Priority management when housing cattle

Heavy rainfall is causing farmers to house cattle earlier than planned. Kieran Mailey outlines some steps as part of emergency housing.

Kieran Mailey

9 September 2017

Cattle are being housed as rainfall has forced farmers to protect land.

ICBF - Wesley Browne at his farm in Leagh, Dunraymond, Monaghan, Co Monaghan with his beef stock that have been in off the land for the last month.

Providing comfort by adhering to recommended stocking rates and minimising stress will help guard against disease entry and spread.

Heavy rain has been forcing farmers into housing cattle to protect the land.Some 550mm of rain has fallen in parts of the west since June.

Heavy rain has been forcing farmers into housing cattle to protect the land.

Some 550mm of rain has fallen in parts of the west since June.

Housing big numbers of cattle inside a short period will put animals under stress.

On farms where calves are sold as weanlings in autumn, keeping animals healthy and performing is crucial.

Make sure calves have access to a separate creep area with clean, dry bedding and offer meals. If calves were getting 2kg/day at grass, increase to 3kg/day at housing to ease the transition in the diet.

If possible, allow calves to creep out to grass during the day and house at night. If this is not possible, offer high-quality silage along with concentrates.

Weaning

It will also be worthwhile weaning these animals now if they are housed. Weaning usually stalls weight gains for a brief period. So will housing. Better to wean now and give cattle time to recover before sale.

When ground recovers, these weanlings can return to grass. Dry cows can be put to rough ground or remain housed on a maintenance diet if grass supply is low.

Wean calves by locking them away from the cows during the day. Only give them access to suck the cow for a short period at night. Feed cows some straw, hay or poor silage to help dry them off.

Providing a good flow of fresh air will reduce the risk of pneumonia. If possible, pen calves closer to doorways as the air flow will be better than in the centre of a shed.

Clipping cattle along the back and head will help to reduce sweating in weanlings. Do this before they go into the house.

Finishing cattle

Where possible, house finishing cattle in a separate shed from young stock. As with weanlings, clipping cattle can prevent cattle from overheating when housed.

Keep silage and water supply fresh. If cattle are queuing for water, there is an issue that needs to be addressed. Water is vital for cattle on high levels of concentrate.

Once housed, these animals should not go back out to grass as this will only cause further weight loss when they return to grazing and again when permanently housed for the winter.

Instead, they should be moved on to a finishing diet and taken through to slaughter.

Autumn cows

Autumn-calving cows will need increasing levels of energy for milk production and to help bring cows back into heat.

Feed good quality silage of 70 DMD or better and offer 1kg to 2kg/day to cows. As with weanlings, calves should have access to a creep area with plenty of dry bedding.

Spreading hydrated lime in cattle pens can help to reduce the risk of mastitis in lactating autumn cows.

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