Lely upgrades calf feeder

Lely Australia has introduced its latest technology in calf feeding, the Lely Calm Control automated feeder, which it says supplies calves with milk at the correct volume and temperature to help them grow into healthy, profitable dairy cows.

According to Lely, the Calm Control brings with it a series of upgrades compared to previous versions such as a faster processor, a higher storage capacity, and a more advanced calf training feature.

The new Calm Control is able to rapidly recognise which calf wants to drink. Alongside the temperature sensor there is a button for young calves to learn to drink from the automated feeder, which is now more accessible for easier training.

An LED light has also been installed on the Calm Control to indicate the drinking process.

Different Lely Calm Control versions can be connected with a new online management system via the Internet, which helps monitor calf performance and identify health disorders at an early stage.

The system keeps track of data such as calves' drinking behaviour on each day, their milk consumption per day, drinking rate per day as well as total milk (powder) consumption.

In combination with a scale, operators can also see the current weight and weight gain of each calf.

All data is presented in a clear manner on a range of platforms including PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. The Calm Control's intuitive operation makes it suitable for daily monitoring of calves, says Lely.

The management system also issues a warning when the drinking rate is too low, the drinking process is frequently interrupted or the milk consumption is insufficient – all indicators of impaired calf health.

Farm managers who already have a Lely Calm machine and wish to upgrade to the new Control version can use an update kit to do so. For more information on the Lely Calm Control automated calf feeder, visit www.lely.com.au.