Calf performance gains
Ad lib feeding with Sprayfo
Dairy farmer and calf rearer LeAnne Blakelock knows what good calf performance should look like, but a few seasons ago she felt she wasn’t getting it.
With ongoing research, and incremental changes in her approach to calf rearing from season to season, combined with her love of numbers and knowledge sharing, LeAnne has gone from strength to strength in creating a more sustainable rearing programme.
Based near Inglewood in Taranaki, LeAnne and her partner Ian Powell milk 320 cows and typically rear 250–300 calves each year, including Jersey replacements and a large number of beef-cross calves.
For years, transitioning calves onto calf milk replacer (CMR) had been a sticking point. “Palatability was the biggest issue. We struggled to get them to drink CMR and saw them go backwards for the first 10 days or so,” she explains. Despite using a premium whey-based product, calf progress and health outcomes weren’t where she wanted them to be.
In 2021, looking for a better-performing option, LeAnne turned to Sprayfo. Starting with Sprayfo Delta on her tail-end beef calves, the change was immediate. “We were aiming to put weight on the calves quickly and that’s exactly what happened. The calves transitioned so easily with no palatability issues.”
Since then, Sprayfo has become a core part of her system. Today, LeAnne runs an ad lib feeding programme, starting calves on Sprayfo Delta before transitioning them onto Sprayfo Blue. Calves are fed ad lib milk early, often drinking 10–12 litres per day, before moving to once-a-day feeding and eventual weaning based on meal intake (on average 1kg of meal per day and weighing approximately 85kgs).
View MINDA data showing calf performance
The results have been consistent across seasons. “With Sprayfo, we have very few health issues, where previously we had lots.” Calves are more vigorous, well-conditioned and showing earlier rumen development, with some chewing the cud at just 30 days old.
Importantly, this performance hasn’t come at a higher cost. LeAnne notes that calves have consumed no more milk replacer than in previous years, despite the ad lib system. The difference has been in efficiency, with faster early growth and earlier weaning. Where calves were previously weaned at 12–14 weeks, many are now ready around 8–9 weeks.
“We attribute this to the explosive growth we get on Sprayfo Delta in the first month and the subsequent rumen development with Sprayfo Blue, leading to feeding milk for less weeks” says LeAnne.
Health outcomes have also improved significantly. Earlier records showed 7–10% mortality, while more recent seasons using Sprayfo report minimal losses, even during disease challenges.
For LeAnne, the combination of performance, ease of use and consistency has made a real difference. “Our Sprayfo calves are more vigorous, healthier and bigger,” she says.
Find out how to use Sprayfo milk replacers
to meet your rearing objectives.
Find out how to use Sprayfo milk replacers to meet your rearing objectives.
Contact your local sales manager:
Upper North Island
Warren Tanner
Direct Line: +64 (0) 27 417 9151
Email: warren@maxumanimal.com
Lower North Island
Catherine Herniman
Direct Line: +64 (0) 21 081 74358
Email: catherine@maxumanimal.com
South Island
Debs Stilgoe-Brooker
Direct Line: +64 (0) 27 247 4807
Email: debs@maxumanimal.com
Ready to order?
Sprayfo can be ordered via your local sales manager, through customer service at Maxum Animal Nutrition, or from your local rural retail store.
Contact Maxum Animal Nutrition directly.
Speak with your usual rural retailer or vet.
Sprayfo milk replacers will be available through most rural retail channels and vets. Enquire instore.
