Make sure your calves have the best possible start

Both ends of the supply chain are managed by Jack, from calf procurement right through to arranging finishing contracts and negotiations with abattoirs. Calves are collected between 14-21 days old from farms that he has built up relationships with, from as far away as Cornwall and up into the Midlands.

“Performance is key right from the outset,” explains Jack. “We need a calf to have had the best possible start by the time it gets to us, as this really influences whether it kills out on time further down the line. Therefore, we incentivise farmers to invest time and effort in ensuring each calf receives adequate colostrum and high standards of hygiene (clean buckets, teats, dipped navel etc.).

“Really, it’s just ensuring they work to the same standards that they would were they rearing their own black and white heifers. With the numbers coming through our system and the data we have on performance; we can very quickly identify those farmers who aren’t doing the job properly. In turn, as well as paying a fair price, we offer a service where we ‘take everything’ - no one wants you picking and choosing animals because they are the wrong colour.”

Give your calves the nutrition they need

Jack’s sister, Harriet, is in charge of calf rearing and all calves are put on a 42-day milk plan using ForFarmers VITAMILK Classic milk powder at 0.9kg/day milk powder in 6 litres water (150g/l mixing rate) from a Foerster-Technik automatic calf feeder. They are also offered ForFarmers 17% Calf Complete nuts ad-lib from two weeks.  

Calves are gradually weaned from six litres to two litres over a fortnight, building up ad lib concentrate intakes so that they are eating 2kg concentrate/day by weaning. “We’re looking for an average of 1.1kg DLWG throughout the milk phase and with this milk powder and cake, performance is currently up by an average of 0.3kg/day,” remarks Jack.

Mitigate any stress points during the rearing phase

Jack works with ForFarmers’ youngstock specialist Emily Hayes, who explains; “Jack’s philosophy throughout the rearing phase is to mitigate any stress points, such as weaning, moving units or changing diets, to avoid any growth checks. We never do more than one change at any one time and everything is done gradually where possible. For example, when transitioning to the ForFarmers bespoke beef blend we use, we mix it together for three weeks with the calf cake, gradually reducing the cake and the increasing blend."

Consider your calves housing conditions

Vaccinations

Vaccination and ventilation are two other areas that Jack feels are crucial to success. All calves are vaccinated for BVD, Lepto and IBR, as well as pneumonias. “With everything we do I am aiming for ‘poultry plus’ standards not ‘dairy minus’,” says Jack.

Ventilation

In terms of airflow, Jack has forced ventilation that gives 7.5 clean air changes per hour, every hour.

Clean water

"Water is another area where cleanliness and hygiene are often overlooked but the importance is huge,” continues Jack.

Medication

In terms of medication we are aiming for zero antibiotics... We’re not there yet but we are very close. I have also set myself an ever-decreasing benchmark for mortality – I am currently working towards, and achieving, sub-2%".

"There are so many variable factors in calf rearing – the feed, the weather, travelling time, calf quality, etc but what we’re trying to do is control as much as we can and get the right combination. You can always improve. The day I think I’ve cracked it is the day to stop.”