New calf feeding trial highlights benefits of once a day milk feeding

A new trial at Harper Adams University College in England has shown that beef calves on the right once-a-day milk feeding regime will grow faster and can be weaned earlier compared with pen mates on a twice-a-day system.

“In our study the calves fed once-a-day recorded significantly higher daily liveweight gains from start to three weeks. They were also weaned 5 days earlier having gained an extra 7.8kg in liveweight,” reports trial project co-ordinator Simon Marsh, senior lecturer and beef specialist from Harper Adams.

“Overall the performance of both groups of calves was very good, exceeding the recognised target for rearing calves to 12 weeks of 115kg (see table 1 page 15),” Simon Marsh says. “But the Once-a-Day calves did do that little bit better. And, interestingly, the contentment of the calves fed once-a-day was also noticeable. They drank their three litres in a single feed then rested and weren’t at all hungry later in the day. They were also free from nutritional scours, unlike some of the twice-a-day fed calves, and had increased rumen girth measurements; an indication of improved rumen development, potentially because of their higher (11.5kg) concentrate intake.”