Are You Getting Milk to Your Calves Fast Enough to Keep Bacteria Levels Low?
Just like in the human food sector, we should be offering safe and sanitary milk and colostrum for our calves to drink too!
Calves, Group Housing Considerations – Disease Pressure
Calves are especially sensitive to this disease pressure, which is why individual housing creates calves that appear “healthier” in the first couple of months of life.
Does Your Navel Dip Have You Covered?
After our in-depth discussion of the maternity pen, colostrum management, and the vital requirement of a clean place for the newborn calf to land, we are going to move to other newborn (first 24 hours of life) protocols that will help set your calves up for success later down the line.
Troubleshooting Colostrum Cleanliness
You sent in samples of your colostrum or you set up your own colostrum and milk testing lab at your farm. You are looking at the results and find out they are higher than Snoop Dog, now what?
At Home Lab for Milk & Colostrum?
In this post we are going to show you how to set up your very own lab at home so you can make sure your counts are staying low and your calves are getting the highest quality colostrum possible.
4 Q’s of Colostrum Management, sQueaky Clean
Colostrum AND their environment need to be clean, sQueaky clean!
4 Q’s of Colostrum Management – Quality!
Quality is a very in-depth process with many layers and factors, but we are going to help you make it easier for you AND your employees to make critical decisions on colostrum quality quickly and effectively.
4 Q’s of Colostrum Management – Quickly
The four Q’s are a great foundation for every calf program and maternity program. Focusing on only two or three of the four Q’s is leaving out something vital to calf health and performance no matter which ones you pick.
Day One, Cleaning, and Calf Performance
We all know the importance of a clean maternity pen and colostrum clean feeding equipment, but what does that really mean? What does that look like on-farm, not just a perfect protocol sheet?
Beat the Heat & the Bacteria
There are many things to keep in mind when the heat and humidity ramp up and settle in. The cool nights of early summer are gone and now it’s just HOT.
Consistency is in the Calibration
How often are you calibrating your equipment? When is the last time you checked your milk distribution system to be sure you are feeding the proper amount? When is the last time you calibrated you auto feeder to be positive the amount of water and replacer is correct? Have you checked to make sure your thermometer is spot on for your milk? What about your scale?
Positive Pressure Tubes – It’s Not Install and Ignore
Positive pressure tubes can be a great addition to any indoor calf barn, but there are many things you need to know before you add them to your facility. They are not and install and never touch again product. PPTs need to be properly designed, installed, and managed to be used to their full potential.
How Clean is Your Colostrum Pasteurizer?
If you are tired of constantly dumping water and cleaning out your pasteurizer, or worried about bacteria transfer, consider testing out this method that has saved us time, energy, and water!
When the New Wears Off – Transitioning Calves Indoors
Mechanical removal of manure OR spraying a sanitation product on the surfaces of the pen are both a good start to optimal cleanliness of your indoor calf facility, but they aren’t enough on their own.