This episode featured in partnership with SealesWinslow.
Twenty-four seasons in, calf rearer David Fairhall is still putting his money where his mouth is when it comes to transitioning calves off milk onto meal. The Nutrition Specialist at SealesWinslow can rear up to 400 a year as his ‘side-hustle’, getting them to industry liveweight targets every time.
“You never stop learning in this job and the same with calf rearing; after 24 seasons, I’m still learning,” he says.
‘It takes a lot to do, but it’s a strong passion of mine.”
Before the calves arrive, they’ll set up their new environment with water and fresh meal so they don’t have to handle them straight away.
‘It’s important to let them settle down for those first 12-odd hours before we sort of start messing around with them.”
He says the key is an early introduction to meal.
“As soon as we’re finished feeding milk, we’re straight in with the pellets, not aggressively, but the first five that come off on each pen, they will get a handful of meal or pellets on their tongue.
“They’re generally looking to suck anything they can after they’ve had their feed of milk.”
As they approach their seventh week, they start running them over the scales to see who is going to hit the target weight for a full meal transition. They slowly start reducing the volume of liquid but keep the concentration of milk powder the same.
“When we hit their eighth week they start coming off milk.”
Fairhall is looking for any advantage he can get when it comes to quality feeds. The meal itself has to be above 35% starch and below 4% fat, with good energy and a spread of proteins.
“It’s important to have a good combination of minerals and a coccidiostat there to help with the immunity and health of the calf.”
Industry standard is around 21 to 24 days on meal once off milk, but Fairhall pushes that out slightly further to a minimum target of 30 days.
“We tend to go for our own made-up version of 30/30, which is 30 days and 30 kilos.
“If they haven’t hit that 30 kilos in 30 days, they still stay on for a bit longer.”
The combination of timing and feed has proven successful for many seasons.
“We’re always looking every year to try and see if we can make something better.”
Whether it’s a custom blend or dairy pellet, smart modelling tools, or advice tailored for your farm, SealesWinslow is about nutrition that delivers measurable benefits. Through science, teamwork, and practical guidance, we make sure what you do today sets your herd up for better performance tomorrow. See more here. https://sealeswinslow.co.nz/
CountryWide CONNECT with Andy Thompson & Sarah Perriam-Lampp is our daily rural show livestreamed from 11am-1pm. Visit country-wide.co.nz on how to watch/listen or download the CountryWide CONNECT mobile app, available on Apple iOS and Android.
