What is the best accommodation during the milk period?
Calves should be kept on straw for three to four months. Then comes the lying box with a floor grating, to prevent calves’ claws from growing too long. However, to encourage rapid growth and good health, Lieke Janssen, young cattle specialist at Agrifirm in The Netherlands, recommends the straw pen.
“For calves of 3 to 4 months old, we recommend around 3 m2 of floor space per animal. For four calves, you need a pen of at least 12 m2 or 4 x 3 m. The more space available the drier the pen and the less often you need to add new straw.” Lieke recommends weaning the calves in this environment, before moving them on. “You want to avoid planning too many stress moments together since too much stress reduces resistance and increases the risk of disease.” In other words, first weaning, then the same ration and the same accommodation for a week or two, and only then moving the calves on, preferably in pairs is the ideal strategy for her.
“Weaning can lead to stress and a growth dip, no matter how well it is organised. To keep the dip as small as possible, keep all the other factors unchanged.” She also emphasised that calves need to be fed two kg of pellets and enough roughage during weaning. “Ensure that the supply and quality of the feed remain the same before and after weaning.”
“You want to avoid planning too many stress moments together since too much stress reduces resistance and increases the risk of disease.”