Calf Milk Powder benefits over whole milk
Numerous
trials have demonstrated improved growth rates when calves are fed calf milk powder compared with feeding
the same amount of solids in the form of whole cows milk.
Calf milk replacers are much more consistent, have added minerals and vitamins, are more digestible and have higher protein to fat ratios than whole milk. This results in faster growth rates, higher concentrate intakes and earlier rumen development.
Feeding milk replacer helps to minimise disease risk, in particular Johne’s disease. The use of waste milk also has the risk of antibiotic resistance and of feeding pathogens to the calves. This practice should be discouraged especially with calves intended to become dairy heifer replacements.
Calf milk powder has a lower cost per litre than saleable whole milk.
What to look for in a Calf Milk Powder?
Whilst
most calf milk powders look the same the quality of ingredients vary enormously. It is very difficult
to distinguish between a quality product and a budget product made to a price. A wide range of ingredients
can be used including skim, casein, buttermilk, whey, whey protein concentrate, soya and wheat, potato,
pea protein concentrates together with a wide range of fats and seed oils.
The cheapest milk powders available are about half the price of the best quality products. The ticket declarations are of little help and all product have a similar appearance - a creamy white powder.
Whilst whey and vegetable proteins are much cheaper, skim based products are digested much more efficiently. This is due to there ability to form a clot in the abomasum. The pH around the clot is at very low pH allowing the enzyme pepsin to efficiently digest the milk. Different sources of skim, or whey can vary enormously in feed value depending on how they were produced and how much protein was denatured during the drying process. Generally the higher the level of milk products in the milk powder the better.
The
difficulty of distinguishing a quality calf milk powder from a budget product has meant that it has been
much easier for manufacturers to sell products made to a price. Not surprisingly then most of the UK
market is for whey and vegetable protein based products which contain no skim, casein or buttermilk.
Whey and vegetable protein products are generally lower in energy and are digested less well.
Generally we see better growth rates with far fewer health problems with 'high quality' skim based milk powders rather than calf powders made to a price.
Never skimp on the quality of calf milk powder for dairy heifers
The benefits of doing calves well should never be under estimated. An analysis on data from the Cornell herd of 1,244 heifers showed that every kg of average daily gain prior to weaning resulted in a milk yield increase of over 2,200 kg milk over 3 lactations. In addition 22% of the variation in first lactation milk production could be explained by growth rate prior to weaning. This demonstrates that it is never worth economising by using anything other than the best quality calf milk powder.
1kg extra weight gain pre-weaning = 2200 extra lifetime milk yield
Most Cost Effective for Rearing Calves?
So which is the most cost effective route? Well it depends. It depends on the rearing system that you are using and on your expectations. Are you producing a replacement heifer, the future of your herd? Are you producing a beef calf that you want to top the market? Are you producing a beef animal destined for slaughter? Are you contracting rearing to a price?
Higher
quality products tend to be higher in energy with better digestibility and can often be fed at higher
rates earlier without causing digestive upsets and nutritional scour. Thus higher live weight gains can
be achieved.
Our view is that the best skim based calf milk powders generally give better results and can often be cheaper to use in the long run, due to faster growth rates, lower mortality, lower vet bills, earlier weaning, reduced milk replacer usage and higher lifetime yields.
There is no question that dairy heifer calves which get off to a good start are capable of producing higher lifetime milk yields and that replacement cost per litre can be reduced by doing calves better.
Doing heifer calves well can result in
reduced dairy heifer replacement costs and increased
lifetime milk yields
Equally we have seen dairy units producing bull calves to sell at a few weeks old, halve their powder and straw usage, halve their stocking rate, dramatically reduce labour costs, vet bills and mortality and improve there sale price simply by switching to a high quality skim based milk powder.
Feeding top quality milk replacer is often costs less overall
RWN Calf Milk Replacers
Richard
Webster Nutrition has a clear preference for using high quality skim based milk powders, not always the cheapest but those which
will give exceptional results and which are extremely cost effective.
