This volume considers every aspect of calf rearing, from physiological principles to practical systems. Topics include physiology of growth and digestion, nutrient requirements, health and welfare, and lifetime performance. More than half the authors are from outside the UK and all are acknowledged as international experts in their field. This book is aimed at technical advisers, researchers, extension workers, veterinary practitioners, progressive farmers, academics and students.

Calf Rearing is recognised as one of the most informative and accessible guides on the subject, covering growth, nutrition, health and behaviour, with descriptions of various calf raising systems and facilities. John Moran, an expert in the field, also gives considerable coverage to calf welfare, post weaning management and calf communication. Practical economic information on feedstuffs, labour requirements and losses is provided to assist producers in selecting the most appropriate calf rearing system for their farms.

Looking for a technical but practical science-based book on Dairy Calf and Heifer Feeding and Management? Are you a field person such as a nutritionist or veterinarian or calf/heifer specialist, a commercial dairy or calf/heifer operation, a student, or dairy scientist? Al Kertz has spent 46 years doing calf and heifer research, making on-farm visits and evaluations, conducting dairy training of employees, interacting with scientists and technical people, publishing 17 scientific articles in this area, reading and studying the scientific literature, and writing articles since 2001 for Feedstuffs (>110) and Hoard's Dairyman (> 59). After periodic requests to publish a book in this area and with the approval of Feedstuffs, this book has been compiled by amalgamating, organizing, and editing many Feedstuffs' articles into a book with 9 chapters encompassing an Introduction and USA Demographics, Colostrum, Milk Replacers, Calf Starters, Water, Post-weaned Transition Month, Heifers, Other Management Issues, and Evaluations. The focus of the book is on some key concepts and practices, and it can serve as a technical reference for a variety of people. While its focus is on the USA, Kertz has spent nearly 20 years doing consulting work in over 20 countries where he finds the science and applications similar, albeit in the metric system. Alois (Al) F. Kertz grew up on a small Missouri dairy farm. He earned B.S. and M. S. degrees in dairy husbandry and nutrition from the University of Missouri under the tutelage of John Campbell before completing 2 years of US Army active duty as a research Nutrition Officer, and then managing food supply for military operations in Thailand. At Cornell University, his major professor was J. T. (Tom) Reid with a Ph. D. thesis project on growth and development of cattle. That became a great platform for understanding and working with calves, heifers, dry cows, and lactating cows and their bodily changes and metabolism. In 1973, he began employment under the direction of J.P. Everett, Jr. at Ralston Purina Company. He became another mentor from whom Al began to learn about calves and heifers. The basis for this book are the many Feedstuffs columns which he has written--many of which are excerpted and edited into this book; the Young Calf Model from the 2001 Dairy NRC publication for which he was a reviewer; and the 100-year review in the December 2017 Journal of Dairy Science on Calf Nutrition and Management made possible only through the major work by 5 co-authors: Mark Hill, Jim Quigley, Jud Heinrichs, Jim Linn, and Jim Drackley. In addition, there were the on-going grounding and understanding of practical applications provided by visiting, reviewing, and developing recommendations for many dairy operations in the U.S. and in many other countries as well. These visits often provided insights into how science could meet application. That became an on-going learning process for if the science was not applicable, then maybe we did not understand the science, or how to apply it. This book is designed to be a handy reference for field people and students, and as a reference for scientists in their teaching and research to understand concepts and how they are applied to feeding and managing dairy calves and heifers.

Rearing young stock for replacement heifers is probably one of the least well understood and practiced aspects of herd and feeding management on dairy farms throughout the world, particularly on smallholder dairy farms in the tropics. This book addresses all the major concerns of the small holder dairy farmer in Asia. It shows how to attain optimal growth in young stock, so that as cows, they can calve at an appropriate early age at the lowest cost and promptly substitute for any cows culled from the milking herd. This provides continuing returns on the investments of feed, labor and other farm resources. Low reproductive rates and high calf mortality are the major causes of reproductive wastage. This has a direct bearing on culling and replacement strategies and on genetic improvement. In many tropical countries, calf mortality can be as high as 50%. In some areas this can be due to climatic stress on temperate or crossbred stock. While climatic stress compounds the other hazards of calf life, high calf mortality is usually due to diseases and poor feeding management. Rearing Young Stock on Tropical Dairy Farms in Asiaencourages the smallholder dairy farmer to maintain their investment in replacement heifers and gives them the tools necessary to achieve realistic targets for mortalities, live weight gain, mating age and age and live weight at first calving. - Shows how to reduce mortality rates of milk fed and weaned heifer replacements in the tropics. - Covers disease prevention and treatment to ensure a longer lifespan of the milking herd. - Companion volume to three previous manuals written by John Moran: Tropical Dairy Farming, Business Management for Tropical Dairy Farmersand Managing High Grade Dairy Cows in the Tropics.