Richard & Ruth Pilkington Regional Winners of the Heifer Rearer of the Year Award 2011
12 September 2011
Richard and Ruth Pilkington, Shordley Hall, Hope, Wrexham
What the judges liked
• Keen to improve and adopt new ideas
• Excellent birth to weaning management
• Rumen development in calves a high priority
• Farm income boosted from sale of high quality calved heifers
Attention to detail is apparent from the minute calves are born at Shordley Hall, Hope, Wrexham, home to the 200 cow Aintree pedigree Holstein herd which last year offered for sale one third of its calved heifers. “We snatch every calf immediately after birth, wheelbarrow it out to the early shed and ensure it has at least 2.5 litres of colostrum within its first 30 minutes,” Ruth explains. “We’re aware that calves have a very strong sucking reflex in the first 2.5 hours of life, and if we miss that window, then we always tube them, a practice which applies to those born between midnight and 5.00am.” Two more three litre feeds of colostrum follow within the first 24 hours, while surplus colostrum solely from vaccinated dams and which has been tested for quality with a colostrometer is frozen.
“Once trained to suck, they’re moved on to the main calf house with a computerised feeding system where we like to batch up into even size to prevent bullying. Adequate ventilation, comfort, cleanliness and dry bedding are among our priorities, and that includes sprinkling sawdust around the feeder to reduce humidity levels in the building. The calves are individually checked against the system each morning for feeding behaviour. including drinking speed and number of times, if any, feeding has been interrupted.
The Pilkingtons had fed a combination of waste milk and calf milk replacer powder until earlier this year when they decided it was not best practice. “The decision to pull and feed solely a high protein milk replacer was definitely the right one and we’re all happier, both the calves and ourselves.” Feed rate is stepped up to seven litres per day from day 10, until 10 days prior to weaning at 62 days by which time they are targeted to eat 3.5kg pelted 19% concentrate.
“We offer 0.6cm pellets rather than coarse mix which we believe encourages them to sort from this very early age,” says Ruth. In addition to offering straw in racks, the Pilkingtons have introduced 2cm chopped lucerne. “The calves are visibly wider on the rib and we believe lucerne provides the ultimate head start in engine development and the potential to continue.” Feeding lucerne has been introduced after listening to a Spanish dairy consultant and it is just one of many new practices to be implemented at Shordley Hall. “We are very open to ideas and opinion and enjoy listening and learning from other farmers both in the UK and overseas.”
Robert Edwards, Cain Vets
Overall, Shordley Hall has an excellent heifer rearing facility. A sound colostrum feeding policy starts with an ‘all-in, all-out’ programme of group rearing calves in well adapted buildings. The Pilkington’s good attention to detail with feeding and hygiene and appropriate use of vaccines is delivering a low incidence of disease and exceptionally well grown calves at weaning.
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