Tim runs an autumn block calving herd, milking 225 cows, three times a day, with cows achieving average yields of 13,000 litres. Calving takes place from July through to November, with 100 of the highest genetically ranked cows and heifers selected for service with sexed semen to produce the replacements required in the herd.
“When calves are born, they receive three litres of high-quality colostrum as soon as possible and are housed in large, straw bedded pens,” explains Tim. “Calves then start following a specific calf feeding protocol put together with help from ForFarmers and at four days old, move from a Wydale feeder on to our Forster Technik automated calf feeder.
“The first phase of the programme lasts seven days, with each calf starting at 6 litres of milk, per day and gradually increasing to 8 litres – with a minimum intake of 1.5 litres and maximum of 2 litres set per feed. Up to 35 days old, calves continue on 8 litres, with a minimum intake of 2 litres per feed and maximum of 2.5 litres. By 49 days, we can increase these limits to a minimum of 2.5 litres and maximum of 3 litres per feed.”