Sharpes Calf Feed

Goals of Calf Rearing

To provide calves with an environment and feeding programme that will maximize their growth potential at least cost.

To encourage early rumen development by reducing milk volumes and introducing feeds that will stimulate rumen growth.

Essentials for Calf Rearing

Healthy calves preferably not less than 40kg who have received colostrum in their first 3-4 days after birth.

Clean housing, free of draughts, for the first 4 weeks with access to clean pasture and fresh water.

Quality Sharpes calf feeds to promote early rumen growth.

Feeding Principles

If feeding High Protein Calf Pellets it is recommended that for early rumen development to occur milk volume should be restricted but milk concentration retained.

Once a day milk feeding can be adopted from day 1 and continue for 5 weeks. The important thing to remember is that the calf with a full stomach of milk will take to hard feed  more slowly thus limit the chance for that crucial early rumen development.

Calf Sweetmix should be introduced from day 1. Its sweetness and high patability will hasten their acceptance of High Protein Calf Pellets.

Move to ad lib feeding of High Protein Calf Pellets as soon as possible. With a maximum level of 1.5kg per day. This level should be reached shortly after weaning when the calves will be eating more grass.

Calves should have access to clean pasture after 4 weeks so as to reduce pellet consumption.

Straw or coarse stalky hay must be available at all times. This is an important element of rumen stimulation that will not be achieved with top quality hay.

Clean water should be available at all times.

Ingredients selected from:

Wheat, Barley, Maize. Bran, Pollard, Soyabean Meal, Peas, Dical Phosphate, Lucerne Meal, Copra Meal, Fishmeal, Molasses, Salt, Limestone, Methionine, Lysine, Trace Elements, Vitamins, Coccidiostat-Rumensin

Analysis

Sharpes Calf Sweetmix

This highly palatable, easily digested and highly nutritious ration is ideal for calves during the first 2-3 weeks while introducing them to Earlywean Calf Pellets or High Protein Calf Pellets.

Sharpes Calf Sweetmix is a mixture of steam rolled grain and pellets, blended together with molasses and has proved to be an ideal starter ration. It contains Rumensin for the control of coccidiosis.

Sharpes Hi Protein Calf Pellets

This new high protein ration has been developed to enable calf rearers to reduce milk replacer volumes and feed milk once per day. If restricting whole milk volumes extra milk replacer will need to be added to maintain correct nutrient levels.

Introduce Sharpes Calf Sweetmix as a palatable starter ration while moving totally to High Protein Calf Pellets by the end of week two. The smaller milk volume ensures that the calf will take to hard feed and promote that vital early rumen development.

High Protein Calf Pellets should be fed ad lib up to a maximum intake of 1.5kg per day. Rumensin included for the control of coccidiosis.

Sharpes Earlywean Calf Pellets

Our original calf ration proven over many years. Introduce at 4 days or following Sharpes Calf Sweetmix. Ideal with two times a day whole milk or milk replacer feeding.

For early rumen development feed up to 1kg per day until weaning onto clean pasture then feed up to 1.5kg per day from weaning to about 10-12 weeks.