What are the opening hours?

Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 5pm

Calf to Cow Consultancy

Home
United Kingdom
Lancaster
Calf to Cow Consultancy

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Calf to Cow Consultancy, Nutritionist, Lancaster.

Guiding farms to EXCEL from Calf to Cow 🚀

Offering bespoke, industry-leading, independent nutrition & management advice 🐮

Serving North & Central UK👩🏻‍💼
(online consultancy also available)

Building Better Businesses - One calf at a time

24/11/2025

Maybe a bit controversial 😛🤷🏻‍♀️

But the one thing your calves would ask for, if they could…

It’s not the most expensive milk replacer with all the bells and whistles.

It’s not a brand-new, state-of-the-art calf building filled with toys and fancy technology.

It’s consistency.

Now, I’m NOT saying the quality of your milk replacer or the living environment of your calves isn’t essential - because it ABSOLUTELY IS. These factors play a huge role in calf health and performance.

HOWEVER, if we can’t provide calves with the basics, such as:

1. Consistent milk feeding times
2. Consistent mixing rates
3. Consistent milk volumes
4. Consistent feeding temperature
5. Consistent vaccination and health protocols
6. Consistent bedding and hygiene routines
7. Consistent temperature and weather management
8. Consistent staff

…then the house falls from the bottom.

Calves, just like cows, thrive on routine.

When we focus on the small things we do every single day, and optimise those jobs, the results compound = better growth, stronger immunity, calmer calves and ultimately, healthier, more productive cows 🐮 💪🏼

18/11/2025

Tongue-Out Tuesdays 🤪🐮🤠

17/11/2025

The daily conversation 🐮🍼

Calves: “You’re late.”
Farmer: “It’s literally feeding time…”
Calves: “It’s 10 past 6. We’ve been starving for at least 10 minutes.”
Farmer: “Alright… milk’s coming.”
Calves: “Is it going to be the right temperature?”
Farmer: “Of course…”
Calves: “Are we getting the same as yesterday?”
Farmer: “Yes…”
Calves: “Could we, maybe, have a bit… more?”
Farmer: “MORE?! YOU WANT MORE?”
Calves: “Please, Sir. May we have some more?”

Here’s your daily reminder to feed your calves more 😛😎

15/11/2025

Do you allow calves to suckle the dam after calving?

What could be the implications?

🍼 Unknown Colostrum Intake
You never know what a calf has had if you leave it to suckle. Calves left on the dam are 2.4X more likely to receive insufficient antibodies, and suffer from failure of passive transfer.

🍼 Reduced Colostrum Volume/Quality
Leaving a calf on the cow means the colostrum you do take off the cow later will not be as good, or there will not be much of it. If the calf hasn’t received sufficient antibodies when sucking, topping it up will be more difficult.

🍼 Transmission of Disease
Calves are more likely to ingest pathogens that cause sickness and disease, as the cow’s udder is not sterile. Certain diseases can also pass through colostrum, so if they are an issue on your farm, you may need to look at pasteurisation or colostrum replacers.

🍼 Increased Risk of Mortality
Not only does colostrum provide antibodies, it offers the calf essential energy. If calves are deficient in antibodies and have not received enough colostrum to support maintenance, thermoregulation, and immunity, the likelihood of mortality is greater.

🍼 Increased Stress
Leaving the calf on the cow for longer may make separation more stressful for both parties, as the bond between cow and calf is stronger.

I normally advise that farms remove the calf once it has been licked. This allows enough time for the dam to calm down and release milk, and is soon enough that the calf doesn’t remain in a contaminated environment for a prolonged period of time.

If you would like some guidance on how best to optimise your calf rearing system, I have some availability for online consultancy or on-farm visits in 2025! 😊

14/11/2025

✨ FUN FACT FRIDAY ✨

Did you know that your calves can smell you long before they ever see you?

