RABDF Farm Walks March Steven & Claire Bland
5 April 2012
More than 100 farmer visitors attended a Youngstock Association farm walk in March hosted by Steven and Claire Bland at Abbot Lodge Farm, Clifton, Penrith where they manage a 270 cow Jersey herd currently averaging 6,753 litres. Volac was among the event’s major sponsors.
Steve and Claire Bland focus on colostrum management, rearing calves on a U40 computerised feeding system, group housing in new bespoke rearing accommodation to achieve 275kg target at bulling by 14 months, ready to calve at two years. Calf mortality, 3%.
-
Colostrum management - each calf is left with its dam for 24 hours, however to ensure it drinks a minimum four litres of quality colostrum within the first six hours.
-
Calves are relocated to individual pens for 12 days and fed Heiferlac before being introduced to a U40 computerised feeding system in a group housing arrangement for up to 25 individuals, through to weaning at 60 days of age.
-
The computerised system enables each calf to be managed individually with its own feeding curve. They system’s provision of detailed management information including drinking speed, enables the majority of health issues to be pre-empted.
-
The computerised system saves labour. Routine time spent with the calves has been reduced to 30 minutes per day, the majority being observational rather than spent on physical hard work, and more time is spent on other important tasks.
-
Plans to invest in a set of weigh scales enabling each calf to be measures and monitored, and the system tweaked if necessary in order achieve true growth potential and ultimately, lifetime performance.
-
Calves are housed in a new purpose built self-designed shed and features an insulated roof with an open ridge and the walls are part clad with air sheets. A second similarly designed new rearing house has been introduced to accommodate weaned calves.
-
Between October and March one to 12 day old calves are fitted with jackets to minimise heat loss.
Back to news