Fresh air and sand beds help keep calves healthy

摘要

Rearing calves in low-cost polytunnels situated in fields away from the farmstead is proving to be a winning formula for Ed Friend, who milks 300 cows at Bridgemere Farm, Bridgemere, near Nantwich. Ed, who is also a full time vet in Eccleshall, and his wife Penny moved back to Cheshire from Oxfordshire three years ago to take over the family farm. The decision to switch to a system of grass-based milk production meant a move to an all-spring calving herd. Now well under way, the new management strategy has meant large numbers of calves - around 200 - are born over a two-month period and an effective rearing regime had to be established.