Newborn calf: scheme and rules for feeding at home

Colostrum is the first food of the calf, he gets it immediately after birth. It should be easily digestible, full of nutrients and energy. Colostrum meets these requirements. Consider when and how much colostrum should be given to newborn calves, how to properly water them by hand, and what not to give to small calves after birth.

Benefits of Colostrum

Colostrum is formed in the udder of a cow before calving and remains there for 4-6 days after it. It was created by nature to prepare the calf for independent nutrition and life. It contains all the components necessary for a newborn animal: water, proteins, carbohydrates, fats, mineral elements, vitamins, bioactive substances.

In addition, colostrum contains substances unique to the secretory fluid - immunoglobulins, active leukocytes and lymphocytes, lysozyme, growth stimulants, interferon, lactoferin, prebiotics, cytokines.

All components are completely absorbed in the body of the calf. It creates passive immunity in the baby's body, destroys pathogens, cleanses the intestines from feces, it has a high nutritional value.

Colostrum creamy or yellowish in color, thicker than milk, s alty taste. Every day its composition changes, it becomes thinner and more transparent.

soldering scheme

The mode and amount of colostrum ingested by an animal affects the he alth, resistance to diseases, and the development of a newborn. From a natural point of view, the best way to get newborn colostrum is suckling. In this case, he stays with the cow, sucking the liquid directly from her udder. Colostrum not only helps the body of the calf to adapt, but also quickly normalizes the condition of cows after childbirth.Coming to the baby from the udder, it remains uncontaminated, its temperature is optimal. With this method of feeding, young animals suffer less from gastrointestinal diseases.

The first time after birth, the calf at home should drink colostrum no later than an hour after birth. In the next 2-3 days, he should receive food 4-5 times a day, in the following days - 3-4 times a day.

To water a calf properly by hand, you need to give it colostrum according to the norms: on the first day - 17-20% of body weight, on the next - 20-24%.

It should be borne in mind that if a newborn drinks more than it should, it can lead to indigestion. Weak or small calves are best given less volume, but more frequently.Drinking colostrum should be at body temperature, cold colostrum should be heated to a warm state. The table clearly shows the scheme of drinking.

Drinking days	Number of drinkings	Colostrum volume in % by weight body
1st day	5 times	17-20 %
2-3rd day	4-5 times	20-24%
4-7th day	3-4 times	20-24 %

How to change the nutrition system of calves

After a week of feeding on colostrum, animals are transferred to whole milk. You can feed naturally or drink milk from a bottle. First, they drink 1 liter per day, then the rate is increased to 5-6 liters per day. According to this scheme, they are fed up to 1.5-2 months, when they begin to introduce products for adult animals into the diet.

Calves up to 1 month old need to drink milk in small portions, if given a lot at a time, it will linger in the gastrointestinal tract, disorders are possible. Young calves are also fed with fermented milk, and towards the end of the suckling period, they switch to a low-fat product.

Feeding calves with water: proper watering

Water begins to drink in parallel with milk. It is necessary to accustom an animal to water, since a lack of fluid leads to an increase in the acidity of the gastric juice, problems with the functioning of the digestive tract. Calves up to 2 weeks of age need to boil water, after this age you can give it raw.

You can drink from a bucket or a bottle with a nipple, 1.5-2 hours after drinking milk. The amount of water - no more than 1 liter for animals up to 2 weeks, then you need to gradually increase the volume to 2 liters after each feeding. In addition to water, you can drink chatter from water and feed for cattle, which increase appetite and speed up metabolism.

Feeding calves with dry milk

When calves are 10 days old, they can start giving milk replacer. 1 kg of dry mixture, diluted in water, replaces 10 liters of fresh. You need to prepare the mixture from 1 kg of dry raw materials and 8-9 liters of clean water.

Dry mix contains skimmed milk, ground grains, whey and buttermilk. Antibiotics are added to some mixtures at the factory to normalize bowel function. The advantage of feeding calves with this mixture is that they cannot contract diseases from their mother, and also that it contains more minerals than natural milk.

Another substitute for calves to drink is milk powder. It is a dried milk powder that contains a higher amount of vitamins and trace elements and has a greater nutritional value. For drinking, it must be diluted with water according to the scheme: powder in an amount of 0.5% by weight of the animal, liquid in an amount of 4% by weight. The advantage of a substitute is that its components do not change, as happens with fresh milk, the composition of which can vary depending on the conditions in which the animal lives. In addition, the powder has a long shelf life and is much cheaper.

Vitamin supplements for calves

To normalize life processes, calves need to be given mineral and vitamin supplements. To strengthen immunity and accelerate growth - "Gamavit", "Katazol", "Nucleopeptide". The drugs are administered by injection. To improve digestive processes and weight gain, young animals are given premixes, for example, the Gavryusha premix. With the appearance of hypovitaminosis, inflammation of the mucous membranes, impaired regenerative functions and hair loss, they are administered in the form of injections of Tetravit and Eleovit. For newborn calves, you can use the Selemag complex.

Supplements containing proteins, vitamins, fat, fiber, ash, sugar and amino acids are also used. They are added to compound feed.

What not to give?

During the period of feeding with colostrum, nothing else but water should be given. It is forbidden to drink cold water. Also, you can not feed calves with milk from cows with mastitis and any infectious diseases.Inventory - buckets, drinking bottles, must be clean, after each feeding they must be washed with water and dried, treated with disinfectants from time to time.

When transferring to adult food, you can not feed moldy hay, bread and flour products, potatoes and beets in one mixture (this leads to bloating). When the calves begin to graze in the pasture, care must be taken that poisonous plants do not come across among the grass. The time from birth of calves to weaning is an important period in the life of cattle. Proper feeding of young animals ensures their normal development, growth and weight gain, he alth, strong immunity. How the young will develop depends on its productivity and production value.