Peter and Sadie Bullock have been building their predominantly Jersey herd at Endfield Farm, near Crediton, since starting dairy farming in 2017.
Today they run 160 cows, with more than 80% pedigree, and homebred replacements are becoming an increasingly important part of the herd’s future.
For the Bullocks, getting heifers into the herd at the right age and in the right condition is a key objective. Their aim is for heifers to calve at two years old and enter the herd at the beginning of the autumn block, helping them settle in and giving them the best chance of getting back in calf successfully.
“The replacements are a key part of developing the herd as we look to build on the quality of the cows,” explains Peter. “This year will be the first year we won’t need to purchase any replacements as we have 34 heifers due to calve and 36 heifer calves already on the ground.”
The herd grazes from mid-March through to mid-October and currently averages 7,300 litres at 5.45% fat and 4.0% protein. In 2025, calving ran from 1st September until 20th November, with plans to tighten the block further again this year.
Having initially bought cows to establish the herd, Peter and Sadie are now seeing the benefits of rearing their own replacements coming through. For the first time, they expect to have enough homebred animals coming forward that no purchased replacements will be needed.
Calf Rearing
Getting calves off to the right start is a major focus at Endfield Farm, with Peter and Sadie placing particular emphasis on calf health and early development. All calves receive four litres of colostrum as soon as possible after birth with a minimum Brix reading of 25. Total proteins are also checked regularly and currently sit in the top three of their vet
discussion group league table.
Calves are kept in groups of three before weaning and following discussions with vet Danielle Priestley from St Boniface Farm Vets, the heifer calves moved onto Trouw Nutrition’s Milkivit ONE milk replacer. Danielle says health challenges early in life can have long-term consequences.
“The healthier the calves are before weaning, the greater the chance they will grow well, perform strongly and remain in the herd longer.” Calves move onto milk replacer by the end of day two and are fed twice daily using teated buckets. Milk replacer is mixed at 135g/litre and fed at 38°C, with calves reaching eight litres a day by the end of week one and intakes peaking at 11 litres daily.
Concentrate Feed
Solid feed is available from day one and calves are weaned over three weeks, on a step-down basis, at 10-11 weeks old. Milk replacer intakes are increased through a standard feed curve, with calves receiving increasing volumes as they develop.
Peter says growth and performance have stood out. “Initially solid feed intakes are small but as we step milk back, intakes increase and by the time calves are weaned they are consuming around 2.5kg each day.”
Weaning weights reached 270% of birthweight and the couple have also been pleased with calf health and activity levels.
Sadie adds, “We have never had calves looking so well and playing as much as they have. The calves are full of energy and despite the higher milk intakes the beds have been really dry. We have not had to use any antibiotics in our pre-weaned heifer calves and had no mortality this year.”
Milkivit One
Milkivit ONE is 27% fat with a pioneering composition of the fat to more closely resemble cow’s milk. It is a 23% protein Energized Calf Milk containing 50% skimmed milk and 100% dairy protein for optimum digestion and low osmolality, allowing elevated feed rates for high daily live weight gain and the development of a robust immune system.
“Fat is the most energy dense ingredient in milk replacers and the high fat content ensures higher energy intakes,” comments Dr Laura Tennant from Trouw Nutrition.
Milkivit ONE contains LactoFat Pro, a unique fatty acid technology which helps balance the fatty acids in the milk replacer This superior balance of fatty acids has been shown to elevate calf health, supporting better development of the gastrointestinal tract and rumen. Calves fed Milkivit ONE in trials had reduced incidence and severity of diarrhoea
with lower treatment days.
Speak to your Harpers Feeds Specialist to find out more.
