Category: Calf/Heifer
Unlocking your heifer inventory goals
January 8, 2021
Article originally published March 11, 2020 for Progressive Dairy. There are many topics to discuss when managing heifer inventory. Producers give careful thought to feed and labor costs, reproduction, semen strategies, etc. – the list can go on and on. While these are all excellent areas of focus, have you ever considered how many replacements […]
Breaking 7 Common Myths on Colostrum
September 22, 2020
First one there is the winner! It’s a race between antibodies in the colostrum and the bacteria in the environment. Who would you like to win? I cannot even begin to count the number of times I’ve read an article or sat through a seminar about the importance of colostrum to a newborn calf. We […]
Manage Hutch Calves with Heat Stress in Mind
July 20, 2020
With the recent high temperatures, heat stress has been a concern on many dairies. Just like cows, calves experience heat stress, too. While we do not see reduced milk production, we do see reduced average daily gain, less efficient use of feed nutrients and an increase in treatments. Below are some tips to help you […]
The great transition: Turning calves into functioning ruminants
August 27, 2019
When you hear the word “transition,” do you automatically think of your pre- and post-fresh cows? Most dairymen do, but there’s another important transition group that requires your attention. That group is made up of calves transitioning off milk and onto a diet made up of dry feeds. Not only are they going through a […]
Extreme Cold Doesn’t Stop Farmers
January 31, 2019
As I write this blog post, we are experiencing record low temperatures in the Midwest. The news stations have been telling people to stay inside, schools are closed, tow trucks won’t come for you if you choose to travel and even the post office is not delivering mail. Our customers, however, are out in the […]
Coccidiosis: Are Your Calves Susceptible?
May 24, 2018
Coccidiosis is a parasitic disease of cattle, sheep, goats, hogs and poultry. It is caused by microscopic protozoan organisms known as coccidia. They live in the cells lining the intestinal tract. Nearly all mature cattle are infected with coccidiosis, but they have developed a natural immunity to the disease and show no signs or symptoms. […]
Form-A-Feed Launches Prime Life Program
April 25, 2018
Form-A-Feed is excited and proud to unveil our new calf program, Prime Life™. The Prime Life program was developed to provide livestock with high quality nutrition during the prime stages of their life. Starting out as young, healthy, growing calves, that successfully transition into strong production animals, the Prime Life program is designed to optimize nutrition […]
10 Winter Care Tips for Better Calf Health
December 28, 2017
Snow has blanketed many areas of the country, and temperatures have dipped below freezing! Use these practical tips to make sure your calves are ready for the cold. 1. Check the feeding temperature of your milk and colostrum. Milk cools quickly when exposed to the colder environmental temperatures and poured into cold bottles or buckets. If you […]
Fine-tune your calf barn cleaning procedures
August 7, 2017
What sets farms with great calf health apart from those that struggle to get calves started? Sanitation. It is a bigger investment of time than money and is certainly near the top of the list of important criteria for getting calves off to a good start. The fewer disease-causing organisms the calf is exposed to, […]
The Cost to Calving Springing Heifers After 24 Months
November 29, 2016
The best age to calve a first calf heifer is 24 months. Or is it? Every month I look at calving data from thousands of animals and I have come to find that it really depends. In every herd’s youngstock program, there is a point that growing a heifer one month longer yields them no […]
Calving Heifers at 21 Months: Real Dollars, Really Achievable
April 13, 2016
Calving first lactation females on your dairy earlier than you currently do today can challenge your thinking. Some might not even think it’s possible. To shave a month or two, in some cases 3 months off the average age at first calving can seem like a monumental if not impossible change for a dairy to […]
PerFourMax 21 Heifer Program
March 21, 2016
Form-A-Feed’s new PerFourMax 21 Heifer Program was created based on goals to raising healthier heifers, calving earlier, with faster payback. The basic principles to the PerFourMax21 Heifer Program are: 1. Metabolizable Protein (MP) optimization for growth. 2. Complete macro and micronutrient fortification for a lifetime of health. 3. Body condition management for breeding and calving on […]