Machine Feeding Pays Dividends

Switching from a manual bucket rearing system to a fully automated approach has had significant benefits for one Shropshire dairy farmer.

Andrew Evans runs a 750 cow commercial herd on 900 acres at Bubney near Whitchurch, Shropshire. The herd calves all year round and around 300 replacements are reared annually, so calf rearing is an on-going task.

Calves were reared in individual pens and bucket fed with either milk replacer or whole waste milk but Andrew was concerned about the labour implications of the system.

“Finding good quality labour is a real issue and we wanted to save time wherever possible. Feeding the calves was taking around an hour, morning and evening which was time we could use more profitably looking after the cows.

“I was also concerned about the risk of spreading Johnes disease to the calves through feeding waste milk. Changing the current system to remove waste milk and instead rely entirely on milk replacer would increase the time required to look after the calves.”

At an open day run by NWF, Andrew was impressed by the Calm Calf rearing system and in April a unit was installed. The Calm Calf approach is a total calf management package designed to manage and give greater control over calf production from birth to weaning. The heart of the system is a fully computerised calf feeder.

As part of the installation of the machine Andrew moved from individual pens and now has two pens each of 25 calves. He also removed the Yorkshire boarding and replaced it with removable windbreaks to improve the ventilation in the calf house.

The system is based on one calf feeder and two races – one per pen. The feeder prepares and distributes milk at the correct temperature and concentration ensuring consistent feeding. It also encourages little and often feeding which promotes gut development and effective digestion. To ensure clean feed, the unit is self-cleaning using hot water and detergent.

All calves wear a transponder which identifies the animal when it enters the feeder. The feeder calculates whether the calf is due a feed and if necessary a given quantity of milk is mixed accordingly to a preset programme. Details on the number of visits, feed per visit and concentration can be set per calf and reports show how well calves are taking to the system.

NWF Business Development Manager Simon Harper believes the individual control and management are huge benefits of the system. “Getting calves off to the best possible start is vital if lifetime growth rates are to be achieved but in most cases farmers have no information on how well calves are feeding. The Calm Calf system pinpoints problem calves early on so they can be checked and treated accordingly.”

Andrew Evans believes he has already gained from the improved management control possible from computerised feeding. “We have been able to pick up signs of respiratory disease at a very early stage because we can pinpoint calves that aren’t drinking or are visiting the feed less often.

“Although the system is aimed at a batch approach it is flexible enough to allow individual attention. If a calf is not at weaning weight we can leave her on the system longer or increase the feed allowance

“Generally calf health and growth rates have improved yet we are now looking after the calves in just 15 minutes at each end of the day, making one and a half hours available for other tasks. Instead of rushing around mixing feeds we can concentrate on getting the best performance from the calves and with all year round calving we are getting an exceptional return on investment.”