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A quality nutritional approach after weaning pays off
Once calves are weaned and ready for grazing, it’s tempting to consider the task of calf rearing “done”. However, the period following weaning is equally crucial for growing quality heifers. Maintaining a focus on liveweight gain when grazing helps ensure you reap the rewards when these animals join your herd.
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Calving
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55,000 cow study shows 74 percent six week in-calf rate
The issue of non-cycling cows is a common infertility issue on many farms with a consequential negative impact on the following season’s milk production. Over the past four years, the fertility status of New Zealand dairy cows has hovered around a 66 percent six week in-calf rate, and, 17 percent not-in-calf rate (empty rate).
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Smart calf rearing
Successful calf rearing will be high on the agenda for dairy farmers around the country during calving. DairyNZ’s Animal Care Team Manager, Helen Thoday, says having the right knowledge and skills for the job makes calving easier and more rewarding for everyone, and ensures all calves receive the best start to life.
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Mid-season checks can save problems later
With calving well underway, make sure your calves are not drinking too quickly.
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GEA FIL Colostrum Marking System
Having a clear and robust animal marking system at calving is key to preventing costly contamination. It is crucial to ensure your whole team, including relief staff, are using the same marking system. Through this short video we show you three simple strategies using FIL markers.
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Get grass-ready calves in seven weeks
The secret to growing bigger grass-ready calves earlier is getting them off to a good start. This means having warm, healthy calves that have consumed colostrum in the first 18 hours along with a specific solid feed that will both grow the calf and the rumen from day one.
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Extra vigilance required this calving season
A year ago, many of you may not have heard of Mycoplasma bovis. Now it will have changed the way you think about on-farm biosecurity.
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Peach Teats help calves grow from day one
If there’s one piece of rubberware that can make or break your season, it’s the humble calf teat.
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Digestive health starts with the teat
Deciding which teat will offer the best solution for calf rearing success can be a confusing process. But by following the principles of nature, you can reduce the risk of nutritional scours, cross-suckling and poor weight performance associated with artificial feeding.
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Calf nutrition model produces more with less
The game is changing for New Zealand dairying as we face the challenge of producing more milk with less.
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Minerals for calving success
If your goal is to improve your herd’s calving performance, it makes sense to scrutinise your animals’ mineral balance. It plays a key role in calving success and any gaps are surprisingly easy to address. Ruminant nutrition specialist, Natalie Hughes, explains what’s important.
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Be prepared to calve with care
Calving is a key event in the farming calendar and the more prepared you are, the better. Having the right knowledge and skills for the job, the right equipment and a well-prepared team will help ensure all calves receive the best start to life.
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Optimise your profitability from autumn calving
Before and after calving there are challenges aplenty for farmers. However, when calving through autumn, there are a few additional nutritional issues to be aware of. SealesWinslow’s Science Extension Officer, Paul Sharp, provides some expert tips on how to ensure a strong start to a productive lactation.
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Technology helps solve heat detection puzzle
Better heat detection in dairy herds is recognised as one of the industry’s “low hanging fruit”, capable of delivering bankable profits within a year.
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The key to rumen development
Dairy farmers know how important rumen development is in young calves. Rumen development is the process that prepares and primes the engine room for lifetime production
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