Shine Once-a-day – the best way to stay in control of your calf rearing
Shine Once-a-day is Europe’s number 1 choice for Once-a-day milk feeding.
Once-a-day milk feeding has been proven worldwide for more than 30 years to produce calves on par with any other calf rearing system available. There are a few caveats.
Calves must be fed a low heat skim-based milk replacer or cow’s milk fortified with a skim-based calf milk to ensure the milk forms a firm curd in the calf’s stomach and is slowly digested throughout the day.
The milk replacer should also contain a blend of plant oils and buttermilk to increase digestion and dry feed intake.
Calves must have access to roughage concentrates and fresh water.
Why does Once-a-day milk-feeding work so well?
Shine Once-a-day fed calves receive the same amount of milk powder as twice- a- day calves, but in a smaller volume. The Once-a-day fed calves need to use less energy to excrete this extra liquid and they also eat more dry feed. Total energy intake is therefore higher so performance is better.
Feeding calves Once-a-day allows farmers to keep calves in small groups and there is no need to share teats. These two factors alone reduce disease spread and illness significantly.
The day is more flexible so calves get more attention allowing sick animals to be treated and isolated faster.
How much time does it free up?
Trials have demonstrated that farmers save 1 hour per calf reared and this is generally higher than on farm experience with computerised feeders.
Calves can be weaned earlier saving money and time. As rumen development is better growth rates post weaning are higher.
Feeding Shine Once-a-day
With water -200g/L mixed milk and feed 3-4 L per day
With milk add 50g/L of cow’s milk and feed 3-4L of mixture per day.
