Raising calves: top 4 effective methods at home

Having your own livestock in the household is a serious help, bringing both financial benefits and products in the form of meat, milk and products derived from it. But in order to make a profit, it is necessary to master all the intricacies of calf rearing, choose the right method for the best method, learn how to avoid diseases and solve numerous problems.

Calf management practices

The success of cattle breeding and profit depends on how well young animals are kept.

Individual

In this method, the calves are housed in separate huts with a small personal enclosure, so the animal can choose whether to be outdoors or go indoors. Modern cases are made of durable, opaque plastics that are easy to care for.

Pros and consAnimals quickly adapt to the conditions of detention.They are in clean air, do not suffer from ammonia and other gases emitted by manure.Get the necessary dose of sunlight.The risk of the rapid spread of infectious diseases is excluded.Livestock is easier to care for.The cost of purchasing or building individual houses.Overexpenditure of milk, necessary under harsh conditions of detention.

Group

With this method, young animals on the farm are kept in groups of 10 to 20 animals of the same age for six months.

Pros and consCalves develop faster.There is competition in the group, which stimulates weight gain due to the efficient consumption of feed.Risk of accelerated spread of infections.

Suckle

This method involves rearing calves under a cow until they are 7 or 8 months old. At the same time, one cow can feed up to 2-3 suckers.

Pros and consMass gain due to an increased amount of easily digestible protein (colostrum and milk).Absence of diseases of the digestive system.The minimum loss of offspring in the first months of life.The rapid growth of animals.Minimum labor and cost.Without careful care and attention to cows and young animals, the method may not give the expected result.It is necessary to provide animals with full-fledged feed and comfortable rooms.

Content Technology

When growing young animals, two technologies are used: traditional and cold. Each has its own set of advantages and disadvantages.

Cold method

This method is considered the most efficient, suitable for raising livestock for milk and meat. With this method, animals from the first day of life are kept in separate rooms on the street, without heating, only on bedding.

Pros and consStimulation of body reserves in harsh conditions leads to rapid weight gain.Prevention of diseases by strengthening immunity and hardening.Outdoor calves get enough vitamin D.Keeping in the cold stimulates the functioning of the thyroid gland, providing an excellent metabolism.The cost of building individual houses.High milk consumption due to low temperatures.

Traditional

This method has been used for a long time, but is still common. At first, the calves are kept together with their mothers, then the grown offspring are separated from the cows.

Pros and consVirtually no cost.Young animals are in an advantageous position even with a sharp change in temperature, because they are warmed and protected, fed by the mother.Young animals may have digestive problems.Diseases can affect many livestock in a short period.Bulls and heifers receive less vitamin D, therefore, with this technology, they are more likely to be affected by rickets and have a weakened immune system.

What to feed?

The nutrition of calves at different periods of life has significant differences, which are necessary to know to prevent various digestive problems and for the normal development of animals.

During the milk period

This period lasts up to 4 months. This is an important time for the normal development of the calf and the formation of his he alth. It is advisable to keep a newborn with a cow for at least the first 2 weeks and be sure to drink colostrum to him.

If, for some reason, you have to feed calves without a cow, then they are fed a liter of colostrum 4 times a day two hours after birth. It is advisable to feed the animal both on the farm and at home at regular intervals.

On the fifth day, calves are taught to drink water, while the owners of the herd need to understand that milk is food and water is drink. Do not deprive animals of water, hoping that they will receive enough liquid from their mother's milk. When feeding calves, water is often added to milk, gradually switching to reverse. It is impossible to abruptly switch to it from whole or slightly diluted milk, as this will cause diarrhea. This should be done gradually, in stages, until the calf can do without milk at all, switching to other feeds.

Fattening

In order to raise an animal for meat, fattening should last up to a year and a half. During this period, it is important to provide the calf with a complete balanced diet.

Moreover, it is believed that the use of dry food is more convenient for pet owners, as it reduces the risk of gastrointestinal diseases and removes part of the cost of preparing high-quality liquid products.

Also, it is easier for calves to independently regulate the level of eating such feeds, and the increase in live weight is fast and efficient. For growing dairy cattle, preference is given to bulk feed - hay, silage, root crops, and for meat - mixed feed, concentrates.

Features of breeding

Raising calves requires the following conditions to be controlled:

1. Animal group size. In a large group, calves are often nervous, restless, and move a lot, which leads to irrational feed use and reduced growth.
2. It is desirable to collect calves of the same age and body weight in a group - this way you can avoid collisions and achieve a uniform weight gain.
3. There must be enough space per animal, which is calculated by floor area per head of livestock. Overcrowding leads to injury, reduced sleep and rest, reduced food intake and water intake.
4. An important feature in breeding calves is the so-called feeding front, that is, the distance between animals when eating feed. It must be at least 35 centimeters per head. This ensures a calm and uniform eating of feed. The calves are satiated almost at the same time and go to rest.
5. The right choice of feed type. If calves are planned to be used in dairy farming, they must be taught from an early age to eat bulky succulent feed. For meat growing, concentrated feeds predominate in the diet.

Hay and other dry feeds are introduced only after the calves reach the age of one month, because earlier their stomach (rumen) is not adapted to digest rough foods.

Growing hygiene for beginners

In order for calves to grow properly, not get sick and gain weight, it is not enough just to feed them well. They need to be provided with comprehensive care, consisting of the following:

1. Cleanliness in the room where the calves are. Dust, manure, urine, old, stale bedding, scattered, partially not eaten food - all this becomes the cause of animal diseases.
2. Maintaining a comfortable temperature, not low and not high, which guarantees comfort to animals and the absence of extreme changes - sudden cooling or heating of the air. It is optimal to maintain a temperature of 16-18 degrees Celsius for monthly calves, at 2 months 15-17 degrees are suitable for them, at 3-4 months - from 12 to 15 degrees, and at six months animals can withstand 11-13 degrees.Hypothermia is extremely dangerous, because it leads to a decrease in immunity, a deterioration in the digestion and absorption of food, as well as the development of diseases.
3. Regular ventilation of the room without drafts. It is necessary to remove gases emitted by the calves themselves and manure, as well as to eliminate stuffiness that adversely affects the he alth of animals.
4. Outdoor walks. Restoration calves need to be released daily outside to improve their well-being, promote he alth, and the sun's rays help produce vitamin D, which is essential for strong bones, teeth and hooves, and general well-being.

The animals themselves must also be kept clean, checking the condition of the skin for damage and insect bites, eyes, ears and genitals for discharge, and hooves for strength and absence of rot.

With proper hygiene, proper feeding and maintenance, raising calves will be successful and profitable for the owner.

Possible problems

Up to 15% of newborn calves die in the first days and weeks of life. In order for the business to be promising, developing and generating income, it is necessary to preserve the maximum amount of offspring. To do this, it is necessary to prevent diseases, especially infectious ones, which can “mow down” the entire herd, from young animals to adult cows.

In addition to infection, the causes of problems can be humidity and cold in the room, improper feeding and poor lighting, lack of ventilation. From weak light, the animals develop lice, with excessive humidity - hoof rot, drafts provoke inflammation of the lungs and / or kidneys.

You need to look after little calves, pay attention to them, monitor their he alth. Then they will develop well, grow up strong, steadily gaining weight. This will bring profit to the enterprise or individual, strengthen his position.

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