Greater care needed if we are to cut heifer mortality

摘要

Detailed attention to calf management during the rearing period is key in helping to improve heifer survival rates which could significantly increase the number of heifers entering the milking herd, Volac's newly-appointed technical specialist Dr Jessica Cooke told the conference. The research reported the incidence of losses on 19 dairy farms in the south of England and monitored in total 1100 Holstein-Friesian calves born as part of a seven-year study jointly funded by DairyCo and Defra, and carried out by Dr Cooke and Prof Claire Wathes at the Royal Veterinary College, London. "The facts are real and the date stark - 8% of male and female calves were born dead or died within the first 24 hours, 3% of heifers died within the first month, and a further 7% by breeding age at 15 months. In addition, 4% of heifers served at least once failed to calve, primarily due to infertility," said Dr Cooke. (See Table 1.)