Youngstock Rearing Weaning to Calving

1
Youngstock Rearing Weaning to Calving

• Bruce Richards BVSC MRCVS

2
(No Transcript)
3
Growth Targets

• 36 40 fail to conceive 2nd time
• Expensive. Improve feeding, management, dse
  control
• Monitor growth rates weighband
• Ave daily gain (g) mature weight (kg)
• Ideal calving age 2 years
• lt 2yrs ? lighter less yield
• 3 yrs ? more milk, reduced lifetime production,
  fertility, longevity
• Yield/day of life 20 greater in 2 yr old vs. 3
  yr old

4
PrePubertal Growth Rates

• Avoid excessive 4 10 months
• Faster mammary development
• Overfeeding - Earlier puberty. Weight not Age
• - Reduced yield
• 1.1kg/day vs. 0.74kg/day - normal glands 39
  heavier,
• - 68 more secretory tissue
• High late pregnancy nutrition - no effect
• Low (0.6)/High (0.9) - no delay in weight,
  puberty, calving age
• - compensatory growth
• - better yield intake

5
Ideal growth rates to calve at 2 years without
compromising performance
Effect of heifer calving weight on yield (Drew,
1988)
6
(No Transcript)
7
(No Transcript)
8
Relationship between fertility and calving weight

• Heifers reared to 540kg or 620kg at calving
• Heavier animals - More milk
• - lost more weight 90 d calved
• - lost more BCS
• - no lactation weight gain
• - poorer 1st 2nd lactation fertility
• Aims - Service at 60 adult weight
• - Calve at 540 560kg. Max 580kg
• - Max BCS 3

9
Carson others (2002) Animal Science 74, Agri.
Inst. N. Ireland
10
Weaning to Turnout

• 1kg conc/day. Usually 6-8 weeks
• Gradual milk withdrawal - rumen change
• Rumen development milk spillage digestive
  problems PPCD/PWS
• Low rumen pH, not mature ? microbial protein
• Need high quality UDP (linseed/fishmeal) 17-18,
  12.5-13MJ ME
• Higher the growth rate, higher the UDP
• Feed conversion more efficient BWt FCR
• 50kg 21
• 100kg 31
• 300kg 5.51
• 500kg 8.51

11
Digestive Problems

• Rumen development - ? size 80 by 12 weeks
• - finger like papillae
• Need fibre poor fibre/high starch acidosis
• atony, ? intake, ? development, scarring.
• Bloat, pasty scour, poor growth.
• 10 15 quality fibre. Straw gt hay (intakes
  later?)
• Restrict concs 2 - 2.5kg/hd/day
• Avoid silage until 8 10 weeks. Then max 50
• Pot belly's too little conc, too much fibre
  (hay/haylage)
• Post Weaning Scour - dietary? rumen development?
• - UDP, size, starch, maize gluten

12
1st Turnout

• Vaccinations Lepto, Lungworm, Clostridia
• Boluses mineral wormers
• Ideally 150 200kg
• Onto good grass 7 to 9 cm sward
• Use concs/forages 3 4 weeks to reduce check
• Many systems monitor growth rates (lt0.7kg until
  10m)
• Supplement if needed (gt0.8kg once over 10m)
• Limitations - nutrition parasitism

13
Bulling Heifer 2nd Housing

• House before service to reduce stress. Worming?
• Yards vs. cubicles
• Serve at 60 adult weight 330 to 380kg
• Rising plane nutrition 6 weeks before after
• 0.8 0.9kg/day Forage cereal based (20MJ ME/d)
• Increased calving rates from 50 to 70
• AI gt Bull
• Once pregnant, maintain growth rates 0.9kg/d

14
Heifers from Heifers vs. Heifers from
Cows (Furniss et al., 1986)
15
2nd turnout to Calving

• Booster vaccines, wormers, mineral bolus
• Weight gain to calve 560 580kg
• Sward height 7 - 8cm
• Avoid fat calving, intakes, yield
• Last 2 months 0.6kg/d. Increase fibre
• Watch summer mastitis, warts
• Acclimatise housing, feeding

16
(No Transcript)
17
(No Transcript)