The young cattle measurer visits you twice a year. After your permission, all data, such as ages and ear numbers, are stored in the DairyStart Monitor. The young cattle measurer measures each animal that is on grids at the hip bones. He or she enters these measurements. The measurer also pays attention to the condition of the animals. Johan or his fellow young cattle specialists then visit you to discuss the results. “With the growth lines, we get an overview of the entire rearing, also compared to previous times. That gives a lot of insight.” The DairyStart Monitor also provides up-to-date insemination advice based on the age and development of the heifers.
Quickly measure whether you can wean
Practical tip from Johan: “measure the chest circumference with a straw string if your young cattle are still on straw. A chest circumference of 100 centimetres is equal to 90 kilos of weight, which means that you can wean the calf. At least, if the animal eats two kilos of feed per day and you gradually reduce the milk yield.”
This is what you can do if your calf is lagging behind in growth
Do you see that growth is lagging behind in certain phases? Then the young cattle scan can help you to visualize the cause. Johan & Rachelle explain how the young cattle scan works in this (Dutch) video.