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JORDAN, Minn. – Heifer calves are a vital part of any dairy farm, and continual learning to care for them is paramount to success on the farm.
Local farmers gathered Dec. 16 at Ridges at Sand Creek in Jordan to listen to the Vita Plus calf team share data and practices that could help improve calf and heifer health.  
Noah Litherland, a dairy technical specialist with Vita Plus, presented information on concepts in raising a modern dairy heifer.
“We need to take excellent care of our heifers because we can’t afford to lose one,” Litherland said.
Litherland said there is a focus on controlling heifer inventory by utilizing beef semen in lower performing cows, and more heifers are being raised indoors, which in turn increases the risk of having respiratory challenges.
“All of these factors can affect heifer performance in the barn,” Litherland said. “Modern heifers can milk, so there are ways to maximize that potential. It all starts before day No. 1.”
Litherland said the cow communicates with the fetus using epigenetics, which is cow and calf interactions in utero. The cow’s hormones promote calf health post-partum.
The cow’s hormones respond to the cow’s physical surroundings and signal for the calf to prepare itself for that environment.
Litherland said gestation length often adjusts with the gender of the calf and the weather. Calves born in the winter tend to have an increased gestation length, on average two to three days longer, and in summer, the gestation length is sometimes up to a week shorter.
Many factors affect the ideal environment for the cow and calf post-partum, such as if the cow is overcrowded or experiences heat stress during pregnancy.
Litherland said providing the cow with an ideal place to calve is essential to a calf succeeding throughout its growth stages.
“A healthy cow means a healthy calf,” Litherland said.
Adjusting a dry cow ration to fit the needs of the cow and fetus is essential to calf growth and vigor. Litherland said body condition score is important to note, as heavy cows tend to have an increased risk of ketosis, hypocalcemia and calves higher in oxidative stress.
“Making sure trace minerals are in a dry cow ration is important because a deficiency in say manganese can show shorter limbs and abnormal jaw growth,” Litherland said.
Once the calf is born, the responsibility for its well-being transfers to the farmer and farm employees.
Having a clean calving area and proper post-partum procedures can help ensure calves are healthy as well as providing maternal colostrum in the first two hours of birth, which will increase the calf’s immunoglobulin absorption.
If colostrum production in freshening cows is becoming a problem in a herd, Litherland presented information from the University of Florida that showed evidence of improved colostrum production with an increased amount of time lights were on in barns 14 days pre-partum.
From the calving pen, calves should be placed in a clean, warm environment. Litherland said straw bedding is the most recommended bedding to be used for calves and dry cow pens.
“There are studies showing that calf hutches are still the golden standard for raising calves,” Litherland said. “Also remember that weather impacts variation in calves, heifers and cows. Be sure to adjust rations and management practices accordingly.”
Litherland said around two weeks of age, calves should be given grain and warm water.
“Weaning is when we see the most variation in calf growth and performance,” Litherland said. “There are a variety of ways to wean and process calves to help ease them into a different pen; in the end, it’s what works for your operation.”

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