Much attention is paid to raising replacement young animals on farms. The creation of a full-fledged herd depends on compliance with the rules and recommendations. The successful development of offspring is influenced by many factors. It is important to follow the basic principles of keeping calves, feeding standards, assess the effect of vitamins on animal growth and take into account other nuances of care.
What is replacement young stock?
In livestock breeding, replacement young animals are calves that, as they grow older, become part of the adult herd.Activities aimed at maintaining and further developing cattle are an important part of breeding work.
To maintain the number of livestock, offspring obtained from the best sires are selected. The survival rate and other indicators of such animals are usually above average. There should be more replacement calves than are required to replenish the adult herd. As they grow older, some individuals are culled.
Need for fresh air and ventilation
One of the main recommendations for farmers is that calves be housed in well-ventilated pens. Heat has a more detrimental effect on fragile animals than low air temperatures.
Traditionally, two technologies for raising replacement offspring are used - cold and classic. The first method is especially suitable for meat and dairy cattle breeds. For Separate houses are used for keeping calvesinstalled in open areas. 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 keeping replacement young stock:
| pros | Minuses |
| Cold way | |
| Calves get vitamin D naturally | Increased milk consumption to replenish energy in low temperatures |
| Cold air activates metabolic processes in the body | Costs for the construction of individual boxes |
| Reduced number of colds | |
| Traditional method | |
| Minimum expenses for maintaining offspring | Increased risk of infection in animals |
| Calves do not require special attention | Possible digestive problems |
| Lack of sunlight | |
The cold method is becoming more popular today. Fresh air and negative temperatures contribute to the death of pathogenic bacteria. Replacement young animals are placed in such conditions immediately after birth. Thanks to hardening, calves grow healthy and quickly gain weight.
Temperature
It is easier to control the temperature in individual boxes. When constructing pens for keeping replacement young cattle, a number of requirements are observed:
- Select plastic whose thickness will ensure the maintenance of the set temperature and protect against excessive heating.
- Doors and other openings should facilitate ventilation. This helps control the level of coolness in the room.
- Free internal space also has a beneficial effect on air circulation and the development of each calf.
- The ventilation system is designed in such a way as to easily ventilate the room, but avoid drafts.
- The inside of the boxes must be dry.
In summer, calves take refuge in such a box from the scorching heat, and in winter - from wind and cold. During the cold season, animals keep warm with the help of bedding that is placed in each pen. In severe frosts, blankets are put on children.
Large livestock complexes prefer to use cold temperature conditions for keeping replacement young animals. On small farms, calves are moved to warm barns in winter.
What to feed
A nutritious diet is important for the normal development of replacement young stock. In the first months of life, there are 2 types of nutrition for calves:
- Natural feeding does not require costs, but contains risks of mastitis infection and periodic shortages of product.
- Milk replacers are easy to store, the drink guarantees normal cultivation, but is more expensive than natural raw materials.
Animals are accustomed to plant and succulent food early. This method improves the condition of the digestive system and promotes better absorption of food. Calves begin to try supplements in the form of mashed boiled potatoes and grated carrots 3 weeks after birth. At the age of one month they are already tamed to grass, and later to silage.
Replacement young animals need a lot of fluid. Calves consume 2 times more water than adults. Offspring tolerate moisture deficiency worse than nutrient deficiency. Water dilutes the high concentration of gastric juice and prevents the milk from turning into insoluble clots. Infusions of medicinal herbs improve the appetite of animals and accelerate weight gain.
Basic feeding standards
Nutritional balance 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 feeding in the next 6 months of life is fraught with complications for other organs. The volume of milk consumed per day should not exceed 15% of the calf’s weight. In winter, this figure changes. The stronger the frost, the more food the offspring receive.
In summer, the basis of the diet is green vegetation rich in nutrients. In livestock farming, the norm for heifers is 6 kilograms of silage per every 100 kilograms of weight. The proportion of concentrates is kept to a minimum. The quantity depends on the characteristics of each individual and breed of cattle.Bulls receive more concentrated feed, but less succulent feed. A diet that provides a weight gain of 800 grams every day is considered optimal. 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 increase reproductive rates.
Use of vitamins during growth
Milk and other types of feed do not always provide the full range of nutrients necessary for the normal development of calves. A deficiency of organic compounds leads to stress and irreversible consequences. Farmers include vitamin supplements in the diet of replacement livestock to optimize metabolism and achieve weight gain.
Most important vitamins for calves:
- Group B affects metabolism.
- A is responsible for immunity, activates metabolic processes and promotes weight gain.
- E protects cells from oxidation.
- D strengthens muscle and bone tissue and prevents the occurrence of rickets.
Vitamins enter the body not only in the form of medications, but also with food. It is useful to include foods with carotene (carrots, rutabaga, beets), fish oil, clover or alfalfa in your diet. To support calves during illness, a course of injections is prescribed. This technology promotes rapid absorption of nutrients.
Compliance with the rules for keeping replacement offspring of cattle improves the health of calves and prevents the development of infectious diseases. Careful care has an effective effect on increasing animal productivity.
