Silage stocks
While silage is relatively plentiful this winter after a good grass-growing year in most places, it’s still good practice to measure silage stocks. By knowing how much silage is on hand at the end of the year, it can be compared to other years. If a big surplus is being carried, then this might impact decisions around how much silage to cut next year. Having said that, it must be remembered that spring 2025 was very kind, with stock out early and autumn 2025 wasn’t bad either. In other words, next year mightn’t be as good. Cows that are in good body condition score and are being fed good silage should not be let eat too much of it. Best policy in this situation is to ration out the silage. Weigh how much silage is in a round bale or a grab, and count out the number of grabs/bales needed per day to feed the number of cows in that shed. Typically, a dry cow will need 12kg DM/cow/day. If feeding in this way, it’s important to ensure that all cows can feed at the one time. Now is also the time to start feeding dry cow minerals. The recommended feed rate for most minerals is 120g/cow/day. This should be fed in two splits per day.
Parlour maintenance
With most milking parlours now shut down for the dry period, it’s an opportunity to catch up on some maintenance. Best practice is to change liners and short pulse tubes every 2,000 milkings or before the new season begins. Long pulse tubes and milk tubes last longer, but should be changed depending on wear. Silicon pipes will last longer, but rubber tubes probably need to be changed every two years. Go through all units checking for signs of build-up of residue inside the claw pieces. This indicates an ineffective wash routine, with either not enough hot water or not enough detergent used for the number of units to be washed. The percentage of caustic varies a lot between powder and liquid detergents, with powder detergents generally having much higher concentrations. It makes sense to do up a shopping list of parlour supplies needed for the first six months of the year and buy these in one go. Chemicals, paper towels, gloves and marker spray can all be bought ahead in bulk. Shop around for the best price.
Vaccinations
Over the next few months, the majority of vaccines that are used on dairy farms will be administered. Most vaccination plans differ slightly from farm to farm, as different farmers and vets have different preferences. There are a number of things that a good vaccination plan will avoid, such as giving vaccines, particularly live vaccines during the breeding season. In January, many farmers like to give the leptospirosis and IBR vaccine before calving starts, while others wait until after calving and before breeding. There is now only one lepto vaccine on the market. The other important vaccine for January is the scour vaccine and the general advice is to give this between three and 12 weeks before calving. The Irish Farmers Journal has a new app to make scheduling dosing and vaccinations easier. Check it out at www.farmalert.ie.
Silage stocks
While silage is relatively plentiful this winter after a good grass-growing year in most places, it’s still good practice to measure silage stocks. By knowing how much silage is on hand at the end of the year, it can be compared to other years. If a big surplus is being carried, then this might impact decisions around how much silage to cut next year. Having said that, it must be remembered that spring 2025 was very kind, with stock out early and autumn 2025 wasn’t bad either. In other words, next year mightn’t be as good. Cows that are in good body condition score and are being fed good silage should not be let eat too much of it. Best policy in this situation is to ration out the silage. Weigh how much silage is in a round bale or a grab, and count out the number of grabs/bales needed per day to feed the number of cows in that shed. Typically, a dry cow will need 12kg DM/cow/day. If feeding in this way, it’s important to ensure that all cows can feed at the one time. Now is also the time to start feeding dry cow minerals. The recommended feed rate for most minerals is 120g/cow/day. This should be fed in two splits per day.
Parlour maintenance
With most milking parlours now shut down for the dry period, it’s an opportunity to catch up on some maintenance. Best practice is to change liners and short pulse tubes every 2,000 milkings or before the new season begins. Long pulse tubes and milk tubes last longer, but should be changed depending on wear. Silicon pipes will last longer, but rubber tubes probably need to be changed every two years. Go through all units checking for signs of build-up of residue inside the claw pieces. This indicates an ineffective wash routine, with either not enough hot water or not enough detergent used for the number of units to be washed. The percentage of caustic varies a lot between powder and liquid detergents, with powder detergents generally having much higher concentrations. It makes sense to do up a shopping list of parlour supplies needed for the first six months of the year and buy these in one go. Chemicals, paper towels, gloves and marker spray can all be bought ahead in bulk. Shop around for the best price.
Vaccinations
Over the next few months, the majority of vaccines that are used on dairy farms will be administered. Most vaccination plans differ slightly from farm to farm, as different farmers and vets have different preferences. There are a number of things that a good vaccination plan will avoid, such as giving vaccines, particularly live vaccines during the breeding season. In January, many farmers like to give the leptospirosis and IBR vaccine before calving starts, while others wait until after calving and before breeding. There is now only one lepto vaccine on the market. The other important vaccine for January is the scour vaccine and the general advice is to give this between three and 12 weeks before calving. The Irish Farmers Journal has a new app to make scheduling dosing and vaccinations easier. Check it out at www.farmalert.ie.
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