Lesson Structure:   Calf Rearing BAG207

There are 7 Lessons

1.    Calving and Culling

•         Introduction
•         Research into raising dairy calves
•         Principles of good calf rearing
•         Pre-calving management
•         Managing the cow for a healthy calf
•         Colostrum management
•         Calf selection
•         Estimated Breeding Value (EBV)
•         Culling
•         Assessing calves for suitability in a rearing system

 2.   Calving Management

•         The birth of a calf
•         Signs that the birth is close
•         Stages in a normal birth
•         Calving problems
•         Important points
•         Abnormal presentations
•         The calf at birth
•         Colostrum
•         Stress and pathogen exposure
•         Managing stress
•         Managing pathogen exposure
•         The calf digestive tract
•         Rumen development
•         Bacteria
•         Liquid in the rumen
•         Outflows of rumen materials
•         Absorptive qualities
•         Substrate (Dry feed Intake)

 3.   Calf Health Management

•         Overview
•         Common calf diseases
•         Scours
•         Coccidiosis
•         Round Worm Scours
•         Lung worm
•         Calf diphtheria
•         Pneumonia
•         Clostridial Disease
•         salmonella
•         Navel and joint ill
•         Stress and the young calf
•         Transport stress
•         Feeding stress
•         Heat and cold

 4.   Calf Rearing Systems

•         Birth to weaning
•         Natural Systems of Calf Rearing
•         Single suckling
•         Multiple suckling
•         Foster suckling
•         Race suckling
•         Early weaning
•         Artificial systems of calf rearing
•         Teaching the calf to drink
•         A basic Feeding program
•         Milk Substitute
•         Common calf rearing systems
•         Rearing calves at grass
•         Five and a half day system
•         Once a day system
•         Cold milk system
•         Acidified milk replacer
•         Mildly acidic milk replacer
•         Strongly acidic milk replacer
•         Milk-fed veal production

 5.   Calf Housing

•         Ventilation
•         Isolation
•         Comfort
•         Economy
•         Calf Pens
•         Metal crates
•         The calf hutch

5.    Weaning

•         Stress at weaning
•         General weaning transition strategies
•         Providing water
•         Weaning at twelve and eight weeks
•         Weaning at five weeks
•         Weaning at four weeks

7.    Post-weaning

•         Post weaning period
•         Calf husbandry practices
•         Reducing surgical stress
•         Cattle identification
•         Castration
•         Bloodless castration
•         Surgical Castration
•         Dehorning
•         When to dehorn
•         Dehorning instruments and equipment
•         Tetanus
•         Vaccination and Worming

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Learning Goals:   Calf Rearing BAG207

• Select calves for specified purposes, including dairy stock, and breeding stock.
• Explain the methods of managing calving operations on a farm.
• Explain the diagnosis of common health problems which may occur in calves.
• Explain different techniques of calf rearing.
• Explain the housing requirements of calves in an animal production situation.
• Explain the procedures for weaning calves in an commercial situation.
• Explain the post-weaning requirements of calves, in a commercial situation.

Practicals:

• Explain the phenotype factors related to the selection of calves.
• Explain the genotype factors related to the selection of calves.
• Write a checklist of criteria for selecting calves for dairying.
• Explain how breeding can assist in obtaining calves for three different specified purposes.
• Describe the different stages in the normal birth of a calf.
• Explain the process of calving, in response to either observations of a calf being born, or the viewing of a video of a calf being born.
• Explain at least five problems that can occur during calving, on a typical property in the learner's locality.
• Analyse two case studies of problematic calving incidents.
• List at least four methods for over-coming specified calving problems.
• List the common health problems which can occur with calves in the learner's locality.
• Describe the symptoms of at least three common calf diseases, including scouring.
• Explain the possible effects of stress on a calf.
• Explain an appropriate treatment for at least three common calf diseases, including scouring.
• Develop guidelines for stock culling, for a specified property.
• Analyse data in a case study in order to diagnose the health problems of a calf.
• Report on an examination of the condition of a calf inspected by the learner.
• Describe calf husbandry techniques observed by the learner, including:
  • Earmarking
  • Castration
  • Dehorning
  • Branding
  • Tattooing
  • Drenching
• Compare natural calf rearing techniques with artificial calf rearing techniques.
• Determine the appropriate method of calf rearing for a specified property.
• List the criteria which need to be satisfied in the design of calf housing facilities, in the learner's locality.
• Compare the suitability of different building materials for calf housing facilities, in different climates.
• Analyse calf housing facilities on a specified property in order to determine the appropriateness of their design.
• Prepare a design for a calf housing facility, including:
  • A sketch/concept plan
  • A description of materials
  • An estimate of cost

• Explain the stages of weaning a calf on a property with which the learner is familiar.
• List the possible problems which may arise in weaning calves.
• Recommend suitable treatments for the weaning problems.
• Explain the stages of post weaning for a normal calf on a property with which the learner is familiar.
• List the problems which may arise with calves during the post-weaning period.
• Explain any variations that may be applied to the procedure of post-weaning a calf.

