John says: "The shed was in the right location; it was close to the dairy, which was good for colostrum management, and close to calving cows, but it had to be changed for rearing calves."
Colostrum management was the farm's highest priority, along with nurturing calves in their first two to three weeks of life. A computerised Lely Calm calf feeder was installed and would feed up to 60 calves.
John says: "Previously, calves were having one three-litre feed, then staying on the cow for 48 hours." However, taking bloods to test for the absorption of antibodies revealed calves' immunity levels were poor and colostrum intakes needed to increase.
He says: "We increased colostrum to two feeds of three litres within the first 12 hours, and removed the calf from the cow as quickly as we could after birth. Whenever we have tested calves since the change, the serum antibody level in their blood is exactly as it should be." At the same time, a Brix refractometer was introduced to measure the quality of colostrum, giving an approximation of antibody levels and milk solids.
Ann Coombes, youngstock specialist with ForFarmers, says: "I recommended the calves went on to the 26% VITAMILK HiPro Heifer, because it was obvious this farm would get the best out of it. This powder has high levels of digestible dairy protein and contains a balanced amount of vitamins, minerals and trace elements, and a specialist health package called Care+."