Calves rely heavily on scent for communication, comfort, and safety. Their world is built on sensory cues. While we often focus on nutrition, hygiene, and housing, we sometimes forget just how powerful smell is in shaping calf behaviour and welfare.

Here’s why this matters on farm:

👃 Scent helps calves recognise you.

Calves quickly learn the smell of the people who feed, handle, and care for them. Positive, consistent interactions build trust and confidence which can reduce stress during handling.

🐄 Stress has a smell too.

Calves can pick up on the scent of stress hormones from both humans and other animals. Calm, patient handling isn’t just kind, it genuinely changes how calves respond.

🌾 Smell influences feed intake directly.

Calves use scent to judge the freshness and palatability of starter. Clean buckets and fresh feed encourage stronger, earlier intake.

💪 Supports better growth and immunity.

When calves feel calm, they invest energy into development, weight gain, and immune strength rather than burning it on stress.

🥛 Consistency boosts performance.

A calm, predictable routine reduces adrenaline spikes which can interfere with digestion, immune function, and growth. Quiet handling, steady movements, and the same people doing key tasks make a measurable difference.

How incredible is this? 🤩

Calves’ olfactory bulbs are highly developed, meaning smell plays a much bigger role for them than it does for us. They use it to identify milk, detect illness in pen-mates, and recognise environmental changes long before humans do.

So next time you walk into the shed, remember…

Your calves knew you were coming 😎

12/11/2025

Enjoyed being back at yesterday! 🐮

Always love a talk about colostrum 🍼🌟

Considering all we do as an industry is talk about the importance of colostrum, the Q’s, and the impacts of either failure or success of passive transfer - why are we still getting it wrong?

If you’re looking for some guidance on improving calf health and productivity, I have available spaces for on-farm visits and online consultancy 😎

11/11/2025

These pesky flies 🤦🏻‍♀️

Still battling flies in November? You’re not alone 🪰

Mild autumn temperatures have allowed fly populations to persist much later than usual this year. While we typically expect pressure to drop off by October, warm and damp conditions have extended breeding cycles, meaning continued irritation, disease transmission, and stress for calves.

The two most common fly species found on UK livestock farms are house flies and stable flies. Both can cause painful bites, leading to restlessness, reduced lying time, and poorer growth rates. Calves are also less likely to eat feed that’s contaminated with flies, so even low levels can affect performance.

Flies begin breeding as early as March, and one adult fly can lay up to 1,000 eggs in its lifetime. In just one month, a single fly population can multiply from 1 to 1 billion, highlighting how quickly an issue can get out of control if not tackled early.

Telling signs of fly burden in calves:

🐄 Calves bunching head-to-head or standing close together
🐄 Stomping, kicking, or swishing tails constantly
🐄 Restlessness and reduced lying time
🐄 Calves appearing dull or not growing as well as expected

Flies aren’t just a nuisance; they spread bacteria that contribute to navel infections, pink eye, and scour, and infestations can reduce growth rates by up to 19%.

Until we get consistent frosts, it’s worth maintaining control by:

🪣 Keeping bedding dry
🧹 Mucking pens out frequently
🌿 Using garlic supplements (for non-lactating animals)
💨 Improving ventilation to reduce moisture
🍽️ Removing feed waste promptly
⚡️ Using approved sprays, tapes, or traps around calf housing

Looking ahead, consider preventative measures for next season such as Parasitic Wasps or Larvicides to reduce the burden early on.

Consistent fly control isn’t just about comfort, it’s essential for maintaining calf health, feed efficiency, and growth rates throughout the rearing period.

09/11/2025

Remembrance Sunday is a moment to stop, breathe, and truly feel the weight of gratitude. It’s easy to rush through life, but today reminds us that the peace and freedom we often take for granted came at an unimaginable cost.

We remember the soldiers who never made it home, the families who carried the pain of loss, and the communities forever changed. Their strength echoes through generations as a reminder of courage, love, and resilience even in the darkest times.

