Jud Heinrichs, Penn State Dairy Extension, writes that feeding the dairy calf and heifer can be likened to a double-edged sword; we want to feed the heifers as much as possible to get rapid growth so that they begin lactating early in life, with a large body size at calving relative to their mature weight. However, there are issues related to rapid growth and a high level of feed intake that can go against the benefits and economics of such practices.
Source: Dairy Herd Management, March 24, 2017.
We conclude that gains in first-lactation production accomplished by increasing calf ADG pre-weaning are small and account for less than 3% of the variation in first-lactation milk production. Genetics, health, and other farm management practices will account for 97% of the actual milk production that we observe. Furthermore, any improved ADG that we want to accomplish in pre-weaned calves is far cheaper to do by increasing calf starter intakes in combination with a reasonable milk/milk replacer program.
INSIGHTS: Sales reps and veterinary teams will find this article useful to help dairy personnel make decisions about supplement choices matched to the desired outcomes at each individual farm.