How to Care for a Heifer Calf

Heifer calves, often referred to as "replacement heifers," are a crucial component of any dairy operation. These are the animals that will replace cows whose milk production has diminished. Heifer calves spend the first 18 to 24 months of their lives just hanging around the barn with other heifer calves. At 18 to 24 months, they are bred and nine months later, after they give birth, their life of leisure is over and they enter the milking lineup.

Things You'll Need

  • Shelter
  • Bedding
  • Hay
  • Grain
  • Milk replacer
  • Milk bucket
  • Feed bucket
  • Water bucket
  • Collar
  • Ear tag applicator
  • Number tag
  • Clostridium vaccine
  • Respiratory vaccine
  • Footrot vaccine
  • Large-animal veterinarian
  • Bull
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Instructions

    • 1

      Keep each newborn calf with its mother long enough for the calf to get the initial milk, called colostrum, which provides the calf with crucial immunity protection for the first few weeks of its life. Heifer calves in a dairy herd are removed from their mothers in 24 to 48 hours, allowing the cow to be re-entered into the milking herd.

    • 2

      Set up a shed or stall in which the calf will spend the first few months after birth. In sheds housing multiple calves, each calf may have its own stantion in which it is tied by a collar. Tie ropes are just long enough to allow the calf to lie down and stand but not long enough to move out of the stantion space or get the rope tangled in its legs. A hay rack at the front of the stantion holds hay, keeping it off the floor and clean.

    • 3

      Tag the calf's ear with a number tag using an ear tag applicator. Ear tag applicators operate much like a paper hole punch, leaving the plastic number tag hanging from the ear. The ear tag number allows for proper identification and for accurate record keeping.

    • 4

      Feed between two and six quarts of milk replacer a day to a heifer calf in two feedings per day for the first 30 days. The exact amount depends on the size of the calf and conditions, such as cold temperatures, that may rob the calf of some of the food's energy that it needs for growth. Milk replacer can be fed in a bucket with or without a nipple, depending on the calf's preference.

    • 5

      Offer hay in the calf's hay rack at all times. The calf's rumen is not able to digest hay for two to four weeks, but the calf will pick at the hay and begin to accumulate the bacteria needed to break down the hay. Also offer small amounts of grain, increasing it gradually as the calf begins to eat solid food regularly. When the calf starts eating more hay, be sure to give it access to water beyond what it is getting in the milk replacer. Once the calf is entirely on solid food, it can be turned out with the older heifer herd.

    • 6

      Vaccinate a heifer calf according to the vaccination protocols for your region of the country; a large-animal veterinarian will provide guidance. Generally, within two to four weeks of age, heifers should get broad-spectrum Clostridium and respiratory disease vaccines. Around six months, vaccinate for bacteria-caused footrot. Different regions of the country may have additional recommended vaccines.

    • 7

      Breed heifer calves between 18 and 24 months of age. Revaccinate within two months of calving and booster these vaccinations within one month of calving to ensure the calf gets appropriate immunity from the cow's colostrum.