As the dairy industry shifts to automation, there will be some major decisions need to be made such as should the calves be indoor or not. Here are 4 things to consider when shifting towards automated calf feeding:

1. Discuss the shift in work

• The main goal of choosing automation is to shift calf caretaker work from mixing and delivering milk to monitoring the calves.

• The workers need to be well trained to monitor calves, or else the performance of calves will be affected.

• Also, team working directly with calves should be involved in the decision to switch to automated feeding.

2. Building the right facility

• The facility of the calves are often overlooked.

• It is important to remember the basics for feeding calves when building a new facility.

• The facility needs to be clean, dry, as well as spacious.

• Ventilation is also crucial to prevent any respiratory diseases.

• Positive-pressure calf barns have become popular in some regions but these systems are continuously evolving as new methods are available.

3. Determining amount and type of feed

• It is crucial to have a clear understanding of how much and what you want to feed your calves.

• The decision should be made together with your nutritionist and veterinarian as well as management team.

• Without proper feed management, the performance of your herd will be adversely affected, which will decrease the profitability of your farm.

4. Having the right team

• When you plan to implement automated feeders, it is vital to have a skilled team in place.

• This would include a knowledgeable distributor with good connections to all players and aspects of management to give calves a healthy start before being introduced to the feeder.

• Calf management begins with dry cows and colostrum management - the 2 factors which heavily impact the success of calves on automated feeder.

• This person should be able to help in feeder function and provide you with tips to ensure it is working properly.

• The distributor should also be aware of the expectations and how to align them with the abilities of the feeder.