Wow. I'd like to see pictures of that!
My husband did a batch of 25 Holsteins at once way back when he was in high school. He had some kind of a setup like a barrel, but he called it a Nursette. I never saw it, so don't know what it looked like but it sounds similar. He still laughs at how he always came out of the pen soaked in milk when he went to fill it. The little guys got pretty violent when they saw him with the pails of milk. He said he was afraid to slip, or he'd be a goner.
They bought him a truck.
I've never been in on a big batch like that, but from feeding individuals I do know that they need the best quality milk replacer you can get. It'll pay for itself. And don't switch suddenly from one type to another. They're just like big steers on feed that way, they don't handle fast changes in feed. I have a friend who used to start a lot of dairy calves, and she had good luck by mixing the milk replacer half and half with electrolytes for the first day or so. It seemed to get them over the shock of the move quicker, and got them up and going a lot better.
Other than giving them access to good water, hay, and creep feed, there's not much more to add. Except to be right on top of any health problems, and get sick calves out of the pen as soon as possible. They don't have many reserves.
Good luck, and post some pictures when you can!
