64th Annual HOARD’S DAIRYMAN ROUND TABLE

They take no shortcuts raising calves

The right people, plus detailed protocols, high-quality feed and care that starts long
before birth are all part of the successful calf raising equation on these four farms.

I N JUST two short years, baby calves are

expected to become productive members of
the milking herd. Raising calves to their
full potential isn’t easy, and the people who
head up calf care on your operation fill an impor-
tant role. There’s no one way to do it, but certain
components can elevate calf raising from good
calf feeder), vaccinated, and given a jacket in the
winter. From there, the employee will go over to
the parlor and get the dam’s colostrum. Immedi-
ately after colostrum is fed, either Jennifer (fam-
ily member) or the calf feeder will check on the
calf and administer all the other vaccines.
Synergy Dairy: Calvings that do not require
staff administers the colostrum during the day;
otherwise, the night guy does it overnight.
More specifically, explain your colos-
trum feeding and management.
Grand Central Jerseys: Calves are fed co-
lostrum 45 to 60 minutes after being vacci-
to great. These producers share some steps they assistance take place on a bedded pack in our nated. A calf receives as much colostrum as it
take to care for the next generation of their herd. prefresh pen. The dam and calf are then imme- wants, a minimum of 4 pints at first feeding.
diately moved to a smaller pen where the cow Eight to 12 hours later the second feeding of co-
Describe the first steps of care is allowed to lick the calf for 15 to 30 minutes lostrum is given — a minimum of 4 pints, using
newborn calves receive on your farm. once we have assessed the calf and are sure it is a tube feeder, if necessary.
Grand Central Jerseys: All employees are breathing well. A majority of fed colostrum is fresh, with cows
trained in newborn calf care. When a calf is Once this is done, we warm a bag (1 gallon) of being milked as soon as possible after calving.
born, it is given an oral Calf-Guard vaccine im- pasteurized colostrum. The calf will be removed Extra colostrum is stored in the refrigerator for
mediately. The calf stays with its dam for 10 to from its dam and fed via a tube feeder when the several days or discarded if not used. We recently
15 minutes, and then it is moved to a clean Calf- colostrum is 105°F. The navel is dipped with started Johne’s testing for management purposes,
Tel hutch in summer or a calf pen in the seasonal strong (7 percent) iodine at this time. In cold and colostrum usage is judged accordingly per
calf barn in cooler weather. weather, calves are moved right after feeding to cow. Health records on past generations of a cow
Northern Lights Dairy: The employee who an adjoining pen with a round hutch outfitted are also considered.
is initially in charge of calf care is the one who with a heat lamp and a door and remain there un- Northern Lights Dairy: We really emphasize
cleans the freestall barn with the skidsteer dur- til they are completely dry. Jay, Heather and Lin- the calf getting its mother’s colostrum. We test
ing each milking. They will towel dry the calf, dip da do the majority of the newborn calf care, but all colostrum with a Brix refractometer for qual-
the navel with iodine, wrap the calf up in towels all employees have received calf care training, so ity and record the results. If the colostrum doesn’t
and blankets, and move it with a wheelbarrow to they are able to perform it, if needed. meet the standards for high-quality on the refrac-
the calf barn about 75 yards away. Three Amigos Dairy: Calves receive 2 to 3 tometer, we will supplement with an additive to
Once in the calf barn, it will be placed in the quarts of colostrum within the first six hours fol- boost the immunoglobulin level. If the dam’s co-
newborn group pen, towel dried further, given its lowing birth, a total of 4 quarts before 12 hours lostrum is unusable, we will either use frozen or,
visible eartags and RFID tag (for the automatic of age for the females. One of the four-person calf at last resort, a colostrum replacer packet.

