Off to a Good Start

Dairy calf and heifer experts give insights to their roles, and how they help farmers raise healthy heifer calves.

- Courtney Love

Raising replacement heifers is costly, but raising heifers that perform poorly as lactating cows costs you more. It’s crucial to get your herd’s new generation of lactating cows on track.

Purina’s calf and heifer specialists Connie Walters, a veterinarian, and Rebecca Klopp sat down with Successful Farming to share tips for improving heifer calves’ longevity and performance.

“Starting a calf on the right path and supporting the growth of good bacteria in the gut is going to lead to a heifer calf that not only grows better, but she's going to become a more productive and efficient cow later on in life,” Klopp said.

SF: What should a dairy farmer do in the first 12 hours after birth?

RK: Three key elements to achieve a perfect first day are environment, dipping the navel, and quality colostrum. I often ask farmers to think about the environment that the calf is born into. First, the maternity pen should be clean. People often think putting fresh bedding on top is solving the problem — it’s not. Scraping out the old bedding and manure will ensure the pen is a dry and clean spot for the calf. It also limits harmful bacteria exposed to the calf.