cattle and poultry farming It is a class note for cattle and poultry farming course. it also can be use in animal science. In this portion we disscuss about the care of a cattle.

1. CALF CARE FROM BIRTH TO WEANING
INTRODUCTION
Calves are raised as replacements for lactating
cows and are essential to the successful future of
the dairy.
The greatest mortality and morbidity period for
dairy cattle is from birth to weaning.
Management goals for the first 6 to 8 weeks of a
calf's life should be to minimize disease and
mortality by providing a suitable environment,
establishing a quality nutritional program, and
implementing a preventive health care plan.

2. Care of calf immediately after birth
The mother licks/ washes her newborn.
This helps with mother–newborn
bonding, and gives the newborn some "get
up and go".
The newborn then attempts to stand.
This is followed by balancing, then
experimenting with moving its legs,
progressing to it’s 1st steps.
The mother often positions herself, so
she can push her newborn towards her
teats.
The newborn will automatically “put its
mouth over” a teat that touches the side
of its face.
Sucking is a response in the newborn.

3. -The season "of birth" for these young ruminants is
"nature designed" to fit in with their feed needs.
Mothers need abundant feed to supply milk to their
young. There needs to be adequate feed for her
young once they are weaned.
-Calves, lambs, kids are all born as "monogastrics"
("nono" = one).. which enables them to digest a milk
diet.
As adults they are RUMINANTS, and digest pasture.
(ect..)
Part of rearing these young ruminants involves
introducing them to diet that assists them to become
a ruminant.
Care of calf immediately after giving birth

4. WHAT IS COLOSTRUM?
Colostrum is the thick, creamy, yellow secretion collected
from the udder after calving.
By definition, only the secretion of the first milking after
calving should be referred to as colostrum.
Secretions from the second to the eighth milking (fifth day
of lactation) are called transitional milk because the
composition gradually becomes similar to that of whole milk .
In addition to its high nutritive value, colostrum provides
antibodies needed to protect newborn calves from many
infections that may lead to diarrhea and death.
The concentration of antibodies in colostrum averages 6% (6
g/100 g of colostrum), but ranges from 2 to 23%.
In contrast, the concentration of antibodies in the milk is
only 0.1%.

5. Table 1: Composition of milk and colostrum
Components Milking number
1 2 3 4 5 11
Colostrum Transitional milk Whole
milk
Total solid, % 23.9 17.9 14.1 13.9 13.6 12.5
Fat, % 6.7 5.4 3.9 3.7 3.5 3.2
Protein, % 14.0 8.4 5.1 4.2 4.1 3.2
Antibody, % 6.0 4.2 2.4 0.2 0.1 0.09
Lactose, % 2.7 3.9 4.4 4.6 4.7 4.9
Minerals, % 1.11 0.95 0.87 0.82 0.81 0.74
Vitamin A,
ug/dl
295.0 -- 113.0 -- 74.0 34.0

6. Colostrum also contains proteins and peptides that have
strong biological activity.
Most importantly, colostrum contains high levels of
immunoglobulins, which transfers passive immunity to the
calf and enables it to fight off infections.
Immunoglobulin concentration in colostrum is highest in
the first milking and decreases to 50-70% at the second
milking, to 30 to 50% by third milking and is nil by the fourth
milking.
If the cow must be milked prior to calving, be sure to save
the first colostrum for the calf.
To ensure optimal transfer of passive immunity from dam to
calf, 2 quarts (2 L approx.) of first-colostrum must be fed to
the calf within the first 2 to 4 hr of life followed by a second
feeding within 12 hr.

7. Colostrum is also a good source of minerals for
calves. Relative to dietary mineral requirements for
calves, colostrum provides adequate amounts of Ca,
P, Mg, Na, K, and Zn but is marginal in Fe, Cu and Mn.

8. Ingredients Amount (kg)
Wheat 10
Fishmeal 12
Linseed-meal 40
Milk 13
Coconut-oil 7
Citric acid 1.5
Molasses 10
Mineral mixture 3
Linseed-oil 3
Butyric-acid 3.3
Antibiotic mixture 0.3
Rovomix A, B2, D3 0.015
Total 100
Ingredients of milk replacer:

9. Ingredients
(%)
Proportion
(%)
Protein
(%)
Total
protein
DCP
(%)
TDN
(%)
Maize 42 9 3.78 2.94 33.6
Groundnut
cake
25 40 10.0 8.8 18.8
Fish meal 10 50 5.0 4.64 5.7
Wheat bran 20 16 3.2 2.0 12.0
Mineral
mixture
3 - - - -
Total 100 21.98 18.38 70.10
Ingredients of calf starter:

10. Calf replacer feeding schedule:
Calf Age Grams of powder
(per feeding)
Litres of
solution
(per feeding)
# feedings
per day
Day 1-4 Colostrum 1.0 - 1.5 2
Day 5–7 188 1.5 2
Week 2 250 2.0 2
Week 3 312 2.5 2
Week 4-
6
375 3.0 2
Week 7 375 3.0 1
Week 8 250 2.0 1