A survey of calf accommodation in Northern Ireland found that air temperatures were below the 15°C target 92% of the time on 66 dairy farms.The study was conducted by Aaron Brown from the Agri Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI).
A survey of calf accommodation in Northern Ireland found that air temperatures were below the 15°C target 92% of the time on 66 dairy farms.
The study was conducted by Aaron Brown from the Agri Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI).
Low temperatures are a key reason why growth rates are lower than expected in many sheds, as calves put energy into keeping warm instead of growing.
Brown strongly advices using plenty of deep straw bedding to allow calves to nest and create a microclimate. He also recommends the use of calf jackets and heat lamps in pens if temperatures are regularly below 15°C.
The benefit of calf jackets is sometimes debated as research has generally found there is no significant impact on calf health or performance.
However, calf jackets are often recommended by local vets and they are being widely used at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise's (CAFRE) new calf rearing facilities at Greenmount College.
“AFBI research did show that calf skin temperature was approximately six degrees higher for calves fitted with jackets, indicating that using jackets for the first four to six weeks should help calves manage cold conditions,” said Martin Mulholland from CAFRE.
“Where calf jackets are used, provision must be made for cleaning the jackets before re-use to avoid disease spread,” he added.
Read more in this week's Irish Farmers Journall and online here.
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