Location: Osbaldeston Hall Farm, Osbadleston, Lancashire
Cost: Free to attend, registration is essential. Please register below.
The RABDF is pleased to invite you to this farm walk focusing on youngstock and heifer rearing, this day is aimed at dairy and beef farmers. The aim of the walk is to exchange information on calf health and welfare whilst improving the performance of dairy and beef youngstock rearing.
You will hear talks on:
- ‘Prevent profit from going down the drain – dealing with calf scours’ – Boehringer Ingelheim
- ‘Feeding the Future’ – For Farmers
- ‘Feed for Growth: Growing better cows’ – Volac
- ‘Make your farm a fortress – Johnes & BVD control’ – XL Vets
- ‘Managing air climate, keeping cold calves clean, cosy but fresh’ – Jamie Robertson
Chris and Erika Bargh are milking 125 cows on a Fullwood robotic system with the milk being sold to Sainsbury. The cows are calved all year round.
The cows are bought across to the calving pen when it starts to show signs of calving. The calf is born and then moved to an individual pen where it is fed its mothers colostrum for the first 4 feeds. The calf will stay in the individual pen for 1 week, here it will build up its strength and they can observe it for illness or disease. These pens are batched in 4 and when the calves are moved into the training pen these individual pens get steam cleaned and rested.
The calf is moved into the automatic feeder training pen where it will stay for 5-6 days. They are only fed on milk, this is to ensure they are drinking enough milk and using this energy for growth and strength.
After a week they go through into the larger pen and the machine will wean them off at 60 days. They are fed milk, water and ad-lib straw.
The calves are then moved in batches of 4/5 into the loose housing. They start in the top pen and then move down the shed. They stay here for 4 months and are fed concentrates. This is their optimum growing time and they wish the calves to have the best diet and rumen development.
They are then moved into the cubicle training shed. A week before this move they are fed silage to that they are used to their new diet before they move sheds and stress is reduced.
The calves will stay in this cubicle shed for up to 10 months of age, they are fed concentrate in an out of parlour feeder and silage.
The calves then move across to the Dry Cow / Youngstock cubicle shed. They stay on the right side of the shed from 10 months to service. Once served and in calf they move to the left side of the shed. The dry cows and heifers move into the milking cubicle shed 2-3 weeks before they are due to calve. This is so they get used to the shed and reduce stress once they have calved and ready to milk.
Please register below to attend this event
Come and meet the following organisations and companies who will be at the farm walk.
Organiser and supporter
Principal Sponsors
RABDF would like to thank the following companies for their support for the day:
