Herd Tasks: Your weekly farming checklist
Don’t forget the Magnesium bucket for cows and calves when they do get to grass - one bucket for every 20 cows is a good rule of thumb.
- Get your spring grazing plan in place before turnout. Consider what proportion of ground can you afford to graze per day? This will be determined by your stocking rate and available grass. Also think about whether you intend to graze your silage ground.
- Get bulls ready for the breeding season. If you are in doubt, get him fertility tested. Some bulls are sub-fertile but get the odd cow in calf. Over feeding of bulls before the breeding season can also be detrimental to their performance as they can lose a lot of condition when put to work. Keep an eye on bulls’ legs and feet too. Lame bulls are not much good during the breeding season.
- Plenty of slurry was put out since the spreading window opened. Take care not to spread heavy volumes on advanced grass swards as it will result in low utilisation at grazing.
- A fertiliser application plan needs to be put in place for once the weather settles. Do you have up to date soil sample results which can guide you as to what the correct fertiliser programme is for your farm?
- Continue to feed dry cows a targeted diet to prepare them correctly for their lactation. Feed a little concentrate to dry cows to prepare the rumen bugs for the future lactation.
- Low protein in a dry cow diet will adversely affect both quality and quantity of beastings. Many herds with low protein silages are struggling with beastings quality and volume. Some soya will help to address this If calves are weak after birth, you should review your dry cow diet fast. Look at silage quality, mineral supplementation and concentrates being offered. A quality dry cow mineral is essential right up to calving.
- The same review must be undertaken if a proportion of cows are holding cleanings or getting milk fever.
- Don’t forget the Magnesium bucket for cows and calves when they do get to grass - one bucket for every 20 cows is a good rule of thumb.
- If turning cows and calves out to grass continue to monitor calves suckling.
- Continue to feed dry cows according to body condition and calving events.
- Get calves off to the best possible start with a good supply of colostrum. Lazy drinkers should be stomach tubed if necessary, within the first two hours if possible.
