Calf Milk Replacer

Physical Description:

A whey-based calf milk replacer.

Uses:

For rearing calves from 4 day old to weaning.

Benefits:

Features of Whey-based CMR:

Historically, calf milk replacers (CMR) in New Zealand have been of the curding (whole milk) type, formulated with casein proteins. Whey based powders have been the performance benchmark for CMR’s in Europe for over three decades. Whey powders are digested and absorbed quickly from the true stomach (abomasum) in 1.5-2.0 hours whereas curding powders take 6-8 hours to absorb.

Benefits of Whey: Whey protein is the “gold standard” for digestibility and net protein utilisation (NPU) exceeding curding casein and egg based protein sources.
Calf Health: Nutritional scours have been reduced by up to 50% in trials on calves from 4 days compared to skim casein based powders. The fact that whey powders do not need to curd to be digested explains much of this benefit. Curding ability can be variable based on quality and damage to ingredients, stress levels, digestive acid production, feeding levels and milk temperature.
Increased appetite for dry feed: Rumen development is dependent on dry feed intake. Quicker digestion via whey means earlier and higher intakes of grain based starter feeds. Quickly ruminating calves are generally more cost effective to rear.
Whey has high lysine levels and an excellent balance of all essential amino acids: Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and lysine is the first limiting amino acid. Essentially calves need digestible lysine more than they need crude protein to grow.
Quality and consistency are extremely high: Leading edge processing technology ensures that whey protein and lactose fractions are not damaged. Processing damage can lead to poor digestion and nutritional and/or pathogenic scours.
Whey proteins help immune function: Whey helps raise glutathione levels, the “mother of all antioxidants”. Glutathione also helps protect against viruses and assets maintaining good gut integrity.

Application:

Ravensdown CMR has been flexibly designed to work well under a range of feeding systems including Once-A-Day, Twice-A-Day and Ad lib systems

Always use clean and disinfected compartment type feeder systems.
Best results are achieved when milk feeding temperature is 40-42 C. Mix powder with half the volume of water at 45-55 C then stir thoroughly for one minute before adding the remainder of the water. Do not mix and store made up milk. Use immediately and discard unused milk.
Ravensdown CMR should be mixed at 125-150 grams per 1.0 litre of clean warm water.
A general guideline is to feed calves milk volumes at 10% of their bodyweight. This is an absolute minimum for modern genetic stock. Feeding calves at 12-15% of bodyweight may give more optimum lifetime economic responses under many situations.

Twice A Day feeding:

Days 0-4* Feed Colostrum Ad lib
Days 5-14 Feed 1.5-2.0 litres, twice daily (Mix 125g per 1.0L water)
Days 15-28 Increase to 2.5 litres, feed twice daily (Mix 125g per 1.0L water)
Day 29> Increase to 3.5 litres, feed twice daily (Mix 125g per 1.0L water)

Once A Day feeding:

Days 0-4 Feed colostrum ad lib
Days 5-14 Feed 1.5-2.0 litres, twice daily (mix 125g per 1.0L water)
Days 15-28 Feed 2.0 litres, once per day (mix 250g per 1.0L water)
Days 29+ Feed 2.5 litres, once per day (mix 250g per 1.0L water)

Ideally it is recommended not to fortify liquid vat milk with Ravensdown CMR powder. Seek expert advice if doing so. Mixing curding and non-curding powders or milk can create nutritional type scours especially where the milk source is variable in concentration. Ensure constant ratios of nutrients and daily intakes if pursuing this feeding practice.

Calf rearing advice:

Always start calves on a 20% protein, high energy (13 MJ/kgDM) starter feed. Textured or muesli style feeds may encourage intake and quicker rumen development. However high quality pellets are easily consumed especially on once a day feeding programmes. Remember, lower protein feeds also have lower energy levels and digestibility as a rule. Energy is the first limiting factor to better growth, not protein. Ultimately, the starter feed should have the highest energy value and most importantly, the highest fermentable ME level. This means good inclusions of well ground grains especially wheat and molasses with appropriate rumen pH buffers to avoid grain acidosis/bloat. Ensure clean fresh drinking water is available continually. This is essential to encourage dry feed intake, increase growth rates, feed efficiency and to avoid dehydration.

