Reviewing Mixing Rates for Calf Milk Replacers
28 May 2010
Calf rearers have been urged to review their mixing rate for calf milk replacer to better reflect the unit’s regime, following results from independent trials. For those operating a lower cost system, the research concluded that feeding at a 10% mixing rate is optimum, while higher mixing rates of between 12.5% and 15% were considered most appropriate for producers seeking to increase calf performance.
Bought-in beef cross dairy bred calves at BPS (Beef Production Systems) were housed and split into two feeding regimes; restricted calf milk replacer with 10% solids content and restricted milk replacer with 12.5% solids content. Both groups were introduced to the same feed curve supplied via computerised feeders, weaned after 42 days on milk, and weighed again after 60 days. They both had access to the same calf starter ration fed ad lib throughout the whole rearing period.
“While both groups of calves ate similar amounts of concentrate, those fed milk replacer at a 12.5% rate converted the extra milk very efficiently and demonstrated a higher average daily liveweight gain of an additional 0.1kg per day resulting in an extra 6kg at weaning, compared with those fed milk replacer mixed at 10% solids,” explains Maggie Gould of Volac which sponsored the trial. See table 1.
Table 1: Comparison of milk replacer solids content
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Calf milk replacer solids content
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|
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10%
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12.5%
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Milk concentration (g/l)
|
100
|
125
|
|
CMR intake (kg)
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26.7
|
32.9
|
|
Dry feed intake (kg)
|
129.5
|
130.5
|
|
Calf weight at start (kg)
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61.6
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61.7
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Weight at 6 week weaning (kg)
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117
|
123
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DLG
|
0.92
|
1.02
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FCE
|
2.5
|
2.37
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Source: BPS
“For those calf rearers who are looking to achieve higher early growth rates, including those with a target 12 month finishing system, then feeding calves calf milk replacer mixed at 12.5% solids would be a solution. With improved overall feed conversion efficiency, this option cost around £2/calf extra, and resulted in calves weighing an average of 6kgs more at the end of the trial,” says Mrs Gould. “Alternatively, feeding at a 10% mixing rate would suit calf rearers who are looking to rear their calves more slowly at the lowest cost per kilo liveweight gain.”
She adds: “Reviewing a system’s calf rearing targets is an essential part of any farmer’s management programme; these trial findings have confirmed that the mixing rate has an impact on growth rate and should be considered according to the goals set.”
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