Hoard's Farm calf trial

As July comes to an end, work still continues at the Hoard's Dairyman Farm. Along with the busy work of cutting hay, getting ready for summer tours, and completing regular chores, Hoard's has been doing a summer calf trial comparing differences in calf grain starter. The purpose of this trial is to identify the differences in calf growth, efficiency, and cost when feeding a pelleted starter versus a texturized starter.

Hoard's is working with Vita Plus, a Wisconsin nutrition management company, for this on-farm calf trial which consists of 13 heifer calves. The trial started mid-May and will continue into September until all of the calves are weaned.

The method of the on-farm trial consists of a control group of seven calves that are fed a 20 percent One Shot Bov/Aureo in Braden bottles starting at Day 1. The treatment group of the other six calves, are fed a 20 percent Momenta Calf RUM starter in buckets starting at Day 3. Each day, individual calf starter is weighed and recorded before being put into the grain bucket or bottle. Spoiled and discarded feed is also measured.

All calves on the trial are weighed and have hip height recorded at birth, Days 14, 28, 45, and when they're weaned at 60 days. Colostrum quality and amount, dystocia level, sickness, and milk fed each day are monitored, recorded, and controlled to ensure accurate results from the trial. Data is currently being compiled and will be completed in September.