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August is just around the corner and for many Irish suckler herds, it signals the start of the autumn calving period.
Good preparation can help to ensure a successful autumn calving period, producing more live calves on the ground and ultimately increased live sales next year.
Outlined are five tips for pre-calving management.
1. Keep cows close to the yard
A big advantage with autumn calving is being able to calve animals outside, provided weather conditions are good.
However, there is still a need to observe animals closely for signs of calving difficulty.
Therefore, prioritise grazing paddocks next to the farmyard for autumn cows at calving time.
Move cows to these paddocks early to allow animals to settle in their new environment and monitor daily.
2. Feed dry cow minerals
Although autumn cows will be grazing and getting minerals through grass, it is still a good idea to supplement animals with pre-calving minerals for a four- to six-week period prior to calving date.
Feeding powdered minerals will ensure animals are covered for trace elements, which encourage calf vigour, reduce lethargy at calving and prevent cows retaining the placenta.
Feeding minerals daily will also keep cows settled and used to handling, thereby making it easier to bring animals into calving pens in the event of a difficult calving.
3. Control grazing intake
Autumn cows should be in good body condition and fit at calving time. As such, cows merely need to maintain body condition so grazing intakes can be controlled through strip grazing.
Ideally, dry cows can be used to clean off grass swards which have headed out.
Where cows are on lush grass, offer animals some high-fibre forage such as hay or straw to slow down digestion of grass.
4. Have calving pens at the ready
Every suckler herd will have one or two animals that calve ahead of their scanned due date.
Therefore, make sure calving pens have been thoroughly cleaned out and disinfected after the spring-calving period.
Also, make sure that calving gates are in working order.
Keep the calving jack, ropes, lubricant and gloves next to the calving pens so that they are easily located.
If ropes have become frayed or hard, replace with new ones.
5. Build up a grass bank
Once calved, it is important to return autumn cows to grass as soon as possible.
Putting freshly calved cows on swards of lush grass will boost milk production and help brings animals back into heat quickly.
It also cuts down the disease risk to newborn calves.
Therefore, where silage ground is rejoining the grazing block, keep these paddocks closed to build a bank of high-quality grass for freshly-calved autumn cows in August and September.
If possible, do not slurry these paddocks just prior to grazing, as it will increase the risk of tetany in lactating cows.
Also, ensure autumn cows are well covered for magnesium when grazing lush grass.
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