
“The calves don’t have set paddocks as such. I have four mobs and will move them about the farm at least every two days. I’ll generally put them behind the cows to start with. Even when they’re older and spend three to four days in one paddock, I’ll put up a fence so they’re in a different space within the paddock each day.”
According to Anexa vet, Arnica van der Wiele, Raelene’s approach is exemplary in calf rearing. “She is doing the basics, and she is doing them so well. This year, we’re seeing the two-year-old heifers that she reared from birth with covers, gold colostrum, warm milk, probiotics, and excellent grazing management practices in place go into the production mob. The herd is in optimum condition. She has proven that by doing the basics really well and consistently – from colostrum to extending meal, to weighing to ensure growth targets – you can make a huge difference in animal health,” says Arnica.
“This season, we are going to blood test the calves coming through in addition to Brix testing to confirm the quality of the colostrum. You can never compensate for the first 24 hours of a calf’s life. Blood testing, in essence, tests the farm system. Farmers might think they’re doing a great job getting enough colostrum into their calves, but the calves need to tell the same story. Every farm is different in its practices, but having clear measurements through Brix testing and blood testing gives farmers confidence in their colostrum practices.”
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