Grand Central Jerseys, Bristow, Iowa Northern Lights Dairy, Mandan, N.D.
“Jersey calves need extra energy 2008, they formed an LLC with For Northern Lights Dairy, the tween Andrew and Jennifer Holle
to keep them going under stress,” Robert’s brother and sister-in-law, turning point in calf performance and Andrew’s parents, Kenton and
says Robert Horst. For that rea- Ronald and Marina. Today, Robert came when Jennifer Holle took Bobby Jo. Their 600-cow milking
son, he worked to create an elec- and Patricia, pictured above, man- oversight of the program in Janu- herd is averaging 80 pounds of milk
trolyte specifically for his calves. age the 200-cow registered Jer- ary 2012. Once at 10 percent, death per day with a 115,000 somatic
Calf care is always top of mind for sey herd. Cows are milked 2x in a loss has gone down consistently 3 cell count. Cows are milked 3x in a
the Horsts, and their efforts have double-7 parallel parlor with a so- to 4 percent every year since then, 36-stall rotary parlor and housed in
resulted in low death losses, aver- matic cell count average of 106,000. and in 2014 they lost just six calves, a six-row freestall barn with head-
aging 3.4 percent this past year. Their rolling herd average is 17,922 a minimal 0.65 percent. The addi- locks and sand bedding. The Holles
A new calf barn, built a few years pounds of milk, with 4.9 percent fat tion of automatic feeders and group own and operate 1,500 acres, along
ago, includes a convenient “kitch- and 3.5 percent protein. housing in late 2011 has also made with another 300 acres of rented ir-
en” to store feed and supplies. Their sand-bedded freestall barn a big difference in how calves are rigated land. Andrew is the fourth
Robert and Patricia Horst and has a drive-through center feed al- cared for and managed. “We’re able generation to run the farm, which
HOARD’S DAIRYMAN

their two daughters moved from ley. Dry cows are also housed in a to work smarter, not harder,” said originated in New Salem, N.D., be-
West Virginia to Central Iowa in freestall barn but are moved to a Jennifer, who cares for the calves fore relocating to Mandan in 2003.
1999 with their 40-cow herd and sawdust bedded loose housing area with the help of an employee. Pictured are Andrew and Jennifer
started Grand Central Jerseys. In two or three weeks before calving. The dairy is a partnership be- and their four children.

46 January 25, 2015

 64th Annual HOARD’S DAIRYMAN ROUND TABLE

Synergy Dairy, Pulaski, Wis. Three Amigos Dairy, Dexter, N.M.

Synergy Dairy is a partnership Synergy Dairy’s calf death loss Charlie DeGroot and his fa- With more than 750 hutch calves
between Gary and Linda Olson has been under 1 percent for the ther, Pete, own and operate Three on milk at all times, calf care is no
and their daughter and son-in- past four years. Pasteurized milk Amigos Dairy in Dexter, N.M. simple task. For Charlie, the people
law, Heather and Jay Jauquet. Lo- has helped the farm reduce its With 4,600 Holstein cows on test, are the biggest factor. “If the care-
cated in Northeast Wisconsin, the scouring rate, but Heather credits the farm has a rolling herd aver- takers of calves are quality people
330 milking Holsteins, Red and three-times-a-day feeding for bol- age of 23,935 pounds of milk with and doing their jobs well, then the
Whites and Jerseys have a roll- stering the health and growth of 3.63 percent fat, 3.23 percent pro- problems rarely arise that test
ing herd average of 32,150 pounds their calves. Even during the bitter tein and a somatic cell count of your illness or other problem pro-
of milk, with 3.82 percent fat and cold last winter, calves maintained 170,000. Cows on the 1,360-acre tocols,” he said. That great team of
3.15 percent protein. Their somatic a growth rate of 2 pounds per day farm are milked twice daily in four employees in charge of young-
cell count averages 115,000. On the while housed outside in hutches. a double-48 parallel parlor and stock care has helped keep pre-
440-acre farm, cows are milked 3x Pictured here are Gary and Linda housed in open lots. Dry cows are weaned calf death loss at just half
in a double-8 parallel parlor and Olson, Heather Jauquet, and her housed in shade-covered open lots, a percent for several years. Pic-
housed in a four-row drive-through, sons, Carter and Evan. Not pic- and a row of maternity pens is lo- tured here with Charlie is Alfredo
sand-bedded freestall barn. tured are Jay and Mason Jauquet. cated near the parlor. Loera, the farm’s calf foreman.

