Our desire is for every calf to have a long, profitable career in our dairy herd. And that begins on day one. Calves have an incredible memory for kindness – being handled in calm, gentle manner helps build trust and positively impacts future performance.

We practice good handling when calves are small to make it safer and easier for animals in the future. As soon as a calf is born, we watch it closely and gently care for it as its mother returns to the milking herd.

Our calves are born in a clean, dry environment. Each cow licks the calf for at least 20 minutes to help dry the calf and stimulate its breathing. Next, we dip the calf’s navel  with iodine to kill bacteria on the umbilical stump.

Within 30 minutes after the calf is born, we move it to a clean, warm nursery and fed its first meal of colostrum. Colostrum is tested to ensure high levels of antibodies and low levels of bacteria. Each calf receives one gallon of colostrum that is warmed to 100 to 105 degrees F. This is priority because the sooner the calf is fed colostrum, the more likely it is to have optimal absorption of antibodies.

Once calves are fed and dry, they are moved to an individual hutch. Newborn calves gain all their calories from milk. We feed a higher energy density of milk and provide calves with clean water and starter grain at all times.

When feeding baby calves, consistency is important. Calves need to be fed milk consistent in total solids, temperature, time of day and volume. Consistent timing between each feeding is also important.

Calves are the future of our farm and we believe they deserve special attention.