Gearing up for calving... autumn-style

A cow in the dry period is like an athlete in pre-season, writes independent ruminant nutritionist Brian Reidy.

Many are preparing for autumn calving, make sure you have everything ready for action indoors should you need it.

Beef and dairy autumn-calving herds are gearing up for busy season.

Obviously, both systems have slightly different management around this time, but the principles of both are still broadly similar: We need a healthy calf following an uneventful birth, a healthy cow that avoids metabolic issues, and above all produces the required milk post-calving while going in-calf again easily.

Dry cows in the dairy herd

Most will aim to calve cows outdoors where possible, and that is ideal as long as metabolic diseases can be avoided. Many dairy herds have unfortunately learned over the years that calving outside has resulted in problems due to cows being over-conditioned or consuming too much high-potassium grass. 

All of this can result in milk fever and retained cleanings at a far higher than acceptable level. If this is the case on-farm, then you must take control of the situation and manage intakes pre-calving.

Remember that a cow in the dry period is like an athlete in pre-season; you must prepare the system for the season ahead. Offering dry cows a balanced diet of minerals, fibre, and an appropriate level of protein to manage condition and promote rumen bug populations pre-calving will allow the cow to hit the ground running post-calving. 

If this can be done while the group remain outdoors then great, but for many, it involves simply having to house cows for the last few weeks before calving to avoid unnecessary issues.

Dry sucklers

Again, at this time of year, almost all sucklers will calve while outdoors. They tend not to have as many metabolic issues as their dairy cousins, but nonetheless, they do occur, so keep an eye that cows are not over-conditioned, are eating plenty of rougher forages and that you provide them with an appropriate source of minerals, based on what has worked well in recent years. 

Keeping cows on a relatively low plain of nutrition may involve dry cows running behind youngstock, cows with calves, or finishers. This means that the productive animals can get the best of the grass and the dry cows can tidy up behind.

Also, keep a close eye on dry cows for mastitis as there has been a lot of reported incidence in the last few weeks - there are plenty of flies about which can be an issue.

Calving ready

Make sure you have everything ready for action indoors just in case you need to assist any births: Disinfect calving boxes before the season gets going; check that the water troughs in the calving boxes are working; see that the calving jack is working and that the two ropes are fit for the season; ensure that your calving camera is working correctly. 

Also, make sure that if you have a calving gate that it is fully functioning. Remember that cows can get very aggressive around calving, so properly working equipment is essential. Also remember that if you are in doubt about a calving, call your vet sooner rather than later.