Rumen development is a vital part of the development of young calves, and should begin from day one.
Young calves are born without a functional rumen, therefore development of the rumen takes place over the rearing period.
There are a number of key components that are needed to ensure that calves achieve their full growth potential.
Environment
The environment that the calf is born into has the potential to significantly impact on the calves growth performance.
Disease or bacteria pressure can have a negative impact on the calves health, and results in the calf becoming sick.
Some diseases, such as pneumonia, have the potential to have a life long impact on the calf. Disease can have a negative impact on the calves development and further production potential.
Feed
During the early stages of life, a calf is monogastric – making them more similar to a pig, rather than an older ruminant.
This means that they have a single-compartment stomach, and obtain the nutrients they need for growth from milk or milk replacer.
During the rearing period, it is vital that calves are fed high-quality whole milk, or a high-quality milk replacer.
It is also vital that their rumen is developed, with three components needed for this:
- Water;
- Concentrates;
- Fibre.
Providing calves access to water is important to allow bacteria in the rumen need to ferment dry feed.
Without adequate amounts of water, bacteria will not grow, which hinders ruminal development.
Calves should be given access to water from birth, rather then just when concentrates are introduced.
A source of fibre is also important – hay or straw are good sources for calves, as they promote growth of the rumen’s muscular layer and helps maintain the health of the rumen lining.
Your calves should be given fresh concentrates daily from as early as three-days-of-age to encourage solid feed intake.
Concentrates should be increased gradually, with calves consuming at least 1-1.5kg daily at weaning.
