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BABY CALF PROGRAM (2009) AT DUTCH HOLLOW JERSEYS
Paul and Melanie Chittenden (founders) -- Alan (dairy mgr), Nathan (heifer mgr), Brian (farm mgr) 101 Running Creek Rd Schodack Landing, NY 12078 [near Albany, in SE New York]
Paul is a son of Stanley Chittenden, who was a pioneer breeder of polled (naturally hornless) Jerseys under the Fair Weather prefix. A couple families of polled cows are being propogated at Dutch Hollow as well, and they have put several polled sires into AI service.
Melanie granted me this interview one morning in February, 2009. She feeds calves with her son Nathan. They were milking 360 cows, but have expansion in progress to reach 600 cows, and the goal is to accomplish it with natural increase-- the sign of a successful breeding program as well as a competent calving, baby calf and heifer rearing program.
Calving is in a pack barn addition on the W side of a free stall barn set up for dry cows and close-up bred heifers. Cows receive usual vaccinations in headlocks of the dry cow barn. In specific case of J-5 [mastitis] vaccine, only one dose is given while dry, the second given after calving, to avoid the experience of aborting calves early (born backwards, not surviving, and the cow not cleaning).
Calf sizes range from 40 to 70 pounds. The selection trend in the herd has been in favor of a larger, stronger Jersey, thus the increasing calf sizes. Melanie noted range of size has to be factored into calf care-- the little ones need concentrated nutrition, thus are fed three times daily, the big ones do better with a mid-day feeding to start them growing.
Colostrum from Momma is given at birth, with a target volume of two-three quarts depending on size at birth. In the past year they started adding a package of an immunoglobulin product "alta gold" [footnote 1] to insure the level of antibodies received by the calf is adequate to the need. They use a "colostrometer" to chekc density of colostrum, as one maternal line had been discovered that seems to be routinely deficient. Those calves receive stored colostrums.
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