Your learning experience with ADL will not only depend on the quality of the course, but also the quality of the person teaching it. This course is taught by Juliette Harris. Your course fee includes unlimited tutorial support throughout from one of this exceptional professional. Here are her credentials:

    
     Juliette Harris
      BSc Hons Biology (University of Sussex)

Juliette has over 10 years experience in teaching and private tutoring. As an undergraduate, she contributed to published research on the behaviour of an endangered    bat species, though      her main areas of interest and pecialisation are  genetics and cellular biology. After 7 months in the rainforests & reefs of Central America, Juliette began her teaching career at prestigious private school, Brighton College.  She soon  returned to Central America,  heading   up a field-trip for A-level students. She has been private tutor & exam coach to a range of students with very diverse backgrounds, aptitudes and expectations.More recently, Juliette has enjoyed working with adults with learning difficulties and enormous barriers to education.  Juliette currently splits her time between England and Bulgaria, where she works as a teacher and missionary.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Here is a list of the most often asked FAQ’s.

General

Q. Why should I enrol with the Academy for Distance Learning?
A. Here at ADL, our students are our priority – we treat everyone as a unique individual.

Q. Do I need to buy text books?
A. No, as each module has been written by highly qualified industry professionals. The content of the material is presented in such a way that text books are not required. However, if you require additional reading your tutor will be able to supply a list.

Q. What happens if I have to stop studying for a while? (eg. become sick, go on holidays, have a baby, move house, etc)
A. It’s OK to take a break and start up your study at a later point in time. Just let us know.

Q. Is there an age limit?
A. There is no maximum age limit. We do however, have a minimum age limit of 18 years. Below that age parental consent would be required.

Q. Are your courses up-to date?
A. Our courses are revised and updated on a rotation system.

Q. Do you have a Cancellation policy?
A. Yes. We have a cancellation policy that is fair and equitable. For further details please click here.

Q. Will I have any opportunity to engage with other students?
A. We have a Student Community group based on facebook! If you don’t have a facebook account already, you could make one just for talking with fellow students on the group.

Enrolment

Q. When can I enrol/start?
A. You may enrol and start at any time of the year – it’s all self- paced.

Q. Can I study from anywhere in the world?
A. Our courses are available to anyone, anywhere in the world from the comfort of your own home. The course content is relevant to any country, culture or economy.

Q. How long do I have to complete the course?
A. You complete the course at any time that is convenient for you.

Q. Completing a 100 hour module – how long will it take?
A. For some students a 100 hour module will take approximately to 3- 6 months to complete. Others take less time and some even longer.

Assessment

Q. Assessment – how does it work?
A. For each 100 hour module you are assessed by assignments (at the end of each lesson) and a final one and a half hour exam (or you may elect to complete a Project, instead of sitting the exam) – the choice is yours – you sit for the exam in your own location.

Q. I don’t cope well with exams – what can I do?
A. You may elect to undertake a Project (set by your tutor) instead of sitting the exam. Projects are completed from your home and can usually take a couple of weeks to complete.

Q. If my assignment is not up to standard is there an opportunity to resubmit my work?
A. Yes –

Q. How many assignments do I need to complete for each module?
A. At the end of each lesson, there is an assignment – so if a course has say, 10 lessons, there would be 10 assignments.

Q. I am having difficulty attending workshops/industry meetings, what can be done?
A. If your course requires attendance at workshops, conferences, or industry meetings; alternative arrangements can be made in your country.

Qualifications

Q. What qualification will I receive?
A. For individual modules, you would be awarded a Certificate endorsed by TQUK (Training Qualifications, UK), providing you complete all assignments and the exam. If you just want to complete only the assignments and not sit for the exam or finish a Project, then a Letter of Achievement would be awarded. For more details on qualifications available please click here.

Q. Can I customize my diploma/higher qualification?
A. Not all educational institution’s certificates /diplomas meet everyone’s needs. The opportunity to Design Your Own Diploma at the Academy (subject to our approval) is an added bonus, not found at other colleges. You choose modules that you think will help you in achieving your goal.

Q. What do I get when I complete the course? Will I receive a transcript?
A. At the completion of all courses and providing all assignments and exam requirements have been met, you will receive your Award and a Transcript.

Tutors

Q. Our tutors – who are they?
A. We appoint Tutors and require that they must be currently active in their industry, with at least 5 years’ experience in their chosen profession.

Q. Can I contact my tutor at any time?
A. Yes – you have unlimited access to your tutor via email through our Online Classroom. You can always leave a message with ADL requesting your tutor to contact you. You decide on how much or how little contact you wish to have.

Q. Practical work – How is this done?
A. To find out more about this part of the course please visit the section on How Our Courses Work here.