4 Golden Rules of Calf Rearing
- Timely & Quality Colostrum: Feed 4 liters within 2 hours of life with a Brix refractometer reading > 22%.
- Early Starter Feed & Clean Water: Introduce calf starter and ad-libitum clean water from day 3. Volatile fatty acids from starter feed drive rumen papillae development.
- Weaning Discipline: Do not wean until the calf consumes at least 1.5 kg of solid starter daily for 3 consecutive days.
- Individual Hutches & Biosecurity: Individual hutches for the first 6-8 weeks drastically curb respiratory and enteropathogenic spread.