At this time of the year, farmers often move from feeding whole milk to feeding milk replacer, in order to start filling the bulk tank and getting a decent milk cheque.
Some farmers may be tempted to continue feeding whole milk as, there is no doubt, whole milk is the best type of feed calves can get, but is it a poor economic decision?
No matter which source of feed you choose, if they are fed correctly in the right quantities, they are both sufficient in meeting the calf’s needs in terms of nutrients for growth, organ, and immune system development.
Where poor growth rates occur, it can be due to poor preparation of milk replacer. The consistency of milk replacer is key with mixing, ensuring the correct rate, and feeding at the same time each morning and evening important facets of the preparation.
Whole milk can also have its downsides. If you are feeding waste milk, such as antibiotic milk, high somatic cell count (SCC) milk, or any poor quality milk, it can lead to antimicrobial resistance, disease transmission, and stump growth rates.
The message is clear, no matter what type of milk you are feeding, consistency is critical and calves will thrive when feed times and rates are kept consistent.
Prior to feeding whole milk or milk replacer it is essential that calves get an adequate feed of colostrum that is of good quality and recording over 22% on a brix refractometer.
Colostrum in the first few hours after birth from the first milking of the cow is essential for the calf to receive all the antibodies, immunoglobulins, and nutrients needed to fight infection, build resistance, and to start the growth process.
Colostrum contains immunoglobulins, energy, cytokines, growth factors, and increased levels of vitamins and minerals with a higher fat and protein content.
Milk replacer vs whole milk
When feeding milk replacer, it is important that the product has a protein content of 23-26%, an oil content of 16-20%, a fibre content of less than 0.15%, and no more that 8.5% ash.
Ruminant nutrition specialist at Teagasc, Aisling Claffey also believes that farmers should be looking at where the protein comes from as dairy-based proteins are more digestible and young calves are unable to utilise vegetable proteins.
The price of milk replacer on average has gone up about €4 this year which may have caused farmers to second-guess buying in the product.
However, does it pay to buy in a high-quality milk replacer to meet your calves nutrient demand all while maximising your milk cheque this spring? In short, yes, it does.
Claffey warned that in order for it to be cost effective, high-quality milk replacer should be the priority buy. If you take a 20kg bag that costs €52 and the same size bag that costs €48 for a slightly lower-quality product, the difference in milk replacer cost over 70 days is €10.50/calf.
Spending more money on a product does not mean it’s better quality, but if it does cost an extra €10.50/calf to buy the better quality product, it is money well spent.
The early stages of the calf’s life is crucial and any upset can be detrimental to meeting weight targets and optimal performance, which could be avoided by buying a better quality product.
Claffey also compares the costs associated with feeding whole milk vs milk replacer and assumes a base milk price of 50c/L for February and March, and is going off co-op average solids.
So, it should be noted that if your farm exceeds the co-op average, you should expect the price differential to increase.
This cost comparison also assumes that calves are being fed 6L/day of whole milk versus 750g of milk replacer per day (6L at 12.5% concentration).
The cost of feeding 6L of saleable whole milk to calves at 50c/L is as follows:
- Milk price (value of milk sold, €/kg) = €0.52;
- Weight of whole milk to feed calves (kg/day) = 6.18kg;
- Total cost to feed one calf/day of whole milk = €0.52 x 6.18kg = €3.21.
The cost of feeding 6L of a good quality milk replacer to calves is as follows:
- Cost per bag = €52;
- Weight per bag = 20kg;
- Crude protein content = 23%;
- Fat content = 18%;
- Weight fed to calves/day = 0.75kg
- Total cost to feed one calf/day of milk replacer = €52 ÷ 20kg x 0.75kg= €1.95.
When you calculate the numbers, the difference between feeding a calf whole milk versus milk replacer is €1.26/day in favour of the latter (€3.21 versus €1.95).
It shows that farmers may be better off sending all their whole milk into the bulk tank and buying a quality milk replacer that may save them a couple of euro each day.
These extra savings are based on a high-quality milk replacer, which shows that it is not a bad investment to spend that bit more on a quality product that you know is going to serve your calves their nutritional requirements and maximise growth rates in the early stages of their lives.