We honour those who gave everything - their youth, their dreams, their lives, so that others might have a future. We stand in silence not only for the fallen, but for all who endured the scars of war and carried its memories long after the guns fell silent.

Their legacy is one of service, selflessness, and hope. Let us carry that forward, choosing kindness over hate, peace over conflict, and unity over division. May we never forget their sacrifice, and may we live each day with the same bravery they showed.

They gave their tomorrow for our today. We will remember them. 🕯️

Lest we forget. 🌹

04/11/2025

Let’s talk about Crypto…

Cryptosporidium is one of the most aggressive causes of diarrhoea in young calves, and once it gets into a shed… it spreads like wildfire.

It’s stubborn, it survives in the environment for months, and most disinfectants don’t even touch it.

This is why prevention isn’t optional - it’s essential.

What actually works?
✨ Gold-standard colostrum management
✨ Excellent nutrition
✨ Spotless calving pens (it starts at birth)
✨ Clean, dry calf pens between batches
✨ All-in, all-out rearing (no mixing ages)
✨ Disinfectants proven to kill crypto
✨ Good drainage + deep, clean bedding
✨ Isolate scouring calves fast
✨ Staff hygiene

Crypto doesn’t just cause scour, it damages the gut, knocks growth, and steals future performance.

If you need some guidance with Cryptosporidium this winter, comment “CRYPTO” below 👇🏻

28/10/2025

Heifers’ feet deserve more attention 🐄✨

We talk a lot about nutrition, growth rates and breeding targets, but how often do we really think about hoof health in our replacements?

A recent survey found that:
🚫 38% of farms never footbath heifers before calving
🚫 38% never mobility score heifers
🚫 Many don’t routinely check hoof condition at all

The truth is: sound feet = smooth transitions.

Heifers entering the milking herd are under pressure - new environment, new routines, and the stress of finding their place in the pecking order. Any weakness in mobility can knock confidence, feed intake, and long-term performance.

✅ Start footbathing heifers regularly pre-calving
✅ Lift feet when heifers are handled
✅ Acclimatise heifers to the milking herd environment
✅ Check and trim all heifers once they enter the transition group
✅ Don’t wait until they’re lame - prevent it before it starts

Let’s raise the standard for the next generation of cows 👣💚

Do you routinely check your heifers feet? Let me know below!👇🏻

23/10/2025

I’ve worked with numerous Jersey herds over the years, and the common question has been “should we treat them differently to other dairy breeds?”.

My answer is “yes, slightly…”.

At the end of the day, a calf is a calf. They have fundamental requirements to grow and thrive, but as we know, every farm is different and every herd is different.

Here are a few of the differences we must consider…

⭐️ Colostrum Management ⭐️

1) Jersey calves are smaller, so colostrum volumes and quality should be adjusted based on bodyweight rather than giving the same fixed amount as Holsteins.

2) Jerseys often have higher serum IgG concentrations after feeding because of their smaller plasma volume, but failure of passive transfer can still occur if the Q’s are inadequate.

🧬 Bodyweight & Growth Targets 🧬

1) Jerseys have a lower mature bodyweight, so their growth targets should be breed-specific.

2) Feeding to achieve the same absolute growth rates as Holsteins is unrealistic. You want to aim for proportional growth, not identical kg gains.

🍼 Milk Feeding 🍼

1) Jerseys have a higher metabolic rate and less body fat, making them more sensitive to energy deficits.

2) They require higher energy density relative to size. This means more milk solids per kg bodyweight.

🔥Thermoregulation🔥

1) Jerseys are more vulnerable to cold stress because of their smaller body size and thinner fat layer.

2) Provide extra bedding, calf jackets, and draft-free housing in cold weather.

If you’re rearing Jerseys, or both Jerseys and a larger dairy breed, and are needing some guidance - drop me a message saying “Jersey” and let’s build a plan together ☺️✨

Address

Lancaster

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Website

http://calftocowconsultancy.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Calf to Cow Consultancy posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in Lancaster?