Greater feed efficiency in calves possible through controlled creep feeding

Glacier FarmMedia—In terms of extra environment friendly feed conversion in calves earlier than weaning, the earlier a calf’s rumen is developed, the higher.

In line with Gerard Roney, founder and managing director of Benefit Feeders in Australia, managed creep feeding is an effective option to develop a calf’s rumen, permitting for higher uptake of vitality and protein at an earlier age.

“We’ve got loads of management on how (the rumen) operates, and that is crucial factor we’ve received on our livestock farms,” Roney mentioned on the Ag in Movement 2025 farm present close to Langham, Sask., as a part of a studying session offered by Huber Ag Tools.

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Roney mentioned how producers might help management the size of the papillae on the rumen wall, which pulls risky fatty acids out of the rumen for use as vitality. Feeding starch lengthens the papillae, and the longer the papillae, the extra vitality the rumen can extract.

“It’s useful to start out initially of the calf’s life,” mentioned Roney, sharing a picture of the undeveloped rumen wall of a six-week-old calf, which was easy and with out lengthy papillae.

“All our calves are born with the sterile atmosphere, so that they don’t have any microbes in their gut to start out with.”

He in contrast this to a picture of the developed rumen wall of a calf of the identical age, which had a larger floor space to permit for extra vitality uptake.

“The distinction is that this rumen had grain from the (begin), so it’s actually exhibiting us we will get that rumen developed the place they’ll eat pasture and digest it actually rapidly.”

Whereas unrestricted creep feeding can result in pointless feed bills, he mentioned, the concept behind managed creep feeding is to permit for rumen improvement as early as attainable earlier than moderating for higher feed conversion.

“What managed creep feeding is, is offering that feed advert lib till that rumen begins to get going roughly that 100 days of age, so we feed them as a lot as we will early on,” mentioned Roney.

“As soon as that consumption begins going greater than two kilos a day, for example, we begin utilizing the feeding system to limit consumption.”

At this level within the calf’s life, pastures are normally offering extra of the vitality and protein they require.

“We’re simply giving them a small supplementation, preserving that papillae lengthy and getting actually good development charges.”

For example, Roney in contrast an unrestricted creep feeding scenario — the place calves consumed 370 kilograms of creep feed per head previous to weaning — to a managed creep feeding scenario that decreased consumption to about 120 kg per head.

“If feed is $0.40 per kg, it’s a $100 per calf saving,” he mentioned.

“The youthful we feed animals, the upper the feed conversion, in order that’s actually the very best time to complement an animal.”

Look ahead to extra livestock-related protection from Ag in Movement 2025 in Glacier FarmMedia publications within the coming weeks.

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