Driven Agriculture Milk Replacer Checklist
The most prosperous farms are the ones that constantly strive to improve efficiency and productivity. Driven Agriculture created this milk replacer checklist as a guide to improving feeding and farm
practices.
How producers mix their milk replacer
When mixing milk replacer, it is important to add some hot water to the mixing vessel, then add the correct amount of powder to the water and then fill the vessel to the volume desired, ending the final mix around 105 degrees. The hot water is recommended to be 120 degrees F, too hot can damage milk proteins and too cold of water isn’t able to dissolve fat particles into solution which will lead to a poor mixing experience.
The liquid-to-powder ratio
When mixing milk replacer there is a measurement for the ratio of milk replacer powder to water, often referred to as the ‘solids level’. Each milk replacer will have mixing recommendations on the tag that will explain the solids level if those directions are followed and are incredibly important to ensuring the calf is fed correctly. Whole cow’s milk is 12.5% solids for reference. If the solids are considerably higher it will disrupt absorption of nutrients for the calf and if the solids are too low the calf will be undernourished.
The protein-to-fat ratio
The protein and fat ratio is widely discussed in milk replacer and there are many opinions about levels of each. Some facts to help make decisions of what those levels should be are understanding that whole cow’s milk is roughly 34% fat and 28% protein. Most milk replacers have higher protein than fat to aid theoretically in decreased satiety to encourage starter intake. Conversely it is important to understand that fat is a very dense and effective nutrient to help meet the energy requirements of a growing calf. Choosing a milk replacer with a very low fat and high protein can create a low energy supply to the calf and also create a nutrient imbalance of not supplying enough energy to utilize the protein.
Additives: probiotics, plasma, vitamins & minerals
There are many additives available for calves, some of the most effective additives are plasma which is exceptional for gut health and tissue repair after a damaging scours event. Some probiotic additives can be advantageous in supporting good bacteria in the calf’s digestive tract to encourage proper digestion and discourage growth of enteric bacteria. Vitamins and minerals are crucial to supporting not only skeletal growth but also immune system strength. Keep in mind that pasteurization kills vitamins as they are temperature sensitive and replenishing them with a specialized pack is vital.
Cleanliness of the feeding equipment
The most overlooked but most critical element of feeding calves is cleanliness of the milk the calf drinks. Every piece of equipment that touches the milk replacer is a source of contamination for bacteria. Buckets, whisks, bottles, nipples and even thermometers or refractometers need to be cleaned with chlorinated soaps and acids that are effective on stainless steel, plastics and rubber.
Remember that sanitizers are not soaps.
Frequency & timing of feeding calves
Whole milk from a cow clots in the calf’s stomach and nourishes the calf between feedings. Many milk replacers are missing the ingredients to clot which may not be a bad thing but understanding that if rate of passage of milk replacer is high then the baby should be fed more often, especially in winter months. Times of feedings per day should be spread as evenly over the day to minimize hours that the calf isn’t fed. It is important to have an effective weaning program and quality calf starter to optimize the transition from milk replacer and a simple stomach to a functioning ruminant cable of supporting the calf after weaning.