The next few months will be make or break for dairy farmers in terms of season performance.

There are many things a successful season depends on - good weather, good herd health and good decision making.

Some are within farmers’ control and some are outside of it. It’s easy to say, but farmers should focus on the things they can control.

1. Colostrum

This is liquid gold for young calves and the advice is to give each newborn calf 10% of their bodyweight in colostrum within the first few hours of birth.

The top farmers are testing colostrum quality and discarding low-quality colostrum or using it as second and third feeds and only giving the top spec to newborn calves.

Letting the calf suck the cow is hit and hope in terms of ensuring the calf will get what it requires in terms of colostrum. Ensuring calves get enough colostrum is the single most important thing farmers can do calf health.

2. Essential tools

Have all the essentials to hand for calving, such as gloves, ropes, jack, notebook, whiteboard, bottles, stomach tubes, etc. This will make the process of calving easier and quicker.

3. Time

Give animals time. Rushing in to use a jack on a cow or a heifer can lead to injuries for both the cow and the calf.

The rule of thumb was always to give a cow one hour and a heifer two hours after the water bag or blister is out before intervening.

Once everything is OK, the cow is better off if she can calve by herself. Things to watch for are twins, breach birth or leg down/contortions.

4. Group pens

Group calves in pens. Training calves to suck in groups of threes or fours is much more effective than one at a time in single pens.

I know there’s more control with one calf at a time, but calves will actually help to train each other when drinking together.

5. Prioritise jobs

There are always sacrifices and compromises to make in springtime.

All of the jobs that need to be done in a day often cannot be done if other things crop up. Therefore, prioritise what’s important.

There is no point in fencing the back field if there are cows and calves to be fed back at the yard. Some tasks such as measuring grass shouldn’t be put on the long finger either, as this will deliver high returns.

6. Eat and sleep

To be able to make good decisions, people need to be fresh and fit.

Being overtired or hungry is not a good start if you want to make good decisions, so make sure you get enough rest and eat well over this busy period.

7. Prioritise safety

Cows can become vicious animals in the space of a moment if they feel their calf is threatened.

It’s a constant danger and something farmers need to be aware of if tagging or feeding calves in the presence of their dam.

8. Bedding

Don't be skimpy on bedding. Whether its straw or woodchip, a good bed is half the rearing.

Calves that can nestle in a nice bed of straw will be warmer and are shown to have higher weight gains and better animal welfare. Even though straw is expensive, it pays to use plenty of it, particularly when it comes to calves.

9. Hygiene

Hygiene is critical. Keeping feeding equipment clean is a key step in the prevention of infection and build-up of bugs in the calf shed.

Scrub buckets and teat feeders clean, because, over time, a bio-film will develop on the surface. Clean and disinfect sheds regularly.