Calf Housing
Detailed case studies of the different types o…
The way all calves are cared for on dairy farms can have major and long-lasting effects not only at the farm level but throughout the entire industry, where issues such as animal welfare, animal diseases and food safety can have significant consequences.
Dairy calves are a critical part of dairy farming and must be carefully managed from birth to:
Dairy Australia is working across the supply chain from farm to processor to ensure all calves are reared well and managed to meet agreed industry practices and standards.
The Rearing Healthy Calves manual can be downloaded at the bottom of this page, or a physical copy can be ordered here.
Calves need to be reared in clean and comfortable conditions. To ensure conditions are clean and comfortable, dairy farmers should:
Calves need to be reared in clean and comfortable conditions. To ensure conditions are clean and comfortable, dairy farmers should:
There are a number of steps dairy farmers can take to ensure they are keeping accurate and complete records for all calves.
Colostrum is essential for all calves, including heifer replacements and sale calves. Failure to absorb enough IgG (antibodies) from colostrum in the first 24 hours of a calf’s life makes the calf more susceptible to disease and death. This is known as Failure of Passive Transfer (FPT) and is relatively common.
Good management practices (the four Qs - Quality, Quickly, Quantity and sQueaky clean) can limit the chance of FPT.
Defining colostrum
Milk for human consumption must have a specific composition. Therefore, colostrum from the first milking post-calving and the transition milk from the next seven milkings post-calving must be excluded from the milk vat.
Some milk companies refer to all substances from the first eight milkings as ‘colostrum’. Only first milking colostrum will ensure passive transfer of immunity to newborn calves. Transition milk is still very nutritious and can be fed to young calves.
Well-grown and healthy calves become productive herd replacements. To achieve good growth rates and excellent rumen development and function, calves need to be fed appropriate amounts of milk or milk replacer and good quality concentrate.
Below are some tips for dairy farmers to help ensure their calves are receiving adequate nutrition.
Dairy farmers should actively manage the risks of residue contamination by using products as intended and avoiding contaminating sale calves.
To rear calves that thrive, planning for disease prevention is the key.
More information on calf scours is available on the scours page.
More information on the prevention of bovine Johne's disease (BJD) is available on the BJD page.
Weaning is a time of great challenge for the calf and so it needs to be managed carefully.
All farmers must comply with the land transport standards.
Detailed case studies of the different types o…
Information on managing bobby calf welfare and …