XLVets feature in Agriland article
By Brian McDonnell, JUNE 20, 2021,
During the recent XLVets webinar ‘Getting the Most out of the Second Half of the Breeding Season’ Kevin O’Sullivan, a vet based in Co. Cork, spoke about the management of calves during their first grazing season.
At this time of their lives, your heifer calves should have a good consistent growth rate of around 750g /day or 20kg/month. Calves should have access to high-quality grass and concentrates.
During the webinar, Kevin spoke about summer scour syndrome and described it as ‘a product of our success’. Kevin stated;
”The quality of grass offered to calves is much better than they previously would of been receiving, but their rumens are not developed enough to handle the quality of grass.”
He suggested that: ”Calves should have assess to roughage such as hay or straw while at grass, and a high-quality concentrate.”