The RWN County Calf Milk Replacer Range offers an exceptional range of high quality milk powders. These products are formulated with 100% of the protein coming from milk.
This is a brand new range recently introduced to the UK. Manufacture is in the UK. All milk used is sourced from British farms. All milk products are dried in house so that heat denaturisation often seen with other products can be avoided. Quality control in the production process gives a high level of consistency in the finished product.
RWN County Calf MIlk Replacers are new to the UK and offer exceptional quality
All RWN County Calf Milk Replacers include a high inclusion of quality skim powder.The vast majority of UK milk powders are whey based or contain lower levels of skim than the County range.
These products give outstanding results both with calves marketed at 2 - 5 weeks of age or with dairy heifer replacements and are suitable for use in twice day bucket feeding systems, Once-a-Day feeding systems and in computerised calf feeders.
All MIlk used is sourced locally from British farms
RWN County Calf Milk Replacers are very high energy and being skim based with a high skim content, they have the ability to form a clot in the abomasum
which is digested slowly and efficiently over 6 - 8 hours. This avoids many of the problems associated with other
calf milk replacers sold in the UK which are based on whey powder and vegetable protein.
The only oils used are Coconut oil and Palm oil. These are the two best oils for calves. No seed oils are used. No vegetable proteins are used.
RWN County Calf Milk Replacers contain a comprehensive mineral / vitamin pack with high levels of Vitamin D and Vitamin E, along with pre / probiotics to help promote a positive intestinal flora and support the immune system. A strong immune system can improve health and help displace pathogens. These products are formulated to support early growth, gut health, and calf performance.
We believe that these are the only calf milks that contain exclusively milk from British farms. Others are generally manufactured overseas or are based on imported skim and whey powders.
RWN County Calf Milk Replacers are packed in 20kg bags and are available in one tonne drops delivered throughout Great Britain at very competitive prices.
RWN County Calf Milk Replacer Range - Cutting-edge Nutrition for Calves
For advice on Milk Replacers contact Richard Webster on 07703 203686.
Calf Supplements:
Biocell lac has been developed specifically for daily mixing into liquid milk or milk replacer. This product which contains live yeast is highly beneficial to calves.
Biocell lac encourages early rumen development, allowing higher levels of concentrates to be introduced sooner. Trials show that intakes of calf coarse mix can increase by up to 25% in the weaning period and live-weight gains are greatly increased.
Biocell lac increases the number and activity of specific beneficial bacteria and competes with pathogenic organisms for adhesion sites on the intestinal wall. Metabolism is enhanced, toxins are neutralised and nutrients better absorbed.
Biocell lac reduces digestive problems by preventing the growth of pathogens. Certain pathogens bind to the yeast cell surface and are rapidly excreted from the gut. Specific metabolites produced by the live yeast neutralise the effects of toxins. Results have shown fewer digestive upsets and reduced mortality, Improved feed efficiency and livewight gain and Increased weaning weights.
Crypt-Occur for calves. In conjunction with good hygiene, good colostrum management and regular disinfecting for calves, look to use Crypt-Occur®.
Crypt-Occur® is a carefully formulated synergistic blend of ingredients designed to support the gut, immune system and intestinal microflora of calves. Esterified butyrins and plant extracts maintain the barrier effect of the gut wall through their positive effects on the tight junctions and mucus production.
RespoSan Breathe Easy helps with respiratory issues in calves. RespoSan Breathe easy contains vitamins, electrolytes, essential oils and herbal extracts carefully selected especially for this purpose.
Calf-coats can increase performance and reduce feed costs in cold weather, below 10ºC. In recent trials at Harper Adams University with calves born between December and February, calf-coats resulted in an additional weight gain of 5.3kg to 12 weeks, whilst feed costs were reduced by £2.93 per calf.
For advice and to discuss the best options for your calves contact Richard Webster