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A calf should not be weaned until it rumen is functional and capable of supporting the calf’s nutritional needs. But in organized farm at birth weaning can be practiced i.e. new born calves can be weaned just after birth and colostrums is fed manually. Calves should be usually weaned by weight and appetite rather than age. As a rule of thumb, calves can be weaned abruptly when they consume 800 to 1000 g of starter for two consecutive days (not less than 500 g). To ensure early and successful weaning, water and good quality starter must be available by the time the calf is 7 to 10 days old.
Many calf milk feeding programs suggest a specific quantity of milk or milk replacer be fed twice daily for a period of up to six to eight weeks. This is often 250g of milk replacer powder per feeding in 2 liters of liquid. Ideally, milk feeding should be adjusted to the size and health of the calf and climatic conditions. It is vitally important that milk feeding programs be adjusted for climatic conditions.
| Ingredients | Quantity (Kg) |
|---|---|
| Wheat | 10 |
| Fish meal | 12 |
| Linseed meal | 40 |
| Milk | 13 |
| Coconut oil | 07 |
| Linseed oil/Cotton seed oil | 03 |
| Citric acid | 1.5 |
| Molasses | 10 |
| Mineral mixture | 3 |
| Butyric acid | 0.3 |
| Antibiotic mixture | 0.3 |
| Rovimix-A, B2, D3 | 0.015 |
| Ingredient | Quantity (%) |
|---|---|
| Barley | 40 |
| Groundnut cake | 25 |
| Soybean cake | 25 |
| Dried skim milk | 8 |
| Steamed bone meal | 1 |
| Vitamins and minerals | 1 (Irradiated yeast – 25g/100kg) |
Rumen development takes place rapidly between 4 and 8 weeks of age. Starters are more important than forages as a source of fermentable carbohydrate for rumen development. Production of volatile fatty acids, particularly propionic and butyric acid in the rumen stimulates development of the rumen and the reticulum. Grain starter should be offered as early as four days after birth and should continue until about four months of age. Calves should be encouraged to consume starter by placing a small amount in the bottom of the bucket from which the liquid diet is fed or hand feeding small amounts. Starter intake usually becomes measurable between 7 and 14 days of age. Calf Starter Should be:
Once the calf is grown and ready to take concentrate feed, it has to be fed with properly balanced concentrate diet to ensure growth, development and early sexual maturity. Concentrate mixture may comprise of the following.
| Ingredient | Quantity (%) |
|---|---|
| Maize/Barley/Oats | 45 |
| Groundnut cake/Linseed/Til cake | 35 |
| Fish meal | 7 |
| Wheat bran/rice bran/chuni | 10 |
| Mineral mixture | 3 |
