Calf Care & Maternity Pen Management |
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Early care provided to newborn calves, as with colostrum feeding in a timely manner, is important to promote welfare.
How to assess:
Review the calf care and maternity pen management protocol to confirm that appropriate criteria are being met. At a minimum, this should include:
This protocol must have been reviewed and signed by the VOR within the last 12 months.
Evidence that this protocol is being followed on the farm will be checked during the audit by interviewing an employee who performs these procedures and by visual confirmation that farm practices are consistent with the SOP.
- Emergency contact information
- Details of the daily monitoring schedule for close-up pens
- How to move calves; lifting, walking, or wheeling are acceptable
- Feeding schedule for calves; calves must have colostrum by 6 hours, starter by day 3, and forage by day 1
- If calves are transported offsite, this can only happen once they are dry, fed, and able to stand squarely on all four feet
This protocol must have been reviewed and signed by the VOR within the last 12 months.
Evidence that this protocol is being followed on the farm will be checked during the audit by interviewing an employee who performs these procedures and by visual confirmation that farm practices are consistent with the SOP.
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This template is provided as a guideline; farms may write their own as long as minimum content (highlighted in blue) is met