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Grazing conditions are still generally good across the country, allowing livestock farmers to make excellent use of late-season grass without damaging swards.
While farmers will be hoping to hold cattle at grass for another few weeks to graze off existing covers and delay the onset of housing, weather and ground conditions can turn quickly at this time of year.
Therefore, farmers should be ready to start housing animals at short notice, as holding cattle out in poor weather can significantly impact on weight gains and body condition.
The process of housing cattle puts animals under stress, which suppresses their immune system, putting them at higher risk of developing respiratory problems such as IBR and pneumonia.
Such health problems can quickly spread through sheds when bigger numbers of cattle are housed at the same time.
This tends to be the case where farmers hold all cattle at grass for as long as possible, before housing the entire herd over a very short period of time. The problem is exacerbated where older cattle and younger animals are housed together in the same air space.
Where herds have a history of respiratory problems, it might be worthwhile to take a different approach this autumn. Outlined below is a series of steps to ensure best practice when housing cattle.
1. Empty slurry tanks
Ground conditions have been excellent since late May and there has been numerous opportunities to get slurry onto grassland.
There has been a flurry of silage activity in recent weeks and aftermaths are ideal for applying slurry, so there is little justification for not having tanks emptied before the start of the closed period on 15 October. Where tanks still contain slurry, make it a priority to empty them as soon as possible. Fields that get slurry now should remain closed off over winter and targeted for early grazing next spring.
2. Clean housing facilities
Cattle pens and feed barriers should be thoroughly cleaned before housing animals. A clean pen reduces the risk of disease, such as digital dermatitis, being transmitted from one year to the next.
Ideally, sheds should be cleaned using a pressure washer with hot water and allowed to dry thoroughly. Liming pens is also advisable to improve cleanliness.
3. Keep on top of repairs
Make sure all repairs are completed in advance of housing. Replace or repair any damaged slats or feed barriers immediately. Ensure lights are working and install any additional internal and external lighting now. Check water troughs are working properly and that water piping is adequately lagged to reduce the risk of freezing.
4. Improve ventilation
Poor ventilation is one of the biggest factors in the spread of disease at housing. A well-ventilated shed draws in fresh air externally. This airflow then removes stale air from inside the shed.Carry out a smoke test in cattle sheds, or alternatively set a small quantity of straw on fire. In a well-ventilated shed all traces of smoke should have dispersed within five minutes. Alter space boarding, doors, or the shed roof, to increase airflow. Other signs of poor ventilation include water markings on the shed roof from condensation when cattle are housed, as well as cobwebs accumulating on space boards and roof trusses.
5. House finishing cattle
Finishing cattle that will not kill off grass within the next four to five weeks should be housed now. With grass dry matter declining week on week, there is little benefit in leaving forward animals outside on grass.
Housing larger and heavier cattle now also eases grazing demand, stretching grass supplies for lighter animals.
6. Do not overstock
Finishing cattle, especially bulls, should be penned based on their final liveweight to ensure they have adequate lying space.Overstocking cattle will cause performance to drop. Bullocks weighing 600kg or more require a minimum of 2.3m2 of lying space per head on a slatted floor.
If heavy bullocks are immediately housed for intensive finishing period of 70 to 90 days, they can gain from 1kg up to 1.4kg/day during this period.
For a group of 10 steers weighing 600kg, this means the group is gaining up to 98kg of liveweight per week.
At the outlined weight gain, this is the equivalent of adding another bullock every six weeks. Therefore, cattle can quickly become overstocked if the pen size is inadequate, which will delay finishing.
7. Autumn-calving cows
Autumn-calving cows should be housed at least two weeks before the start of the breeding period. This allows cows to settle onto their winter diet and improves conception rates. Delaying housing means that autumn cows are more likely to be brought indoors during the breeding period.
The sudden change in diet and environment will have a negative effect on cow fertility, reducing conception rates.
8. Remove spring-calving cows
Gradually housing spring-calving cows can help to wean calves, reduce grazing demand and prevent sward damage if ground conditions are marginal. For cows calving from February to April, these animals will be at the tail end of their lactation and should be weaned before they start to lose body condition.
While it will not suit everyone, there are multiple benefits to weaning spring-born calves by removing a group of cows every couple of days from the group and housing them.
This leaves weaned calves outside in a familiar environment, reducing the risks of respiratory problems more commonly associated with housing and weaning at the same time.
9. Do not house all calves on the same day
Young cattle, mainly spring-born calves, are a high-risk group in terms of animal health at housing time. Where possible, gradually house young animals over a period of one week, or more, if grazing conditions allow. This gives animals the opportunity to settle in sheds.If a respiratory problem does occur, there are fewer animals to treat compared with housing all young stock at the same time.
10. Clip and dose
Before cattle go into the shed, it is good practice to clip along the back, tail and head. This helps to prevent cattle from sweating in sheds. Clip a strip roughly six inches either side of the spine to be effective.
Cattle should be wormed well in advance of housing. Do not dose and house at the same time, as the stress of both procedures will increase the risk of animals developing pneumonia. Once all cattle are housed and settled, they should be treated for fluke and lice, with the timing of the treatment dependent on the product being used.
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