Management practices for dairy calves from birth to weaning : a descriptive analysis resulting from surveys undertaken in the Loire-Atlantique and Vendée regions of France in February 1996

Abstract

The survey concerned dairy farmers from two French departments (Loire-Atlantique, one farmer out of two, and Vendée, all the farmers) who were members of the Dairy Control Board. The farmers were questioned on how they fed their heifers from birth to weaning. The different methods for feeding calves (colostrum, whole milk, replacer milks, number of meals, etc.) vary considerably between farms, unlike those for the distribution of solid food (forages in particular). Guidelines are required for a diet that balances the different elements (milk, concentrate, forage) both for animal that are weaned early (less than 10 weeks of age as situation found in 30-50 % of the farms surveyed) and late (more than 10 weeks of age).