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2011 Calf-ETERIA Study

2011 Calf-ETERIA Study. Benchmarking Ontario dairy calf raising practices & Opportunities for Improvement. Vivianne Bielmann Purina ROF Meeting March 22, 2012. Presentation Outline . What is Calf-ETERIA? About the project Calf and Heifer Management Survey Results

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2011 Calf-ETERIA Study

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  1. 2011 Calf-ETERIA Study Benchmarking Ontario dairy calf raising practices & Opportunities for Improvement Vivianne BielmannPurina ROF Meeting March 22, 2012

  2. Presentation Outline • What is Calf-ETERIA? • About the project • Calf and Heifer Management Survey • Results • Opportunities for improvement • Project Status

  3. Calf-ETERIA • Using CALF health and productivity as a template for an Evaluation of Translation and Extension of Research Information for Agriculture

  4. What is Calf-ETERIA ? • A University of Guelph-OMAFRA Knowledge Translation and Transfer funded project. • Team Members: • Ken Leslie – Project Coordinator • Tom Wright – Project Co-Coordinator • Vivianne Bielmann – Project Manager • Trevor DeVries • Mario Mongeon • Brian Lang • Bill Grexton • Harold House • Mark Carson • Betty Summerhayes • Ian Rumbles

  5. Project Objectives • Benchmark current dairy calf and heifer management practices • Develop approaches to undertaking KTT initiatives to improve awarenessand encourage adoption of, known optimal management techniques to increase economic performance and health • Evaluate and quantify both the animal health and economic performance subsequent to their initial benchmark • Disseminate case-study based benefits of optimal management systems to demonstrate both financial and animal health improvements to all Ontario dairy producers through producer meetings and web-based media

  6. 3 KTT Approaches • Calf and Heifer management clubs • Including interaction with veterinarians • Web-based KTT for BMP’s for calves & heifers • Control Group

  7. Expected Benefits and Impacts Benefits Ontario dairy producers from two key perspectives: • Economically – through reduced costs attributed to death losses, animal morbidity and associated treatment costs and reduction in compromised lifetime milk production losses, as a result of health problems encountered as a calf • Improved welfare of dairy calves and heifers - through increased survival rates and improved health-status

  8. Expected Benefits and Impacts • IMPACTS • To change and improve specific aspects about the management of calves and heifers on Ontario dairy farms

  9. Ontario Calf and Heifer Management Survey • Questions about calf and heifer management • From time of calving up until breeding age • Fairly long – 87 questions • 3,145 surveys were mailed out to dairy producers on DHI • The survey was also available online • 921 surveys were completed and returned by mail • 43 surveys were completed online • 30% response

  10. Status of Survey

  11. Distribution of Herd Size

  12. Calf Care **N=948** **51.6% male, 21.5% female, 26.9% both**

  13. Time Spent on Calf Care **N=849**

  14. Cost of Labour • Employee wages, for calf care, ranged from $5 /hour up to $25 /hour, depending on the farm

  15. Where are Calves normally Born?

  16. Video Surveillance Use • 75 / 930 producers indicated that video surveillance is currently used to monitor cows in the calving area • Herd sizes of these 75 ranged from 28 cows up to 550 cows

  17. Separation of Calf from Dam

  18. Separation Technique • Total Separation to Calf Housing  758 (81%) • Partial Separation using a tub or gate  98 (10%) • Other + Partial or Total separation  17 (2%) • Other  67 (7%) • Methods Used: • Moved to box stall/calf pens • Tied to corner of calving pen • Cow is removed from pen • Tied up alongside cows • Calf stays with cow for hours/until licked dry/up to 3 days

  19. Calving Assistance • On average, how often was assistance required during a calving, in the past year? • Never  0.4% • Less than 10%  27% • 10 – 20%  41% • More than 20% of calvings  23.6% • Exact percentage  7.4% • Range: 1% - 98%

