Autumn calving suckler herds likely to need silage of 70 DMD or above
Cows in negative energy show poorer signs of heat, have shorter heats, and don’t go in calf as easy.
Suckler cow nutrition
In all ruminant diets, it is important to know the quality of your base forage, which will be grass silage on most farms.
In my travels, I often hear of farms who feed no concentrates to their suckler cows rearing calves.
This is not a problem if the silage is 70 DMD or above.
Make sure your silage is of sufficient quality before making any decision to not feed concentrates.
A suckler cow needs enough energy to produce sufficient milk of good quality to feed the calf, while also maintaining her own condition.
Any remaining energy will be required to go back in calf.
If a suckler cow is losing condition excessively after calving, she is in negative energy, and fertility will suffer.
Apart from supplying energy, any concentrates fed to the cow rearing a calf will also supply a source of minerals required to improve reproductive function.
Proteins are also low in the majority of silages this year, and as a result, some supplementation may be required to promote sufficient feed intake.
If you are only feeding straight silage to cows, consider a mineral bolus and/or top dress with a bag mineral.
The mineral status of silages this year is relatively poor, so supplementation is essential to boost animal mineral and vitamin status.
Heat detection and record keeping
Accurate heat detection is an important part of good fertility in any herd.
Keep a record of any heats you see, regardless of whether you are using AI or a stock bull.
This will allow you to identify cows not cycling.
Heat detection aids such as tail paint and scratch pads are very useful.
Vasectomised bulls are also an excellent heat detection aid, and are becoming more popular in suckler herds using AI.
Identifying cows that are not bulling will allow you to do something about it.
These cows can be scanned to identify any issues they may have, such as uterine infections or damage caused by a previous calving which may have gone unnoticed.
If a significant number of cows are not cycling, don’t ignore the possibility that their nutrition may not be up to scratch.
Sire selection
The type of bull you use should be determined by the target market you have for your progeny.
Study the figures when using AI.
Obviously, with the new BDGP scheme, it is important that you produce enough four and five star replacement heifers for the future of your herd.
If you intend on selling the weanlings, select bulls that will deliver a high weaning weight.
If you intend on finishing the cattle, you need to select bulls with high carcass weights and good conformation.
Take care that you choose bulls appropriate for your type of cows.
Calving difficulty figures should be taken into consideration during bull selection. For part time suckler farmers, there is little point in selecting bulls with excellent carcass characteristics if they are hard to pull, and you may not always be present at the births.
Stock Bull
Make sure that your bulls are fit for the job.
If you notice a lot of cows repeating after natural service, investigate any possible causes sooner rather than later. Get the bull’s fertility tested, if in doubt.
Keep an eye on the bull’s feet and legs, particularly if they are on slats.
Younger, lighter bulls are often better suited to serving cows indoors, as they are less likely to be hurt.
If you have bought a new bull, make sure that he is vaccinated for everything that you vaccinate your herd for.
If you have a large number of cows to serve, make sure that you have enough bull power! Where possible, alternate bulls to reduce fatigue from over-work.
Parasite Control
Don’t forget the suckler cow in your dosing plans.
Get animals dosed as soon as it is appropriate to do so, and make sure that you use the products that are most effective for the target parasites.
There is little point in getting your feeding strategy right if your cows are losing condition due to a significant parasite burden.
