Calf Health and Production Services
The future of your dairy herd lies in the breeding and development of high-quality replacement stock. Treating sick calves and heifers is challenging, time-consuming and can have significant financial and emotional impacts.
Be CalfWise – right from the start
Most dairy farms rear calves and one thing we have learned is that everyone does it differently. The CalfWise team uses experience and expertise to provide proven and practical solutions tailored to meet your individual farm needs. We will work to make your life easier by helping you raise calves as healthy as they can be. This translates into a healthier herd with increased milk production in the future.
CalfWise services
We encourage you to book in for a consultation where we can sit down and map out your calf rearing needs for the year:
Pre-calving
- define on-farm disease and mortality targets
- vaccination strategies and transition advice
- colostrum management plans
Housing & environment
- custom recommendations for new buildings or renovations of current housing
- bedding and disinfection ideas
- managing ventilation and draught
Neonatal & post-weaning nutrition
- milk and/or milk replacer feeding plans
- advice on accelerated growth programs
- concentrates and additives: how and when to feed them
- weaning protocols
Disease management
- monitoring calf antibody levels and calf health
- treatment and prevention protocols tailored for your farm
- disease outbreak investigations
- post mortems and diagnosis of causative agents
Education
CalfWise training workshops are carried out several times throughout the year. This two-day workshop covers the important aspects of calf rearing in an interactive and practical way. Participants complete risk assessments and create plans of action specific for their farm.
Disbudding
Disbudding is an important procedure for the wellbeing and productivity of your valuable calves. The Vet Group’s CalfWise Disbudding Service aims to provide a professional, consistent and ethical package. Our disbudding team is fully qualified to sedate calves, perform local anaesthesia and disbud using a hot gas iron. Along with sedation and local anaesthetic, we include long-acting pain relief to minimise the negative effects disbudding can have: this results in better feed intake and weight gains over the following month. Our service also includes checking for extra teats, hernia s and any other health issues.
CalfWise products
The Perfect Udder® Colostrum Management System is the key to easy and hygienic collection, storage and feeding of colostrum on dairy farms.
DairyTech Platinum Series Pasteurisers heat treat colostrum to inactivate the major pathogens in colostrum (such as Bovine Johnes Disease, Salmonella and Mycoplasma) while maintaining the level of antibodies so that their transfer to calves is not affected.
Brix refractometers assess colostrum quality. They are cheap, robust and easy to use.
Calf coats keep calves warm and dry. These calf coats are made of a durable, dirt and water resistant washable nylon shell. They have a polyester, insulated lining and adjustable rear leg straps and chest straps
CalfWise Field Guide. This highly regarded in-field book is for use in the calf shed and summarises the key dimensions of calf rearing. Now in its second edition, the book delivers the latest science as on-farm practical solutions.