Calves are fed 1 gallon of colostrum within one ding as needed. The three group huts are utilized to-day differences in calf eating habits, behaviors
hour of being born with an esophageal feeder/tu- when needed for bull calves or weaned heifers. and appearances. Any suspicious or questionable
ber, and then a second colostrum feeding four to Northern Lights Dairy: We have a fabric- concerns are reported and addressed accordingly.
six hours later with either a bottle or tuber. hoop calf barn with two group pens for the Northern Lights Dairy: We use a 26 per-
Synergy Dairy: We collect and pool colostrum calves on the automatic feeder. The first pen cent high-protein milk replacer that we have
from all heifers and cows, except for bloody or oth- (Pen 1) houses newborns to calves about 10 days specially designed for our farm. Feeding a high-
erwise poor-quality colostrum. This is refriger- old. Since they are younger and smaller, we keep protein milk replacer (26/20) has been a huge
ated for a few days and then pooled and put into this group around 20 calves. The other pen (Pen factor in the health of our calves. It is delivered
“The Perfect Udder” gallon bags. It is then pas- 2) is calves from about 10 days until weaning. with a GEA (Westfalia) automatic calf feeder
teurized and stored in the refrigerator prior to We will hold a calf back in Pen 1 if it is a twin, that works with the calves’ RFID eartags. The
feeding. We have just purchased a refractometer smaller or needs extra monitoring for whatev- calf will walk into the feeder, the computer will
to help monitor which colostrum to discard. er reason. We also have two plastic hutches in read what calf it is and give the programmed
All calves are fed a gallon bag of pasteurized co- the calf barn that we use as our “hospital” or allotment of milk.
lostrum via a tube feeder as soon as possible after “specialized area.” Our machine has a separate dispenser for medi-
birth. The goal is to feed them within an hour. Synergy Dairy: We use calf hutches year- cated powder that we add to their milk replacer.
Three Amigos Dairy: We use a meter for dis- round. Our hutches are well bedded with sawdust We use OptiCalf powder which is mixed into their
tinguishing the better colostrum, while the lower or straw, depending on temperature. milk at different rates for the first 20 days of a
quality, unneeded colostrum is sold. The saved co- Three Amigos Dairy: The calves reside in in- calf’s life. This powder boosts their immune sys-
lostrum is sometimes frozen and then thawed be- dividual hutches with doorways open to the east tems, which is very important in group pens.
fore feeding. Most calves take the colostrum vol- and with a small vent on the rear (west) end. We do make some seasonal changes, such as
untarily, but they are tubed when necessary. They are bedded with cotton burrs and sometimes raising the temperature of the milk coming out
sand. The calves spend 85 to 90 days in these of the machine by about 2 degrees in the winter
How are your preweaned calves housed? hutches before graduating into running pens. and dropping it slightly in the summer. We will
Grand Central Jerseys: We have two types increase the OptiCalf powder slightly in the win-
of calf housing. The temperature controlled calf Describe your calf nutrition program. ter, too, for all the calves.
barn is used mostly in winter, but seasonally as Grand Central Jerseys: Since Jerseys re- Synergy Dairy: Calves are fed pasteurized
needed. It has 14 individual 4- by 7-foot pens bed- quire a higher fat and protein ratio in their whole milk (a combination of waste milk and sale-
ded with kiln-dried wood shavings, a heated floor, ration, we use a higher volume (12 ounces) of able milk) three times a day. Our feeding times
a wall of southern windows adjustable for ventila- 22/20 nonmedicated milk replacer per feeding are 4:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Calves
tion, and direct access to the calf kitchen where to compensate. They are started on bottles and start out being offered 4 pints of milk each feed-
all feed and health supplies are stored. When the trained to buckets after 10 to 14 days. Since ing via bottle until 4 to 5 days old when they are
weather turns cold, newborns are brought to the health concerns are usually within the first two switched to bucket feeding. Around 5 to 14 days,
calf barn and stay for about two weeks, before be- weeks, we use bottle feeding to get better con- they are offered 5 pints, and at 14 to 21 days, they
ing transferred outside to a calf hut. sumption and to monitor intake. Calves are fed are given 6 pints. By 3 to 4 weeks, they are tran-
The 35 calf huts are used year-round. Thirty- twice a day 12 hours apart. sitioned to 8 pints (1 gallon) per feeding.
two individual huts and three group huts all Our protocol stresses cleanliness and atten- The only seasonal change we make is with ad-
face south with a wire panel fenced area in front tion to detail to prevent cross-contamination. ditive. We feed Land O’Lakes Pasteurized Milk
HOARD’S DAIRYMAN

