Repair young stock: rearing technology and rules for keeping cattle

Cultivation of replacement young animals in farms is given a lot of attention. The creation of a full-fledged herd depends on compliance with the rules and recommendations. Many factors influence the successful development of offspring. It is important to follow the basic principles of keeping calves, feeding norms, assess the effect of vitamins on animal growth and take into account other nuances of care.

What is replacement stock

Repair young stock in animal husbandry is called calves, which, as they grow up, become part of an adult herd. Activities aimed at maintaining and further developing cattle are an important part of breeding work.

To maintain the number of livestock choose the offspring obtained from the best producers. The survival rate and other indicators of such animals are usually above average. Replacement calves should be more than required to replenish the adult herd. As they grow older, some individuals are culled.

The conditions of keeping and feeding of young animals are strictly regulated. The efficiency of the entire farm depends on this.

Need for fresh air and ventilation

One of the top recommendations for farmers is to put calves in well ventilated pens. Heat has a more detrimental effect on immature animals than low air temperatures.

Traditionally, 2 technologies for growing replacement offspring are used - cold and classic. The first method is especially suitable for meat and dairy breeds of cattle. For keeping calves, separate houses are used, installed in an open area.Heating of premises is not provided. In the second case, newborns are not separated from the parent herd.

Comparative characteristics of the advantages and disadvantages of technologies for rearing young animals:

Increased risk of animal infectionCalves do not require special attentionPossible digestive problemsLack of sunlight

Pros	Cons
Cold way
Calves get vitamin D naturally	Increased consumption of milk to replenish energy at low temperatures
Cold air activates metabolic processes in the body	Spending on the construction of individual boxes
Reducing the number of colds
Traditional method
Minimum cost of keeping offspring

The cold way is becoming more popular today. Fresh air and negative temperatures contribute to the death of pathogenic bacteria. In such conditions, replacement young animals are placed immediately after birth. By hardening, calves grow up he althy and gain weight quickly.

Temperature conditions

It is easier to control the temperature regime in individual boxes. During the construction of pens for keeping replacement young cattle, a number of requirements are observed:

1. Plastic is selected, the thickness of which will ensure the preservation of the set temperature and protect against excessive heating.
2. Doors and other openings should facilitate ventilation. This helps control the level of coolness in the room.
3. Free interior space is also good for air circulation and the development of each calf.
4. The ventilation system is designed in such a way as to easily ventilate the room, but avoid drafts.
5. Boxes must be dry inside.

In summer, calves hide in such a box from the scorching heat, and in winter - from wind and cold. In the cold season, the animals are kept warm with the help of bedding, which is laid in each paddock. In severe frosts, blankets are put on babies.

Cold temperature conditions for the maintenance of replacement young animals prefer to use large livestock complexes. In small farms, calves are transferred to warm barns in winter.

What to feed

A complete diet is important for the normal development of replacement young. In the first months of life, 2 types of calf nutrition are distinguished:

1. Breastfeeding has no cost, but carries the risk of mastitis and occasional shortages.
2. Milk substitutes are easy to store, the drink guarantees normal growth, but is more expensive than natural raw materials.

To vegetable and succulent feed animals are accustomed early. This method improves the condition of the digestive system, promotes better absorption of food. Additives in the form of mashed potatoes, grated carrots calves begin to try 3 weeks after birth. At the age of one month, they are already tamed to grass, and later to silage.

Repair young growth needs a lot of liquid. Calves consume 2 times more water than adults. The offspring endure moisture deficiency worse than the lack of nutrients. Water dilutes the high concentration of gastric juice and does not allow the milk to turn into insoluble clots. Infusions of medicinal herbs improve the appetite of animals and accelerate weight gain.

Basic feeding norms

Balanced nutrition is another factor influencing the development of animals. Lack of food slows down the growth of livestock, abundant feed leads to various pathologies.If the calf does not receive enough nutrients within six months after birth, the front part of the body lags behind in development. Lack of nutrition in the next 6 months of life is fraught with complications for other organs. The amount of milk consumed per day should not exceed 15% of the weight of the calf. In winter, this figure changes. The stronger the frost, the more food the offspring gets.

In summer, the basis of the diet is green vegetation rich in useful substances. In animal husbandry, 6 kilograms of silage for every 100 kilograms of weight is considered the norm for heifers. The proportion of concentrates is kept to a minimum. The amount depends on the characteristics of each individual and the breed of cattle. Gobies receive more concentrated feed, but less succulent. The diet is considered optimal, which every day provides a weight gain of 800 grams.Feeding replacement young animals is focused on the development of internal organs, bone and muscle tissue. Nutrition should help increase the sexual activity of animals and the growth of reproductive performance.

The use of vitamins in the growth process

Milk and other types of feed do not always provide the full range of nutrients necessary for the normal development of calves. Deficiency of organic compounds leads to stress and irreversible consequences. Farmers include vitamin supplements in the diet of replacement stock to optimize metabolism and achieve weight gain.

The most important vitamins for calves:

1. Group B affects metabolism.
2. A is responsible for immunity, activates metabolic processes and promotes weight gain.
3. E protects cells from oxidation.
4. D strengthens muscle and bone tissue, prevents rickets.

Vitamins enter the body not only in the form of drugs, but also with food. It is useful to include foods with carotene (carrots, rutabaga, beets), fish oil, clover or alfalfa in the diet. To maintain calves during illness, a course of injections is prescribed. This technology contributes to the rapid absorption of nutrients.

Compliance with the rules for keeping replacement offspring of cattle improves the he alth of calves, prevents the development of infectious diseases. Careful care is effective in increasing the productivity of animals.

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