“Dairy Project success depends on calves rearing”-D.Selvi, SEVAI

Calves rearing in SEVAI -OFI Volunteers Cow project

SEVAI/OFI Volunteers cow project future depends on the successful rearing of calves and heifers. Successful calf rearing is very dependent on the skill, experience and empathy of the stock person looking after the animals. Simple preventative management, observation and understanding are the ingredients that will make the difference between successfully reared healthy heifers. In SEVAI Cow project, Calves are selected from the best cows for faster genetic improvement. The SEVAI-OFI farm manager Ms, D.Selvi enlightened the SHG Women those have cows at homes, “Calves are born after a gestation of nine months. They usually stand within a few minutes of calving, and suckle within an hour. However, for the first few days they are not easily able to keep up with the rest of the herd, so young calves are often left hidden by their mothers, who visit them several times a day to suckle them. By a week old the calf is able to follow the mother all the time. Calves are usually weaned at about eight to nine months of age. Animal Husbandry management begins before birth with correct management of the dry cow, at, and immediately post calving through peri-natal attention as necessary. Calve cows in a clean environment. After the calf is born, it is essential the calf receives its first feed of colostrum within the first six hours of birth. This provides the maternal antibodies necessary to protect it against disease for the first weeks of its life, but these immunological proteins can only be absorbed into the bloodstream within the first 24 hours after the calf is born. Without this passive disease protection it is almost impossible to rear a healthy calf. Care and good husbandry practices through the milk feeding period will prevent and rectify problems, greatly reduce calf deaths and achieve higher production and profitability from healthy, well-grown heifers’-Govin