  20. Disinfecting Navels • Is it routine practice to disinfect the navel of each newborn calf? • YES  38% • NO  62% http://www.progressivedairy.com/features/2007/0107/0107

  21. Products administered shortly after Birth **N=950 N.B. – Percentages do not add up to 100%

  22. Colostrum Feeding • What percentage of calves nurse the dam? • 0%  429 • 1-10%  189 • 11-30%  83 • 31-50%  49 • 60-90%  30 • 91-100%  18

  23. Colostrum Feeding

  24. Amount of Colostrum Fed

  25. Differences in Volume of Colostrum Fed • Weight 132 • Calf’s Health Status  215 • Sex of Calf  19 • Let calf drink ‘at will’  7 • Combination of 2 or more of the above  115

  26. Colostrum Quality • How many producers are checking colostrum quality? • 281/931  30% • How are they checking it? • Colour and/or consistency  72%(265/370) • Volume  19% (70/370) • Colostrometer 6% (23/370) • Refractometer  0.2% (1/370) • Laboratory  3% (11/370)

  27. Milk Feeding

  28. Milk Feeding • How are calves being fed? • Bucket  37% (332/890) • Milk Bar  3% (22/890) • Nurse Bottle  29% (262/890) • Robot Milk Feeder  3% (27/890) • Other Free-Access feeding system  1% (12/890) • Combination of 2 or more  26% (235/890)

  29. Milk Feeding • How much is being fed daily in Week 1?

  30. Milk Feeding • How much is being fed daily in Week 4?

  31. Water • At what age is fresh water offered to calves? • 0 – 5 days  23% (215/920) • 5 – 10 days  29% (268/920) • More than 10 days  30% (280/920) • Not until after weaning  17% (157/920)

  32. Grain • At what age is grain/starter introduced to calves? • 0 – 5 days 32% (299/940) • 5 – 10 days  46% (430/940) • 11 – 20 days  17% (162/940) • More than 20 days of age  5% (49/940) • Do calves have free-choice access to grain/starter? • 87%  YES

  33. Introduction of Hay • When are calves normally introduced to hay? • Less than 2 weeks of age  155 • 2 – 4 weeks of age  195 • 4 – 6 weeks of age  190 • After weaning  20

  34. Recording Information • What information is recorded on individual calves? • Nothing  60 • ID info  911 • Calving ease info  796 • Stillbirth  806 • Routine procedures  262 • Calf disease events  371 • Calf health treatments  463 • Growth  62 • Death after 24 hours  602 • Weaning date  105

  35. Standard Operating Procedures • Are SOP’s used for routine calf management procedures? • Yes, all procedures  18% (167/912) • Yes, only disease and treatment info  13% (123/912) • No  68% (622/912)

  36. Health Problems – Pre-weaning • 438 of producers ranked scours as a common (3 or 4 on a 1-4 point scale) • Respiratory disease was ranked as common by 216 producers • Navel ill, lameness and droopy ears are considered less common during this period

  37. Weaning Method

  38. Weaning • How is the time of weaning decided? • Calf age  812 • Calf weight  293 • Starter/grain intake  454 *often this is a combination*

  39. Weaning Age

  40. Health Problems – Post-weaning • 175 producers considered respiratory disease to be a common or very common health problem in post-weaned calves

  41. Vaccination • Are calves vaccinated for respiratory disease? • 47 % are vaccinating calves against respiratory disease

  42. Rations for Heifers • What type of ration are heifers fed? • Components  52% (455/868) • Top-dressed  22% (190/868) • TMR 26% (223/868)

  43. Age at First Breeding

  44. Cost of Raising a Heifer • How much does it cost?

  45. Project Status • Management clubs • 4 locations – Tavistock, Listowel, Elmira and Kemptville • ~35-45 producers participating • Will be completed March 31st • Online modules • On-going • ~30 producers participating

  46. Next Steps • Finish analyzing survey results • Follow-up with participants in the summer • Continue collecting data • DHI records • Follow-up

  47. Thank You www.calf-eteria.com

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