Eighty cows calving in next five weeks

Newford Farm in Athenry is gearing up for a busy period with calving due to commence this weekend.

Darren Carty

1 February 2017

Farm manager Matthew Murphy.

The first cows due to calve have been moved to the straw-bedded calving area.

Older cows in the herd have an average body condition score of over 3.0 and are now grouped on predicted calving date.

Replacement heifers due to calve first settled in the straw bedded calving pen.

Meal feeding will cease at the end of January in advance of turnout for these 2016-born heifers.

Weanling bulls have performed well over the winter on a diet of good-quality silage and 1.5kg concentrate supplementation.

A double-sided calving gate can be worked from two pens and is where any cows experiencing calving difficulties are handled.

Final preparations are being put in place for this season’s calving in Newford Farm, Athenry. A very successful breeding season in 2016 has led to 80 cows and replacement heifers (from 107 calving) due to calve in a five-week period, kicking off from this weekend. Farm manager Matthew Murphy explains that the first animals due to calve have been moved to straw bedding in the calving shed. The shed has a group pen in the centre with four individual pens on both sides and a main calving pen with a double-sided calving gate where cows can be handled securely.

Farm manager Matthew Murphy explains that the first animals due to calve have been moved to straw bedding in the calving shed. The shed has a group pen in the centre with four individual pens on both sides and a main calving pen with a double-sided calving gate where cows can be handled securely.

With such a high number calving in a short time frame, work has also been completed on an old roofed sheep-handling unit to serve as an area for temporarily housing first-calvers for a few weeks after calving. Grouping these animals will allow for preferential treatment, especially if weather conditions restrict early turnout.

Along with this, two straw-bedded sheds, which will accommodate about 20 cows and calves in each, have been cleaned, power-washed and disinfected. The aim is to use these to house cows and calves for a week to 10 days after calving, after which time weather conditions will hopefully allow animals to be released outdoors on a gradual basis. Having this housing present is a vital aspect because the mean calving date is coming forward by a week to 10 days from 2016.

Reducing labour

Cows were grouped for the main part of the winter on condition but according to Matthew have been regrouped in recent weeks on predicted calving date to minimise handling in the run-in to calving. This will also help ensure cows are settled as they move into the group calving pen.

The only group that has been left together is a pen of cows that are below target body condition. These cows were receiving 2kg concentrates in the early part of the winter and have been cut back to 1kg concentrates in recent weeks, with condition improving and cows now on target to calve down at a condition score of 2.5. Many of these are second-lactation cows which had an average body condition score (BCS) of 2.39 on 10 January. Third-lactation cows had an average BCS of 2.91, while fourth-lactation cows were restricted intake for part of the winter and had an average BCS of 3.29 on 10 January. Replacement in-calf heifers are on target and had an average BCS of 3.02.

Previous experience in the herd has shown that having cows in optimum condition is essential to achieving good reproductive performance.

The high milk yield of first-cross cows puts additional pressure on nutritional intake with cows at risk of losing body condition quickly if intake is any way compromised (delayed turnout or inadequate silage quality). This is more an issue with first- and second-calvers, with calving at 24 months meaning these animals are also still required to apportion energy intake to their own development and growth.

Forage supply

The higher intake requirement of dairy-cross animals over continental breeds also means there may be more pressure on silage supplies, particularly if weather restricts turnout. At present, the farm has an average farm cover of 940kgDM/ha with daily growth of 8kgDM/ha in recent weeks. The focus now is to drive growth on to be in a good position to cope with the high intake requirement. Slurry has been applied with a dribble bar to 9.7ha (24ac) of the grazing area on the main block and, weather permitting, 23 units of urea will be applied to the remainder of the grazing area in the coming week (spreading delayed due to forecast rain).

A backup plan has also been put in place to deal with a situation of the turnout date being delayed, with 70 bales of silage purchased to ease pressure on forage requirements. The forage budget is being closely monitored and further steps will be taken if required to ensure supplies are kept in line with demand. Along with silage, cows are receiving 100g of pre-calving minerals daily.

Yearling management

The final 2015-born progeny were slaughtered last week, and all 89 weanlings are now housed in slatted accommodation. Weanlings are being fed top-quality silage and 1.5kg concentrates.

Meal feeding will cease at the end of January ahead of a target turnout date of mid- to late-February. Performance has been favourable, with the last weighing on 4 January recording an average weight for steers of 376kg, while heifers weighed 360kg. Weanlings will be weighed again in the coming weeks, at which stage a full update on physical and financial performance of the farm in 2016 will be undertaken. This will include a detailed look at slaughter performance of 2015-born animals and a plan for 2017.

Special focus: sucklers