Accelerated rumen development:

Ideally all calves should be switched to once a day feeding by three weeks and this feed should be fed in the afternoon not the morning. All calves should remain inside for 3-4 weeks. This will encourage dry feed intake in the morning and allow both the “monogastric motor” and the developing “ruminant motor” to run in tandem for longer. Straw or long fibre has little effect on developing the rumen. Ground grains in dry feeds are proven to be the initiator of rumen function (Penn State University). Long coarse fibres (hay) fed Ad lib is still recommended to encourage chewing, saliva and enzyme release, rumen wall protection and to provide an anchor for rumen bugs to reproduce. Weaning should not occur until 60-65 kgs or when calves are consuming 1.0 kg per day of starter feed. Ideally calves should not be introduced to pasture until 1-2 weeks after milk withdrawal. After weaning, follow-on feeds of lower specification (16%) can be introduced especially if feeding on high protein pasture.

A good start is essential for lifetime performance and growth efficiency

Good appetite is everything. This means adequate colostrum, high health status, top management, good feed quality and an ideal feeding programme. The quicker calves grow the less is spent on non profit making maintenance requirements. It costs around a $1 per day to maintain calves before any money can be made..

Storage & Handling:

Store in a cool, dry covered facility, and ensure that the bag is closed properly after use.

Source:

This product is manufactured in Europe.

Additional Information:

Colostrum: First Things First

No rearing programme or calf performance is going to be successful, no matter how good the feed inputs are, without adequate colostrum intakes in calves. Calves must ideally have four litres of fresh, first milking adult cow colostrum within 12 hours from birth, preferably tube fed. Levels (Ig or GGT) should be checked on a group of each suppliers calves as a guide to colostrum status.

Protein and energy nutrition

Traditional CMR’s in New Zealand have generally oversupplied protein relative to energy to the calf. Key to this is that skimmilk is high in protein and lactose but very low in fat (energy). Respected researchers, vets and practical nutritionists have highlighted the problems of excess protein relative to energy:

Poorer growth rates from reduced calf appetites and energy deficiencies.
Increased maintenance energy, due to the metabolic cost of removing excessive dietary protein to waste.
Raises pH levels in the small intestine of the monogastric calf, leading to an increased risk of bad bugs developing.
Increases calf and shed ammonia levels, which leads to reduced appetite and increased pneumonia levels or risk.

Many of these factors will be detrimental to both preruminant and ruminating calves. A common problem in New Zealand is the excess protein in spring pasture (30-40%) and the deficiency of protein in summer pasture (9-14%). The total feeding programme must look at selecting dry feeds to match milk feeding levels, especially once pasture is introduced. More focus needs to be placed on the low protein level and poor quality of summer pasture, to ensure this is not limiting follow-on growth after 10 weeks. Pasture ideally needs to be 15-16% protein in this period. Calves also eat and respond to grams of protein eaten, not a percentage of protein in the diet. The appetite and feeding level dictate what percent of protein should be in the diet or total feeding programme to be precise. Calves also respond to digestible protein and amino acids not to crude protein levels. This means it is vital to ensure feeds and feed programmes are formulated and devised with this correct thinking.

Fat Content - What is optimum?

Trials around the world have shown variation in response to fat over the range 12-22%. The main reason for this variation is that weaning age, environment, rearing conditions, intensification and age greatly affect the level of energy required. Fat is the most dense form of energy available. Under New Zealand conditions calves respond to higher fat levels than those used commercially overseas. For these reasons, Ravensdown CMR has a high fat content of 20% not 15% as is common overseas. Calves fed on a high protein (26-30%) and low fat (15-18%) regime can also have a greater tendency to scour. Calves respond well to various types of fats or oils not just milk fats. Ravensdown CMR uses coconut and palm oils micronised for maximum digestibility. These oils are stabilised for optimum quality protection and flavour. The fatty acid profile in this ideal oil blend suits calf requirements well.

Specification (calculated analysis %)

Crude Protein 23%
Crude Fat 20%
Lactose 38%
Crude Fibre <0.2%
Minerals 9.5%
Metabolisable Energy - 4040 Kcal/kg (16.9 MJ/kg)
Lysine 1.65%
Methionine & Cysteine 1.30%
Threonine 0.30%
Tryptophan 1.05%
Sodium 0.90%
Phosphorus 0.80%
Calcium 0.70%
Vitamin A 55,000IU
Vitamin D3 4,500IU
Vitamin C 120ppm
Moisture 4.0%
pH 5.8-6.2

Ravensdown CMR has all key vitamins meeting calf requirements with added safety margin. These levels are well in excess of those found in wholemilk powder and similar to levels found in colostrum for key vitamins.

Ravensdown Calf Milk Replacer does not include a coccidiostat.

All scouring calves should be treated with 8-10 litres of electrolytes. For persistent scours, consult your veterinarian.

Calf Milk Replacer Brochure

Animal Health and Nutrition Brochure

SDS (Safety Data Sheet):