Calf husbandry

Abstract

Calf rearing is not an easy job for the herdsman. It needs patience and daily work such as feeding and cleaning. Calves are vulnerable especially in their early stages of their life so they need extra care and attention. Good Hygiene should be practiced because calves are more susceptible to pathogens and if bacteria colonize the intestine the chances of survival are not great. The herdsman must keep records on the farm to verify if he is working with a profit or at least not working with a loss of money. Records should include births, mortality and calves bought or sold. Other important records that should be considered are disease outbreaks (if any) or calving problems such as prolapse. Cows with a history of prolapse have the tendency to prolapse again so try to avoid mating cows with previous calving problems. Keeping good records is not possible without having the entire herd tagged. Suitable housing should be available for calves according to animal welfare needs. Many cattle farms in Malta are quite old and may not satisfy the standards required by the European Union such as minimum space required and ventilation if re-structuring does not take place. Water should be available at all times especially in the hot local climates where temperatures sometimes reach 40°C. In the following dissertation the topics which are going to be discussed are: Successful calf rearing from calving to weaning with the minimum mortalities possible and the importance of feeding colostrum to new born calves. Important functions of colostrum. Colostrum effect on disease, mortality and the passive immunity from the cow to the calf. Local birth statistics including tables showing male and female calves born during the years 2003 and 2004. One can also find tables showing the number of calves born in each locality in Malta and Gozo for the year 2003 and 2004 and tables showing the number of calves born according to the breeds found in our country. Information on the bovine breeds found in Malta and Gozo including some history of the breeds and their particular importance in agriculture. When a herdsman decides to invest in the bovine industry the first decision one has to make is whether one wants to run a beef production farm where male calves are finished for slaughter or whether one wants to run a dairy farm where the major output is milk. As a result the herdsman has to choose the bovine breed which is best adapted to his needs. There are breeds which have been selected for high milk yield such as the Holstein and there are other breeds which have been selected for a high daily weight gain important in meat breeds such as the Charolais breed. Eventually all dairy cattle are slaughtered for human consumption after they reduce their milk yield so some herdsmen choose breeds which are good milkers and at the same time have good meat production such as the Brown Swiss and Simmenthal. The herdsman can buy replacement calves from other farms or they can choose to replace their old stock with their own calves. In this way they would know the parentage of each calf and avoid bringing new diseases on the farm. If the herdsman is willing to pay more for his new stock, he can order calves from overseas. This is not commonly done in Malta because of the shipment expenses involved.