You were asking about… Veal Calves

Housing: Where Do Veal Calves Live?

There are many different management systems for raising veal calves, from those who raise a few of their own dairy calves for local consumption to those who produce commercial quantities of veal for provincial and export markets. Each farmer will have their own housing preferences according to their facilities, the size of their operation and their marketing goals.

In general, calves may be raised individually or in groups and they may be fed either milk or grain to achieve market weight. Canadian veal calves are raised indoors in barns that protect the calves from harsh weather, predators and parasites. The barns are well lit, using either natural or artificial lighting, temperature controlled, and well-ventilated to provide clean, fresh air on a continuous basis.

For the first six to eight weeks of their lives, until they are old enough to be weaned, many veal calves are kept in individual pens known as hutches. After weaning, the calves will be raised to market weight in one of two different management systems: either as milk-fed or grain-fed veal, at which time they may change their housing system.

Thirty percent of Canadian veal calves are raised as milk-fed veal, which means that their diet will consist entirely of a balanced milk replacement formula.

Approximately 65% of these milk-fed veal calves will remain in their own individual hutches on a bed of straw. Housing calves in this way allows the farmer to provide individual care and feed for each calf. Canadian standards of care dictate hutches that are among the largest in the world, allowing the calves to lie down, stand up, and groom themselves; the hutches are designed so that the calves do not need to be tethered (tied up). Individual housing such as this allows the calves to behave like most young animals, which normally spend 75-80% of their time lying down or resting.

The remaining 35% of the milk-fed veal calves are raised in group pens known as loose housing, where the calves are allowed to exercise and feed at liberty. Both hutches and loose housing have pros and cons: while it may appear that loose housing may be more advantageous to the calf in terms of exercise, research shows that calves in groups may also be subject to greater stress from bullying and that any individual health problem may be more difficult to manage.

It is also unclear how important the additional space provided by the loose housing is to the calves, which tend to take only limited advantage of this freedom of movement. Computerized feeding systems and different housing designs are continually being tested and developed to optimize calf comfort.

In 1999, approximately 70% of Canadian veal calves were raised as grain-fed veal. Under this production system the calves will receive milk replacement formula until they reach weaning age when they will be switched to a grain ration. The majority of calves will be moved from their individual hutches to group pens (loose housing) that may hold as few as five and up to as many as sixty animals on some of the larger farms. The typical barn floor may be made from wooden slats, allowing urine and solid manure to drop between the slats and leaving the calf with a dry and comfortable place to lie down.

Housing methods have no effect on the tenderness or colour of veal, nor does the amount of exercise a calf receives affect the meat characteristics. Meat quality and colour are a result of diet - whether the calf is fed grain or milk to achieve market weight - and the market age of the calf.

There are approximately 500 to 700 veal farms in Ontario and they bring an estimated value of $450 million to the provincial economy.

Modern veal producers use the most advanced husbandry practices, including stall sizes and structures, as outlined in the Recommended Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Veal Calves. Farmers, researchers, and processors in conjunction with the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada developed this code in 1984. Copies may be found at www.livestockwelfare.com.

Nutrition: What Do Veal Calves Eat?

Veal calves are fed balanced diets with added iron, vitamins and minerals. Calves are brought to market weight either entirely on a milk-based diet, or on a milk-based diet followed by a grain-based diet.

Milk-based diets are balanced rations that involve commercial milk replacers, which utilize surplus skim milk powder and whey – both byproducts of the dairy industry – in their production. These commercial milk replacers are of equal or greater nutritional value than milk straight from the dairy cow. A great deal of time and care are taken to train the young calves to drink their milk from pails, and during this training period their diet will be supplemented with water and electrolytes to ensure they receive adequate fluids and nutrition.

Grain-based diets are usually a balanced corn-based feed that contains supplemental protein, vitamins and minerals, and it becomes the calves’ exclusive diet after weaning. Feed is usually available on a free choice basis. A market weight, 272-kilogram grain-fed calf will consume 7 kilograms of feed per day.

Depending on their age, calves will consume 5 to 30 litres of water per day.

Contrary to former belief, the white hue of the veal meat does not reflect a lack of iron in the diet: calves receive enough iron to meet their growth requirements and maintain optimum health. Many farms will routinely blood test the calves to make sure they are healthy and receiving adequate nutrition.

Veal feeds do not routinely contain antibiotics or any other medication. If medication is required, it is prescribed by a veterinarian and administered on an individual basis by the veal farmer.

In Ontario, the Ontario Veal Association administers a voluntary on-farm food safety and product quality program called the Ontario Veal Quality Assurance Program (OVQAP), which sets out guidelines for veal producers regarding operating procedures and production practices, including an annual on-farm certification by a third party veterinarian nd their participation in a Livestock Medicine Education Course. Under this program producers must also keep extensive written records in order to have traceability in all aspects of the production cycle, including all treatments administered to individual calves and the herd.

About the Production Cycle of Veal…

Dairy cows give birth to a calf each year as part of their production cycle that provides us with milk and other dairy products. Approximately half of all calves born are male (bull) calves, and only a small percentage of these are kept for breeding purposes. The rest of the males are used for the production of veal.

In the dairy industry all calves are normally separated from the cow shortly after birth. The calves receive colostrum (immunity-building milk) for their first few days through pail or bottle-feeding. This colostrum is essential to pass along natural immunity to common diseases from the cow to the calf.

Commercial veal farmers most commonly purchase calves at auction markets when they are 7-10 days old, weighing approximately 50 kg. The calves are vaccinated as part of routine procedures. Some farms may trim their hair and adjust the barn temperature accordingly to keep them in a constant, comfortable environment.

Veal calves are started on a milk-based diet for 6-8 weeks, during which time they are commonly housed in individual stalls called hutches. When they are old enough to be weaned the calves are often moved to group pens, known in the industry as loose housing, where they can either be raised on a diet of grain or milk. The milk-based diet will produce lighter coloured meat with a slightly different texture than a grain-based diet.

The market weight of the calves under either feeding program is dictated by market demands. Milk-fed veal calves are raised to approximately 182 to 205 kg (400-450 lbs), which is achieved at approximately five months of age. Grain-fed veal calves are raised to 272 to 319 kg (600-700 lbs), achieved at six to seven months of age.

Breeds

Most of the calves being commercially raised for veal are dairy breeds, Holstein or Holstein-cross bull calves. Holstein cattle are the predominant breed used for dairy production in Canada.

For more information on cattle breeds, visit www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/

Off To Market

Veal calves are shipped to market under strict guidelines for transportation. For more information about transportation regulations visit http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/animalcare/transportation.html

Thanks to modern technology, the dairy industry is no longer as seasonal as it used to be, and that means that there is not only a steady supply of milk products but also a steady supply of calves to be raised for veal. The veal industry is not under any system of supply management, which means that the normal market forces of supply and demand affect the price that the farmer will receive for the calves.

For more information contact:

Ontario Veal Association
130 Malcolm Road,Guelph, ON, N1K 1B1 Phone 519-824-2942
www.ontarioveal.on.ca