Page 64 - Demo

A NEW IDEA IN CALF RAISING:The Buddy SystemThe Buddy System is a style of raising calves in pairs; in either an outdoor hutch or indoor pen, that has been shown to have positive effects on calf health and behavior. Calves are housed individually for a period of time that can vary from farm to farm. Some farms pair calves at 2-3 days of age while others pair calves at 2-3 weeks of age. The two calves live and grow together, becoming buddies. At 6 weeks of age, many farms will combine two or three buddy pairs to create a group of 4-6 calves in preparation for weaning. What About Cross-suckling?Cross-suckling is an atypical repetitive behavior that is originated by the lack of satisfaction that most feeding systems provide. Feeding milk from buckets or with fast feeding teats will not satisfy the calf%u2019s natural urge to suckle and leads to cross-suckling. Rearing calves individually only treats the symptom and does not eliminate the source of the problem. Feeding calves milk from a slow feeding teat encourages them to use positive and negative pressure while nursing and will satisfy their nursing instinct, therefore eliminating cross-suckling behavior.THEBUDDY SYSTEM%u2022 Decreased weaning stress %u2022 Improved starter intake and increased average daily gain%u2022 Advanced social interactions%u2022 Increased lying timeBEST OPTIONS TO IMPLEMENT THE BUDDY SYSTEM:%u2022 Agri-Plastics Buddy Hutch for outdoor use%u2022 Agri-Plastics Ultra-Flex%u2122 Pen for indoor useLOOK FOR THE BUDDY SYSTEM APPROVED SYMBOL FOR BUDDY SYSTEM COMPATIBLE SOLUTIONSBENEFITS64 | 1.888.376.6777 %u2022 www.crystalcreeknatural.com