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Calve Care Lesson How are we going to care for the farms’ newest two arrivals?. L.O. s 1) Be able to describe the feeding pattern to be followed by the calves. 2) Know the problems that can be encountered when rearing dairy calves. Our calves history…….
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Calve Care LessonHow are we going to care for the farms’ newest two arrivals? L.O. s 1) Be able to describe the feeding pattern to be followed by the calves. 2) Know the problems that can be encountered when rearing dairy calves.
Our calves history…… • Our two Jersey Girls are a couple of weeks old and would usually have got here a week or so earlier, BUT, their mothers had mastitis! What does this mean for the calves? • Mothers milk contains lumps and their teats are swollen. They are treated with antibiotics. Can we give the milk to humans? • No we cannot put either lumpy or antibiotic containing milk into the human food chain. So what happened to the milk? • The calves stayed at their home farm a bit longer, drank their mothers milk and got a free dose of antibiotics! • Write this story from the perspective of the farmer who owns these calves including all the advantages and disadvantages faced by the farmer.
Potential health problems for calves • Scour – (type of diarrhoea)Caused by too much rich food in the young calves stomach. Can be treated with lectade (less rich milk substitute) • Pneumonia(Cold / flu-like condition) – Can be prevented by ensuring free air movement all around the calves. • Navel sucking – Can lead to a hernia. Can be treated with a foul tasting spray and then an antibiotic spray.
Our calves feeding regime • Our two calves will get through one bag of milk substitute between them. • Whilst they are being fed this they will be given as much Calf-Crunch (hard food) and hay (fibre) as they will take (ad lib). This is to stimulate their young rumens (complex cattle digestive system). • Once they are taking around 1kg of food per day each (enough to supply their energy needs) the milk will be withdrawn. Next summer Birth 5 weeks 2 weeks • Complete this feeding time line showing what the calves are eating at each stage.
Instructions for making up food • Ingredients – Milk powder and water. Calves will need 2 litres of milk each, morning and afternoon. • Put 4 litres of water in a bucket at 50 degrees Celsius. • Allow it to cool to 42 degrees Celsius before feeding to calves. • Put four scoops of milk powder into the bucket. • Whisk it up breaking up any lumps of milk powder. • Pour equally into two buckets. • Go feed calves.