CopRice Premium Calf Pellets are a top quality, highly palatable starter that helps to ensure early intake, rapid rumen development and fast, efficient growth. The high nutrient density calf starter has been designed for ad-lib feeding through to 12 to 14 weeks of age, where maximum growth rate and minimum digestive upset is required. Fortified with minerals, premixed vitamins and trace elements, CopRice Premium Calf Pellets are an ideal first dry feed for newborns right up to weaning or to approximately three months of age. The feed also contains a licensed and approved performance enhancer to improve growth rate and food
conversion, which enables target service weight to be achieved sooner, therefore lowering the age of first service and subsequent calving.

Rearing quality calves

Graziers and dairy farmers should follow these simple guidelines when it comes to raising calves:

• Calves should be housed in a dry environment and away from adult animals. Wet conditions and low temperatures can be detrimental for calves.
• On Day 1, ensure the calf suckles the dam to receive colostrum within 24 hours of birth (six hours is ideal), or is fed pre-stored colostrum collected from the first milking.
• From Day 2 onwards, calves should have access to clean fresh water and a good fibre source at all times, together with CopRice Premium Calf Pellets. The pellets should be replaced frequently as fresh pellets encourage greater intake and less waste.
• Feed calves twice a day with either whole milk or milk replacer for the first two weeks. Twice daily feeding prevents overloading the calf’s stomach with too much milk. Intake should be built up to two litres per feed in week two.
  
  After three weeks the level of milk should be reduced to three litres once a day. At this stage, once-daily feeding of whole milk or milk replacer will encourage increased intake of CopRice Premium Calf Pellets, resulting in weight gain.
• Adding a coccidiostat to the milk is strongly recommended. This ensures younger calves are fully protected against coccidiosis while the intake of pellets is low.
• Calves should be offered good quality cereal straw from day two onwards as a source of roughage. CopRice Premium Calf pellets will provide all the protein and other nutrients required.
• Weaning the calf off milk should be achieved when the consumption of pellets reaches more than 1 kg/day. The best feed intake and weight gain will be achieved by offering pellets on an ad-lib basis from day two to weaning. Once calves are weaned and introduced to pasture, CopRice Heifer Rearing pellets should be fed.
• A well-reared Friesian calf should weigh 90 to 100 kg when weaned; 60 to 80 kg for a Jersey. It is recommended that calves are weaned on to new feed sources (including grass) over a period of 10-14 days to reduce rumen upsets.

While on milk, a calf does not have a fully functional rumen. Pellets and grass, together with some roughage, ensure optimal rumen development. Calves should be given access to pasture while still on pellets and milk to reduce the risk of weaning setbacks.