May, 2018
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More milk means greater gains. ( Sunshine Picture Project ) |
The majority of dairy operations consider raising dairy heifer replacements a major cost without receiving any return until the heifer enters the milking herd. As a result, the dairy tries to minimize the cost of raising heifers by feeding hospital milk or a lower-quality milk replacer. In most cases, the least expensive calf starter is also chosen as the product to use on the farm.
April 23, 2018
Comparing costs of raising dairy replacements in automated-feeding systems and individual systems was the focus of a recent on-farm survey conducted by UW-Extension Dairy Team. Because feeding larger quantities of milk is easier in operations using automated feeders, these businesses incurred higher liquid-feeding costs than individual systems. However, lower labor costs compensated for the higher milk-feeding amounts. Management costs were similar between operation types, emphasizing the importance of calf management in either system. Since variation labor and housing costs for farms using automated-feeding systems varies broadly, different strategies to manage calves and improve employee comfort need to be considered based on the operation. Read more and access the full white paper here.
by UW-Extension
October 2017
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Automatic Calf Feeder Group Housing |
( Jim Dickrell ) |
Automated calf feeders can be labor-saving dreams or disease-infected train wrecks. It all comes down to how the technology is managed and how the calves are housed and monitored, says Marcia Endres, a University of Minnesota dairy specialist. “Good health is achievable in group-housed, preweaned calves as long as appropriate management and maintenance of equipment are emphasized and implemented,” Endres says.
March 2018
BACKGROUND: The 2 most common antiseptic compounds used in the dairy industry for preventing umbilical infections are 7% iodine or 4% chlorhexidine. The sale, shipping, and storage of 7% iodine solutions has become more challenging in recent years due to increased federal regulations, which has created the need to explore antiseptic alternatives. Chlorhexidine is expensive, and some producers will mix alcohol with chlorhexidine to decrease the cost.
November 8, 2017
When raising calves on autofeeders, it’s challenging to find the “sweet spot” for milk allowances. To examine how milk allowance affects other calf behaviors, the University of Minnesota studied approximately 2,000 calves in 25 farms using autofeeders over a period of 18 months.
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