Exceeding customer expectation will always be a fundamental driver for any new product that comes to market. And where United Feeds’ Advance Fortified calf milk replacer is concerned, this has been the strong view consistently expressed by milk producers across Northern Ireland over the past 12 months.
Driving this recognition has been the capacity of the new milk replacer to encourage dry matter milk powder intakes of up to 1kg per head with bucket reared calves. This figure has risen to 1.2kg with calves on computerised feeding systems.
The end result is the attainment of higher daily growth rates and earlier weaning times. More resilient calves develop into more resilient cows.
The enhanced performance secured from Advance Fortified milk replaceris also confirming that the attainment of higher daily growth rates from calves is the most efficient way of securing optimal efficiency levels within a heifer rearing programme.
Advance Fortified has been developed by United Feeds’ nutritionists with assistance from leading global researchers in the knowledge that energy intake is the biggest limiting factor in pre-weaned calf development and performance. Therefore, having an elevated level of highly digestible fat was an essential component of its formulation.
These include –
- Increased content of highly digestible fat – This increases the energy density of the feed, which can be used for function of thermoregulation, immune function and calf liveweight gain. Energy intake is biggest limiting factor in pre-weaned calf development and performance.
- A specific Prebiotic – Inulin stimulates the growth of beneficial bacteria to positively manipulate the gut microbiota to improve gut health. This has been shown to improve feed efficiency in calves and will also benefit calf gut health in challenging environments/circumstances.
- Probiotics – The addition of live bacteria strains positively manipulates the diversity of gut microbiota. This limits pathogen invasion of the gut lumen. Improved growth has been seen in the first two weeks of life when respiratory and digestive disorders were high, highlighting its benefit is greatest during times of high disease/stress risk.
- Pulmo+ – Eucalyptus oil aids clearing of the airways, due to increasing the beat frequency of the cilia in the respiratory tract, increasing mucociliary clearance capacity and broncho-dilation. EMX includes plant extracts with Saponins and terpenoids which both attack the membrane of protozoa in the intestine and terpenoids improve integrity of the intestinal wall. Will indirectly improve nutrient absorption. Has been shown to improve daily liveweight gains of pre- and post-weaned calves and effectively control Coccidiosis and Cryptosporidiosis.
- Greenline – A blend of additives that nutritionally stimulates intakes, assists in the maintenance of a healthy immune system, optimizes performance, and promotes rumen development. The flavour link between our milk replacers and United Feeds’ ADVANCE calf starter range also promotes intakes of starter feed.
The first heifer calves reared on Advance Fortified milk replacer are now at the breeding stage, on target to meet a 24-month age at first calving. Growth rates recorded by these animals have been consistently good since birth.
Weaning ages of 67 days have been achieved with the new milk replacer, at which stage the calves were also consuming at least 1.5kg of starter ration per day.
This level of concentrate feeding should be increased to 3.5kg per day until the calves reach 14 weeks of age. United Feeds are running a special promotion selected milk replacers during September. For further information on anything calf rearing related contact your local United Feeds representative