of each. We built terraces, so each row of huts is Calf care personnel are careful not to have dirty Balancer with Clarifly (for fly control) in the sum-
at a different elevation. The ground under the boots or clothes, and clean gloves are used every mer and the Cold Front version in the winter.
huts is sloped from north to south to keep water feeding. Sick calves are fed and treated last, and Three Amigos Dairy: Our pasteurized hos-
away from the calves. Each calf hut has a 6-inch gloves are changed before handling other calves.
sand base with kiln-dried wood shavings for bed- Employees are trained to recognize subtle day- (Continued on following page)

January 25, 2015 47

 64th Annual HOARD’S DAIRYMAN ROUND TABLE

(Continued from previous page)

pital milk cannot even begin to take care of our Northern Lights Dairy: The automatic calf tensively with our nutritionist, Mark Natzke, Ag
needs, so a 20/20 milk replacer is also used. feeder does a fantastic job of detecting sick calves. Consulting Team out of Wisconsin. He puts an ex-
We monitor drink speeds very extensively and treme emphasis on dry cow nutrition so the calf
What about calf starter and forages? have really noticed a trend: If calves are starting has all the factors put into place to be as healthy
Grand Central Jerseys: Calf starter is fed to get sick, their drink speed will go down consis- as it can be on the day that it is born.
free-choice when calves are drinking milk from tently about 30 percent each day before they ever We give Salmonella Newport vaccine to the cows
a bucket. Calf starter is a 14 percent protein mix show any physical symptoms. After the third day, so that they are protected from salmonella and also
of cracked corn, oats, 32 percent protein pellet, that is when you will see the diarrhea/scours. so they give those antibodies to their calf in utero
Bovitec and soybean oil to control dust. Roasted On the second day of slowed drinking speed, we and through colostrum. Dry cows also get vaccinat-
soybeans are added to boost protein. At weaning, will give 1 cc of Excede, and then 20 cc of Sulmet ed with Scour Bos 9 and Scour Bos 4 at dry-off and
calves are eating 4 to 6 pounds of starter per day. 12.5 percent solution orally one time per day for 30 days before calving. We also take blood samples
Northern Lights Dairy: All calves have free ac- three days. If we catch them fast enough, usually on all the dry cows to identify Johne’s.
cess to “calf candy” (corn and a high vitamin/mineral they won’t get scours or go off-feed at all. Synergy Dairy: Dry cows and heifers both
pellet that is coated in molasses and very palatable). If we don’t catch it until the third or fourth day, receive two doses of Guardian, SRP (salmonella)
We have Hubbard Feeds in Bismarck, N.D., manu- we will still give 1 cc Excede and Sulmet, but we and Endovac Dairy.
facture the starter for us according to our nutri- will also supplement with Arrest Advanced Elec- Three Amigos Dairy: ScourGuard is adminis-
tionist’s specifications. Calves are fed absolutely trolytes, if needed. We will not give electrolytes tered to dry cows at about 250 days in calf, during
no forages until they are moved out of the calf barn. if they are still drinking their allotment of milk, her move to the close-up pen.
We firmly believe that their stomachs are not ready even if their speed is slow.
for any forage until about two weeks after weaning. If we do ever get a case of pneumonia, we will What calf care changes the past few
Synergy Dairy: We feed a texturized 20 per- give Zactran or Excede, depending on age and years have made the biggest impact?
cent protein calf starter with Deccox. This feed symptoms, and usually that’s all we have to do. Grand Central Jerseys: The use of autog-
is used as our starter and grower for calves up to Synergy Dairy: Sick calves are identified by enous vaccines in the last two years has improved
