The father and son duo operate a dairy and beef enterprise in Knocklong, Co Limerick. They run a herd of 60 spring-calving British Friesian cows on a 100-acre land base in the heart of the Golden Vale.
Labour was the main driver in the decision to move to a computerised feeding system. Having first discussed options with their neighbours and heard their positive experiences with the Urban Alma Pro feeder, the decision to transition to a computerised feeder was an easy one. The duo had several detailed discussions with their local Volac business manager, Sharon O’Donoghue, who guided them through the transition.
Labour saving boosts efficiency
Computerised feeders are designed to introduce flexibility into the day and reduce the time spent on mechanical tasks such as mixing milk and carrying buckets, thereby offering more time to observe the calves. They also deliver a fully controlled rearing system, which is tailored to provide your calves with the opportunity to express their real growth potential.
John Joe and John rear all the calves born on the farm. The store animals are reared on the automatic feeder, kept on farm and sold in the local mart at 18 months of age. The replacement heifers are also reared on the automatic feeder, and they aim to calve their heifers at 24 months of age.
Labour shortage was a major issue on the Creed farm, which meant calf rearing was one of the farm activities that suffered as a result. John noted how time-consuming rearing calves used to be. All calves were reared in groups on whole milk.
“Before we installed the computerised feeder, labour was our biggest problem - it was very time consuming in the morning and evening. All calves were reared in a group system on whole milk.
“We noticed weaker calves often didn’t get the required amount and it was very inconsistent. Whereas now, all calves get equal portions throughout the 24-hours and are fed Triple ‘A’ Golden Maverick milk replacer from Volac.
The installation of the Volac Urban Alma Pro Feeder has meant a big reduction in labour and led to seamless weaning of calves on the Creed farm.
“As a result, we have seen a huge improvement in our overall calf health and performance and they are extremely content,” said John.
Smooth weaning process
Volac advises gradually reducing the amount of milk offered to calves, over a three-week period between days 35 and 56. This encourages starter intake, helps rumen development and improves the ability of the calf to digest nutrients after weaning.
The gradual weaning process is something John has found a major advantage and highlights that calf performance didn’t suffer at weaning like previous years.
“We found the weaning process is less stressful for calves when using a computerised calf feeder.
“We had very few health problems and growth rates were up on previous years, which led to a very smooth weaning process and healthy, content calves,” John said.
The Creeds were also highly impressed with the automatic loop wash cycle feature, which ensures all pipes are thoroughly cleaned.
“The better the hygiene, the less chance of sick calves which gives us great peace of mind,” John added.
Volac’s technical backup service
“After doing our research, the decision to install an automatic calf feeder was an easy one, said John.
“We spoke with neighbours with the same Volac Urban Alma Pro feeder and we were reassured that the technical service and backup support we were going to receive from Volac business manager Sharon O’Donoghue was going to be second to none,” he added.
Sharon calls to the farm in Knocklong in January to set up the Urban Alma Pro feeder for the busy spring ahead. This allows John Joe and John the time to focus on rearing happy and healthy calves. Sharon sets up the feeder on the user-friendly touch screen, which stores information, has full control and alarm functions. It can be operated through an iPhone, iPad, Android or Windows smartphone as well as via a laptop or desktop computer.
Contact your local Volac business manager today to discuss the benefits of computerised feeding and automatic calf feeder options to suit your farming platform.
For Volac contact details CLICK HERE
The father and son duo operate a dairy and beef enterprise in Knocklong, Co Limerick. They run a herd of 60 spring-calving British Friesian cows on a 100-acre land base in the heart of the Golden Vale.
Labour was the main driver in the decision to move to a computerised feeding system. Having first discussed options with their neighbours and heard their positive experiences with the Urban Alma Pro feeder, the decision to transition to a computerised feeder was an easy one. The duo had several detailed discussions with their local Volac business manager, Sharon O’Donoghue, who guided them through the transition.
Labour saving boosts efficiency
Computerised feeders are designed to introduce flexibility into the day and reduce the time spent on mechanical tasks such as mixing milk and carrying buckets, thereby offering more time to observe the calves. They also deliver a fully controlled rearing system, which is tailored to provide your calves with the opportunity to express their real growth potential.
John Joe and John rear all the calves born on the farm. The store animals are reared on the automatic feeder, kept on farm and sold in the local mart at 18 months of age. The replacement heifers are also reared on the automatic feeder, and they aim to calve their heifers at 24 months of age.
Labour shortage was a major issue on the Creed farm, which meant calf rearing was one of the farm activities that suffered as a result. John noted how time-consuming rearing calves used to be. All calves were reared in groups on whole milk.
“Before we installed the computerised feeder, labour was our biggest problem - it was very time consuming in the morning and evening. All calves were reared in a group system on whole milk.
“We noticed weaker calves often didn’t get the required amount and it was very inconsistent. Whereas now, all calves get equal portions throughout the 24-hours and are fed Triple ‘A’ Golden Maverick milk replacer from Volac.
The installation of the Volac Urban Alma Pro Feeder has meant a big reduction in labour and led to seamless weaning of calves on the Creed farm.
“As a result, we have seen a huge improvement in our overall calf health and performance and they are extremely content,” said John.
Smooth weaning process
Volac advises gradually reducing the amount of milk offered to calves, over a three-week period between days 35 and 56. This encourages starter intake, helps rumen development and improves the ability of the calf to digest nutrients after weaning.
The gradual weaning process is something John has found a major advantage and highlights that calf performance didn’t suffer at weaning like previous years.
“We found the weaning process is less stressful for calves when using a computerised calf feeder.
“We had very few health problems and growth rates were up on previous years, which led to a very smooth weaning process and healthy, content calves,” John said.
The Creeds were also highly impressed with the automatic loop wash cycle feature, which ensures all pipes are thoroughly cleaned.
“The better the hygiene, the less chance of sick calves which gives us great peace of mind,” John added.
Volac’s technical backup service
“After doing our research, the decision to install an automatic calf feeder was an easy one, said John.
“We spoke with neighbours with the same Volac Urban Alma Pro feeder and we were reassured that the technical service and backup support we were going to receive from Volac business manager Sharon O’Donoghue was going to be second to none,” he added.
Sharon calls to the farm in Knocklong in January to set up the Urban Alma Pro feeder for the busy spring ahead. This allows John Joe and John the time to focus on rearing happy and healthy calves. Sharon sets up the feeder on the user-friendly touch screen, which stores information, has full control and alarm functions. It can be operated through an iPhone, iPad, Android or Windows smartphone as well as via a laptop or desktop computer.
Contact your local Volac business manager today to discuss the benefits of computerised feeding and automatic calf feeder options to suit your farming platform.
For Volac contact details CLICK HERE
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