Herd Tasks: Your weekly farming checklist
Get a mineral test if you feel there may be deficiencies causing performance issues in your herd.
- Request a silage analysis for nutrients.
- Also get a mineral test if you feel there may be deficiencies causing performance issues in your herd.
- You will be feeding it soon.
- Soil test underperforming and apply lime where necessary.
- Treat stock for flies, they are particularly bad recently.
- Take care of feet issues in cows before housing so they have time to cure before winter.
- Grass dry matters and fibre content are very low at present and as a result dry matter consumed from grass continues to drop and is being significantly underutilised.
- Introducing some quality fibre as a buffer to complement autumn grass will help to slow down the passage of feed through the rumen and result in better nutrient absorption.
- It will help improve the cows digestive efficiency and make sure more of the energy and protein consumed by the cows is available to the rumen microbes to boost production.
- Increasing concentrate protein content may also be required to aid intakes and balance any supplementary forage being offered.
- Continue to supplement cows rearing calves at grass with magnesium.
- Monitor newborn autumn calves to make sure they are suckling regularly.
- Monitor these closely for worms.
- Recent dung testing has shown a significant burden in some herds.
- If we continue to get a lot of rain, these cattle destined for finish over the next three to four months would be better off housed and put on a balanced finishing diet.
