To successfully raise Holstein calves, you need to monitor the rate at which Holstein calves gains weight. You also need to ensure that the rate at which Holstein calves gain weight is in accordance with the nutritional need of the Holstein calves. There is a difference between a Holstein calf that gains the weight that is required for the species and those that dont gain that much weight.
The health cost of Holstein calves and the time that it takes for them to enter the milking string differs based on whether the Holstein calves gain the required weight. By using a weight chart for the Holstein calves, you can easily monitor their weight and make necessary adjustments to the feeding and housing choice for the Holstein calves. For Holstein calves, it is essential to focus on the first eight week of the lives of the calves.
How to Track Holstein Calf Weight and Growth
Holstein calves are typically born weighing around ninety pound. Additionally, you need to provide the newborn Holstein calves with colostrum to ensure that there immune system function properly. After the first day, Holstein calves need to have access to milk or milk replacer, as well as starter feed that is introduced slow into there system.
By using a weight chart for Holstein calves, you can monitor their weight and determine whether they are receiving enough milk and starter feed. Furthermore, a weight chart will allow you to detect if the daily weight gain of Holstein calves begins to drop, even if the milk that they are provided with is the correct amount. After the Holstein calf is weaned from its mother, its nutritional needs change.
The rumen of the Holstein calf must manage the process of digestion rather than the calf needing to ingest food, so you will need to provide the Holstein calf with hay and water to maintain its weight gain. During the weaning period, Holstein calves may experience a temporary slowdown in their weight gain. However, a weight chart will display the expected weight gain of Holstein calves two weeks after the weaning process.
If the weight of the Holstein calves is flat for more than two week, it may be due to the quality of the starter feed that is provided to the Holstein calves or due to the heifers having to compete for the available feed. By six months, the Holstein heifer that is successfully grown will weigh approximately four hundred pounds. The weight of four hundred pounds indicates that the heifer is growing with both its skeletal and muscular systems developing proper.
Frame and weight measurements provide more information than weight measurements alone. Additionally, frame and weight measurements is more useful than using only one of these measurement. At twelve months of age, the Holstein heifers should weigh between six hundred and seven hundred pounds.
At this age, it is up to the caretaker to determine whether the ration of feed for the heifers needs to be changed to include more energy, or whether the heifers need more space on the farm to eat. The type and quantity of feed that is provided to Holstein calves changes constantly. A weight chart will make it obvious to caretakers the changes in the type and quantity of feed that is necessary for the Holstein calves.
Milk will be removed from the diet after the Holstein calves are weaned from their mothers. The amount of starter feed that is provided to Holstein calves will peak after a period and then begin to taper off. At this stage, hay will be the primary feed for the Holstein calves.
The intake of water increases with the growth of Holstein calves. Because water is essential for the growth of Holstein calves, those that dont have access to water will eat less starter feed and will gain very slow weights. The season in which they are bred and in which they are housed can affect the weight of Holstein calves.
However, these factors are not always reflected in the weight numbers of those calves. In the winter months, Holstein calves use up their energy to keep themselves warm instead of putting energy into growing. Good ventilation in the stalls is important in the summer to ensure that the calves do not have issues with gaining their appetite due to the heat.
Thus, two Holstein calves can have the same feed program yet weigh different due to these factors. By weighing the Holstein calves, you can avoid guessing as to the weight of each calf. The best time to weigh Holstein calves is every two weeks until they are weaned, after which they should be weighed once a month.
Additionally, a weigh tape can help to obtain the weight of the Holstein calves between weighings. Another method is to perform a body condition scoring for the heifers. If the heifers are round but not gaining frame they are not growing correctly; a weight chart will help to show if the weights of the heifers are increasing to the target weight for that age group.
The breeding of Holstein heifers is dependent upon the weights of those heifers. The heifers should be bred when they reach around 825 lbs. This weight is usually achieved between 13 and 15 months of age.
If you wait until the heifers are much heavier you delay the first lactation of their milk production; thus, you increase the rearing costs of the Holstein heifers. Additionally, if you breed the Holstein heifers too early they may experience calving difficulty and have lower rates of milk production throughout their lives. A weight chart will allow for the management of the herd to determine if the Holstein heifers are on pace to reach the target weights or if they need additional energy in their feed ration.
A weight chart is a management tool for the Holstein herd; however it is not a report card for each individual Holstein calf. If one Holstein calf weighs less than the target weight it does not mean the feeding program for the herd has failed. However, if several Holstein calves weigh less than the target weight the feeding program may need to be reviewed to determine if the stale starter feed needs to be replaced, if you need to ensure the water from freezing, or if there is more room at the bunk for the heifers to eat.
Making these small fixes will prevent further costs and difficulties with the Holstein herd later on. By being able to keep track of the milestones that each Holstein calf achieves you can ensure that problems are prevented rather than occurring. By knowing the target weight of a two-month-old Holstein calf and how much starter feed the calf should consume you can identify any deviations from the target weight.
Thus you can prevent delayed breeding or extra visits to the veterinarian. Paying attention to these weights and measurements is a habit that yields value for each Holstein calf that is raised by the dairy farm.