Calf Management

The NWF Calm Calf Concept is a complete package designed to manage and control the production of calves from birth to weaning. It is operated by a team of specialists focusing on three key areas of calf production; welfare, production and profit.

Welfare

• Better care of Bull Calves. The Calm Calf concept allows these animals to be fed and managed in a welfare friendly way where maximising their market value.
• Better diet for Dairy Calves. Research has shown that dairy replacements grow with greater vigour on milk replacer as the young animal’s diet is free of antibiotics and higher in nutrients and minerals. The calm system takes this as a stage further allowing the producer to feed the calf to its genetic potential in a logical welfare friendly way.

Production

• Measured. The old adage “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” is certainly true in the case of calf production. The computerised calm feeder distributed by Lely gives the producer all the information he requires to make management decisions.
• Accurate. Accurate feeding of young calves is essential if they are to reach their full potential as adult cattle. As with all animals, little and often is always better as it promotes a healthy gut environment and efficient digestion. The Lely calm feeder accurately dispenses the correct amount of feed at the right temperature to individual calves.
• Controlled. The Lely Calm feeder gives the producer ultimate control of the calves diet from birth to weaning, allowing the number of visits, feeds, concentration and amounts to be preset. Maybe more importantly the feeding system will alert the producer when the calf hasn’t taken its full allocation of feed
• Logical. The Calm Calf Concept makes calf production more of a science, allowing the management and production process to be measured, accurate and controlled.

Profit

• Turn Bull Calves into Profit Contributors. Since the export ban was lifted the potential value for black and white bull calves has risen significantly. To realise the full value of these animals they need to be fed with the care usually reserved for dairy heifers.
• Improve Growth Rates of Dairy Replacements. Dairy herd average yields continue to rise due to improved genetics and diet management. Feeding dairy heifers waste milk out of the parlour will not allow today’s dairy heifers to achieve their full potential.
• Reduce Labour Costs. Skilled labour is becoming increasingly difficult to source. The Lely Calm Calf feeder not only allows producers to feed calves accurately but also reduces labour costs. The calm feeder allows stockmen flexibility to alter their daily routines, they become stock managers rather than feeders

Click here to see our calf rearing leaflet

Click here to see our calm calf leaflet

NWF also supplies a range of specialist milk replacers for use in conventional calf rearing systems. Specially formulated to encourage rumen development and early intakes of dry feed our milk replacers will help get your calves off to a flying start.

Click here to see our milk powders leaflet

For more details on how the Calm Calf Concept and our range of milk replacers can benefit your system click here.