4 months. Calves do not receive hay or any other appetite at feeding. If calves have loose manure, calf immunity. Higher quality colostrum from
forages prior to 4 months unless they are eating but their appetite and activity level are good, we cows has resulted in fewer incidences of scours.
in excess of 10 pounds of grower per day. do not treat them. If the calf is droopy, dehydrated Northern Lights Dairy: Our calf program has
Three Amigos Dairy: Our calf starter is 20 or has a poor appetite, we will give electrolytes changed substantially in the past few years. The
percent CP (crude protein) Ampli-Calf, made by and add a tetracycline/neomycin antibiotic to the auto feeder allows calves to eat when they are
Purina and provided around here by D.B.S. Com- milk for five days or until the calf is healthy. For hungry and, in our opinion, simulates the closest
modities. Calves are fed free-choice. Forages are respiratory disease, we use primarily Draxxin. thing to nursing off their mother. Also, we firmly
not provided until they are weaned. Three Amigos Dairy: Sickness in the hutch believe in calves living in a group setting. Calves
calves is quickly noticeable. Simple scours are treat- are very social animals that thrive when nur-
What other procedures are performed ed with Sustain III boluses. Respiratory issues are tured through physical contact with each other.
between birth and weaning? treated primarily with Enfrolex. During the winter, Having the security camera system and also
Grand Central Jerseys: At birth, calves are we treat every hutch-weaned calf preventatively the automatic calf feeder computer synced on our
vaccinated with Calf-Guard oral vaccine. Post- with Draxxin, which we consider a wonder drug. smartphones has really changed our whole farm.
weaning (4 to 8 months), they are given Bovi- We can at any time log in, see the feeder and
Shield Gold 5L5, Vision 7 HSVac, Brucellosis and
Describe your weaning process. watch the calves to make sure everything is going
Ivomec, and horns are surgically removed. Grand Central Jerseys: Calves are fully exactly how it is supposed to be.
Northern Lights Dairy: For vaccinations, we weaned at 8 weeks. At 7 weeks, the milk replacer About two years ago we were having quite a
give 20 cc Bovine Ecolizer + C20 in the mouth im- amount is reduced by two-thirds for two to four few pneumonia cases, so after some consultation
mediately after birth. Within four hours, all other days, and then only warm water is fed after that. we bought a brand new ventilation tube designed
vaccinations will be given (TSV intranasally, 1 cc Postweaned calves are moved to a group facility with the air holes at the right size and spacing to
Zactran, 5 cc Vira Shield 6 and 5 cc Covexin 8). in pens of five to six heifers each. always give the calves clean, fresh air. Since then,
At three weeks, we repeat 5cc Vira Shield 6 and Northern Lights Dairy: At 45 days, the auto- we have basically no pneumonia at all.
5 cc Covexin 8 (also given at weaning and again matic calf feeder is programmed to automatically Lastly, having Jennifer fully in charge of the
at prebreeding). Calves are all dehorned one week start weaning the calves. Each day the feedings calf barn has had a huge impact. Before that,
after weaning with an electric dehorner. will go down by 30 percent until they are no lon- our mortality rate was way too high for what we
Synergy Dairy: Our calves receive no vaccina- ger given any milk. At 49 days, we will move them wanted on our farm. Today, all the hard work, re-
tions prior to weaning. We believe in vaccinating into a different, smaller weaned pen in groups of search, consultations and so forth have paid off,
the cow and using excellent colostrum manage- five where they will be given free access to water and Jennifer’s first group of calves are now calv-
