Benefits of a calf cart for moving newborn calves

Investing in a calf cart (or trolley) may be the key to keeping staff happy and healthy.

The aim of calf transport is to move calves hygienically and safely between calving pen and calf house within a couple of hours of birth.

Additionally it provides staff with the correct equipment makes their working day function more smoothly.

Such an approach has become an essential part of recruitment and retention, thinks vet and youngstock specialist Kat Hart, from The George Vet Group in Malmesbury, Wiltshire.

“To keep staff – and if you want a job done, and done well – get the right equipment,” she says.

See also: Why portable milkers can ease stress at calving

Retailing from £320-£890 excluding VAT, transporters may look expensive, but Kat says they are a “relatively cheap and easy fix” to keep engaged and positive staff.

“Anyone having to move three or four calves a day will soon get fed up with carrying them,” she says.

Also, from a health and safety perspective, the days of expecting anyone to lift and carry calves are over.

© Tim Gibson

Staff welfare

Even a wheelbarrow is cumbersome, unless a two-wheeled model is used and the calf is less than an hour old so not trying to stand up, she says.

Farmers who can carry their own calves need to admit that it is not easy for everyone – whether they lack physical strength, have a bad back, or are just tired at the end of a working day – and should consider the risk of disease transmission.

Some farms have made their own transport system, by cutting up an IBC, for instance, or fabricating a tray for the front of a loader to carry a bunch of calves.

In large-scale, block-calving herds, the tractor crate is often adapted to move five to 10 calves at a time, with calves collected once or twice a day and staying in their group.

The benefit of a trolley or cart is that it cannot be used for cow jobs, says Kat.

“The idea is also that it is easier to maintain hygiene. And anyone can do it, it’s nice and easy – you don’t have to be a big, strong male.”

Choice of model

Kat thinks one cart is enough for a farm, even if moving 10 calves a day.

The main criteria when choosing a model is to consider how far it will be pushed, and over what type of surface: gravel, grass or concrete.

Bigger wheels and sturdy construction will be more suited to tough terrain.

Transport also needs to be easy to clean, with no fiddly corners. Plastic is a more durable material, while metal is heavier: “Consider the weight for ease of staff who may have to push it up hill,” she adds.

For hygiene reasons, ideally one calf should travel at a time, particularly when dealing with high-risk issues such as Johne’s, TB or a “passageway calving accident”, when a calf lands in slurry.

Carting more than one calf together can soon spread a cryptosporidium or mycoplasma infection. For this reason, a cart should be cleaned after every calf – even if it is only visibly clean.

“Washing it is OK, but disinfect if cryptosporidium is a challenge on farm. Work out with your vet what your risks are,” she says.

To save time, she recommends keeping ear tags and navel dip near the trolley as a reminder to do the tasks.

Similarly, setting up a habit of wheeling calves by the fridge, or office, will remind everyone to do vaccinations (if required) or complete paperwork.