Cow programme calfStart

bio calfStart

The cattle shed offers cows plenty of comfort, rest, space and fresh air. And that’s good for both animal health and production. But it’s also a great basis for further growth in years to come. Calf rearing is sometimes the limiting factor. The animals don’t get a good start, resulting in a higher risk of mortality.

Calf rearing has many important themes

Feed, hygiene and accommodation are the key themes in calf rearing. Care and attention must also be paid to these themes, as here too: optimal performance is all about the details. And with good reason, as it has been proven that the rearing of calves has a major impact – both direct and indirect – on mortality rates and on the development of the young calf (Antonis et al. 2017). Reason enough then to pay close attention to the details.

Calf rearing

The schedule below states the key themes relating to rearing and their mutual relationships.

The above image shows the effects on a calf where hygiene, nutrition and housing are “not optimal”.
▲ = increase/positive effect | ▼ = decrease/negative effect

The above image shows the effects on a calf where hygiene, nutrition and housing are ” optimal”.
▲ = increase/positive effect | ▼ = decrease/negative effect