Veal Tech Milk Replacer

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Milk Replacers May Not Be As They Appear 

 

I have talked with several calf raisers that collect all the milk replacer tags they can find and try to determine the best product. This is a futile exercise. Most tags read almost the same, except for

"label dressing" and gimmicks. There are only two important things to remember when it comes to feed tags.

 

"IF IT IS ON THE TAG IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE IN THE BAG." "IF IT IS IN THE BAG IT HAS TO BE ON THE TAG." 

The only things that have to be in the bag if it is listed on the tag, are those items listed under Guaranteed Analysis. The ingredient list may contain ambiguous statements, such as; "contains products from plant and/or animal sources". Grind up a pair of old leather shoes and a large bar of soap and it will meet the requirements for a 20-20 milk replacer.

 

I have made presentations on feed company programs and had raisers ask the question "Why do my calves never gain weight on milk replacer?" The answer I have heard two major milk replacer

companies give is; "They are not supposed to. The milk replacer is to keep the calf alive from the time you take it off colostrum until the calf starts to eat grain." I accepted that statement as fact, as the persons making the statement were from major milk replacer manufacturers. Then I got involved with veal and I noticed a veal producer starts with a baby calf and feeds it milk replacer for 20 weeks and the calf weighs 450 - 500 pounds. It appeared to me they must put something in the milk to make the calf grow that is not in ordinary milk replacers. I was correct. I will concede the vealers feed more milk replacer, but the veal milk is consistent. They do not use a least cost computerized ration. They use a blended fat that contains coconut oil (which closely resembles

butterfat), lard and tallow. Most regular milk replacers contain either lard or tallow as a fat source, and the manufacturer may use the one that is cheapest at that time. The veal milk replacer manufacturers are usually more fussy about quality of ingredients. The veal calf gets to be very fussy also - if ingredients fluctuate, the calf may refuse to eat it. I recommend a veal milk replacer for all calves. We have many calf raisers feeding veal starter milk for their heifer and dairy beef operations.

 

What can you tell from a tag??

Protein - should be minimum of 20%, fat - 16% is enough if it is

blended and the fatty acids are balanced, fiber content should be 0.15%. O.15% usually indicates all milk proteins. If fiber is 0.5% there are usually plant protein products. Which I do not recommend until the calf is over three weeks of age.

 

There are several other milk replacer products on the market. I would be happy to address the alternates at another time. If you have questions - call. Before I used the newer products, I would want to talk to someone that has been using them for a few months.

 

Veal Tech Milk Replacer -

All milk proteins, blended fats. 20% Protein and 16% fat, with 0.15% fiber. Call for pricing.