Vinh Phuc: Techniques for raising female dairy calves using industrial milk powder.

In recent years, dairy farming has become a strong point in livestock production, contributing to socio-economic development in Vinh Thinh commune (Vinh Tuong district, Vinh Phuc province). To achieve high economic efficiency, farmers have applied many scientific and technical advancements, among which feeding calves with powdered milk is one of the highly effective methods that has been widely adopted by the people.

Currently, the entire district has 13 communes and towns developing dairy farming with approximately 800 participating households. The total dairy herd is over 3,500 cows. For dairy farming, the two main products that bring high economic value to farmers are fresh milk produced by mother cows and calves. Therefore, to increase the amount of milk sold, households must raise mother cows well to ensure they produce more milk, while simultaneously reducing the amount of fresh milk given to female calves. Fresh milk from mother cows can be replaced by using industrially produced powdered milk, ensuring quality for female calves to grow and develop well.

To encourage dairy farmers in Vinh Thinh in particular, and dairy farmers nationwide in general, to actively adopt this farming method, and to help them gain more experience in caring for calves, the following is the process of raising female dairy calves using industrial milk powder:

1. Age at which calves begin to be raised and the duration of rearing.

On average, this is 7-10 days old (when the calf has finished consuming colostrum).
Rearing time: On average, 4 months.

2. Calf pens

The best way to raise calves is to keep them in individual pens. If using raised beds, calves should be kept in separate pens, not with breeding cows or heifers, and each calf should be individually separated. The calf pens must be dry, clean, warm in winter, and cool in summer. There should be enough feed and water troughs suitable for the scale of the operation.

3. Food and drink

- Calf feed includes: Fresh milk (colostrum from the mother cow), a substitute feed which is Young Calf industrial milk powder produced in the Netherlands, concentrate feed, roughage, and supplementary feed.
- Drinking water: Use clean, safe water sources, free from heavy metals...

4. Calf care and feeding

- Use a clean, soft cloth or towel to dry the entire body of the calf, removing any mucus from its mouth and nose. If the calf is suffocating, provide immediate first aid, trim the hooves to help the calf learn to walk, disinfect the umbilical cord with 5% iodine alcohol, confine the calf to a pen or shed with a clean, dry bedding, and constantly monitor the calf.

- Feed the calves plenty of colostrum and feed them as soon as possible after birth (no more than 1 hour after birth).

- Training and feeding with milk replacer: Train calves to suckle (feed) by hand from birth, starting with colostrum. Before stopping fresh milk, there needs to be a period of training for the calf to get used to the new feed, by gradually reducing the proportion of fresh milk and gradually increasing the milk replacer until it is used exclusively, which takes about 10-15 days after birth.

The amount of Young Calf milk substitute to use is as follows:

+ First week: Feed fresh milk (colostrum) according to the calf's needs and the mother cow's milk supply.

+ Second to third week: 04-06 liters/animal/day
+ Weeks four to nine: 06 - 07 liters/animal/day
+ Week ten to week twelve: 04-05 liters/animal/day
+ In the following weeks, the amount gradually decreases and ends at the stage where the calves have become accustomed to roughage and can eat about 1 kg of concentrate feed per calf per day.

* Feeding technique: Boil clean water, wait for the water temperature to gradually decrease to 45°C, pour the water into a bucket, then slowly add the milk powder, stirring vigorously until completely dissolved. The ratio of milk powder to water is 1:8. Feed the calves the prepared milk immediately. The prepared milk should only be used within the day. In cold winter weather, the temperature of the milk needs to be raised to avoid causing digestive problems for the calves.

- Train the calves and feed them roughage:

Following natural reflexes and also starting to train calves to eat roughage from the end of one week old, the feed consists of high-quality, palatable hay, gradually increasing the quantity according to the calf's age and needs.

- Train the calves and feed them concentrated feed:

Following natural reflexes, calves should be introduced to concentrated feed starting from the third day after birth. Concentrated feed can be commercially produced or homemade, ensuring quality, high nutritional value, a pleasant aroma, and a dry, fine texture. Initially, calves may need to be trained to eat by hand: Let them smell it, rub a little on their mouths. Once they are used to it, put the feed in buckets or containers and hang them in the calf's pen. Gradually increase the amount of concentrated feed according to the calf's age and needs, until the calf consumes about 1 kg/day, at which point milk feeding can be completely discontinued.

- Drinking water: Calves must be provided with sufficient drinking water daily to meet their needs. The water source must be clean and free from contaminants and heavy metals. In cold winter weather, calves should be given warm water.

- Supplementary feed: Attention should be paid to supplementing with mineral premix, vitamins, etc.

- Sunbathing exercise for calves: Every day when the weather is sunny and warm, calves should be taken outside to exercise and sunbathe for 1-2 hours. This helps them absorb Vitamin D, stimulates digestion, and promotes the development of their musculoskeletal system.

Every day, it is necessary to proactively provide calves with sufficient food and water; clean the calve pens and kennels, clean the feed and water troughs, clean the calves' bodies, prevent calves from licking each other's fur, monitor the calves' growth and development, and monitor for the onset of diseases...

5. Preventing and treating diseases in calves

- Regularly clean the barns, sanitize the feed and water troughs, disinfect the drains, and bathe the calves to keep them clean.
- Regularly disinfect the livestock environment with chemicals such as Benkocid, BKA, Han-Idodine, lime powder, etc.
- Vaccinate calves according to regulations.
- Regularly deworm calves.

According to the National Agricultural Extension Center