Survey results show the way forward in looking after calves

摘要

As dairy herds get bigger and the workforce smaller, it would be easy to jump to the conclusion that calves come about fifth in the farm pecking order after the cows, the dog, the kids and the wife. How wrong that would be, at least according to the findings of the Dairy Farmer "Right start in life" calf survey, sponsored by Rispoval Intranasal, the single-dose pneumonia vaccine for dairy calves from Pfizer Animal Health. A questionnaire carrying no mention of the sponsor was distributed with a proportion of the magazine's January edition. Among 443 responses with an average herd size of 168 cows, 57% had made changes in the last three years to improve calf health and/or growth rates. The two improvements that vied neck-and-neck for top spot were better ventilation and vaccination. Next was allowing more space per calf, which is obviously a good move if calves are too crowded.