Having your own livestock in a household is a serious help, bringing both financial benefits and products in the form of meat, milk and products derived from it. But in order to make a profit, you need to master all the intricacies of raising calves, choose the right method, learn to avoid diseases and solve numerous problems.
Calf management methods
The success of raising cattle and making a profit depends on how well the young animals are kept.
Individual
With this method, calves are placed in separate houses with a small personal enclosure, so the animal can choose whether to be outdoors or go indoors. Modern cases are made of durable opaque plastics that are easy to care for.
Group
With this method, young animals on a farm are kept in groups of 10 to 20 animals of the same age for six months.
Sucking
This method involves raising calves under the cow for up to 7 or 8 months. Moreover, one cow can feed up to 2-3 sucklings.
Content technologies
When raising young animals, two housing technologies are used: traditional and cold. Each of them has its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
Cold method
This method is considered the most effective, suitable for raising livestock for milk and meat. With this method, from the first day of life, animals are kept in separate rooms outside, without heating, only on bedding.
Traditional
This method has been used for a long time, but remains common. At first, the calves are kept with their mothers, then the grown offspring are separated from the cows.
What to feed?
The nutrition of calves at different periods of life has significant differences, which are necessary to know in order to prevent various digestive problems and for the normal development of animals.
During the milk period
This period lasts up to 4 months.This is an important time for the calf's normal development and health. It is advisable to keep the newborn with a cow for at least the first 2 weeks and be sure to give him colostrum.
On the fifth day, calves are taught to drink water, while herd owners need to understand that milk is food and water is drink. Animals should not be deprived of water in the hope that they will receive enough fluid through their mother's milk. When feeding calves, water is often added to the milk, gradually turning to reverse. It is impossible to suddenly switch to it from whole or slightly diluted milk, as this will cause diarrhea. This must be done gradually, in stages, until the calf can do without milk altogether, switching to other feeds.
Fattening
In order to raise an animal for meat, fattening must last up to one and a half years. During this period, it is important to provide the calf with complete, balanced feed.
Moreover, it is believed that the use of dry food is more convenient for animal owners, as it reduces the risk of gastrointestinal diseases and removes some of the costs of preparing high-quality liquid products.
It is also easier for calves to independently regulate the level of consumption of such feed, and the increase in live weight occurs quickly and efficiently. For raising dairy cattle, preference is given to bulk feed - hay, silage, root crops, and for meat - compound feed, concentrates.
Breeding Features
Raising calves requires control of the following conditions:
- Animal group size. In a large group, calves often become nervous, restless, and move a lot, which leads to irrational use of feed and reduced growth.
- It is advisable to collect calves of the same age and body weight in a group - this way you can avoid collisions and achieve uniform weight gain.
- There must be enough space per animal, which is calculated based on the floor area per head of livestock. Crowding leads to injuries, reduced sleep and rest, and a decrease in the amount of food eaten and water drunk.
- An important feature when breeding calves is the so-called feeding front, that is, the distance between animals when eating feed. It should be at least 35 centimeters per head. This ensures calm and uniform consumption of feed. The calves become full almost simultaneously and go to rest.
- Choosing the right type of feed. If calves are planned to be used in dairy farming, from an early age they need to be accustomed to eating bulky, succulent feed. For meat growing, concentrated feeds predominate in the diet.
Hay and other dry feeds are introduced only after calves reach one month of age, because previously their stomach (rumen) is not suitable for digesting roughage.
Growing hygiene for beginners
In order for calves to grow properly, not get sick and gain weight, it is not enough just to feed them well. They need to be provided with adequate care, which includes the following:
- Cleanliness in the area where the calves are kept. Dust, manure, urine, old, stale bedding, scattered, partially uneaten food - all this becomes the cause of animal diseases.
- Maintaining a comfortable temperature, not low or high, which guarantees the animals comfort and the absence of extreme changes - sudden cooling or heating of the air. It is optimal to maintain a temperature of 16-18 degrees Celsius for one-month-old calves; at 2 months 15-17 degrees are suitable for them, at 3-4 months - from 12 to 15 degrees, and at six months animals can withstand 11-13 degrees. Hypothermia is extremely dangerous because it leads to decreased immunity, impaired digestion and absorption of food, and the development of diseases.
- Regular ventilation of the room without drafts. It is necessary to remove gases emitted by the calves themselves and manure, as well as to eliminate stuffiness that has a detrimental effect on the health of animals.
- Walks in the open air. Calves intended for restocking (repair) need to be released outside daily, which improves their well-being, promotes health, and the sun's rays help produce vitamin D, necessary for strong bones, teeth and hooves, and overall excellent health.
The animals themselves must also be kept clean, the condition of the skin must be checked for damage and insect bites, the eyes, ears and genitals must be checked for discharge, and the hooves must be checked for strength and absence of rot.
With proper hygiene, proper feeding and maintenance, raising calves will be a successful endeavor and will bring profit to the owner.
Possible problems
Up to 15% of newborn calves die in the first days and weeks of life. In order for a business to be promising, developing and generating income, it is necessary to preserve the maximum amount of offspring. To do this, it is necessary to prevent diseases, especially infectious ones, which can “mow down” the entire herd, from young animals to adult cows.
In addition to infection, problems can be caused by humidity and cold in the room, improper feeding, poor lighting, and lack of ventilation. Animals develop lice eaters from weak light, and when there is excessive humidity - footrot, drafts provoke inflammation of the lungs and/or kidneys.
Small calves need to be looked after, given attention, and monitored for health. Then they will develop well, grow strong, and gain weight steadily. This will bring profit to an enterprise or individual and strengthen its position.