ment instead. Postweaning, while the calf is still and starter. They will stay in this pen for about ing in and entering the milking string.
in a hutch but prior to moving to group housing, two weeks, and then they will move to the mono- Synergy Dairy: We have been pasteurizing co-
we give one dose of Inforce. After that, calves re- slope barn calf feedlot area. lostrum for about five years and feel this process
ceive Bovi-Shield Gold at 4 and 5 months of age Synergy Dairy: Calves are weaned at about 8 has lowered our scouring rates. We also started 3x
and again at prebreeding. Calves are debudded weeks. We start at 7 weeks by reducing milk to feeding four years ago in December. The plan was
with a butane dehorner at 2 to 3 weeks old. 1/2 gallon per feeding, but we add 1/2 gallon of to switch back to 2x in the spring, but the added
Three Amigos Dairy: The calf vaccination warm water to that pail so the calves do not usu- health benefits and growth of the calves told us to
regimen is coordinated by Zoetis and involves ally even notice the change. They consistently in- stick with it year-round. This is one management
Inforce 3, Ulrabac 7, Draxxin (at times), a Bangs crease starter intake through this process, and it practice that we would not compromise. Even in
vaccine (RB-51) and Bovi-Shield GoldFP 5 LS. seems to reduce stress of weaning as they gradu- last winter’s bitter cold, we averaged 2 pounds of
The calendar schedule for administration some- ally adapt. When we switch to 100 percent water, growth per day. We had four calves with frostbit-
times changes due to Zoetis’ research. Dr. Nay- it is always offered warm (lukewarm in summer). ten ears, but other than that, no health issues.
lor’s paste is used with care for dehorning. Calves are left in hutches on water for about a In addition, adding the Inforce vaccination prior
week and then moved into our weaned calf barn to moving the calves into groups has helped lower
How are sick calves found and treated? into groups of five or six. The grain they are fed our respiratory disease rates in our weaned calf
Grand Central Jerseys: Because calves are stays the same, and we provide warm water for a barn, which is a challenge to ventilate.
located centrally on the farm, visual checks occur couple days to help ease the transition. Three Amigos Dairy: We have been fortunate
several times a day for loose bowels, depressed Three Amigos Dairy: Calves are weaned by to have developed a regimen several years ago
appearance and lethargy. Nuflor is used for respi- Day 67 and moved into group running pens. that yields a 0.5 percent death loss during normal
ratory disease. Baytril and Excede are adminis- Do cows receive any special care environmental conditions and only as high as a
tered at the first signs of calf scours. 1.5 percent death loss during the occasional ad-
Electrolytes are fed as needed during scours.
specific to supporting calf health? verse or otherwise strange conditions.
Jersey calves, especially, need extra energy to keep Grand Central Jerseys: Milking cows are I am always happy to hear about any kind of im-
HOARD’S DAIRYMAN

them going under stress. The electrolyte we liked vaccinated twice a year with an autogenous vac- provement we can incorporate, but I also believe that
in the past isn’t made any more, so we worked for cine (Salmonella, E. coli, Strep uberis and Staph. most everything comes down to personnel. If the
quite some time to develop our own electrolyte for aureus). At dry-off, cows are vaccinated with Vira caretakers of the calves are quality people and doing
Jerseys. It is custom made in Minnesota and con- Shield 6L + 5HB and autogenous vaccine. their jobs very well, then the problems rarely arise
tains energy, a thickening agent and microbials. Northern Lights Dairy: We work very ex- for testing your illness or other problem protocols.

48 January 25, 2015