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After severe rainfall right across the south coast on Sunday, and with most of the country due to get in excess of 10mm of rain later on Monday, the challenge of getting grass into cows is getting more difficult, not easier as April moves on.
Many herds will have to be fully housed to prevent excessive poaching. While it is not what we want to do, it is the only option if it prevents damage.
Land is so wet on many farms that even two or three hours of grazing is causing damage. But on drier farms, whatever opportunity exists to graze should still be taken.
On farms short of grass (less than 450kg/ha of average farm cover), having to rehouse will have a positive effect on reducing demand, even if only for a day or two, so it is not all bad.
Risk of mastitis in housed milking cows
On farms where cubicle accommodation is scarce relative to cow numbers, then the risk of mastitis, lameness and underfeeding is greater. I know some farmers who are stocking sheds with one cow per available cubicle and letting surplus cows out into a sacrifice paddock. Bulling cows are going into a sacrifice paddock also.
Cubicles should be scraped down at least twice a day and limed also, to help prevent mastitis. Teats should be wiped and stripped before milking, to reduce TBC and thermodurics in milk and also to help identify mastitis clots early.
If some cows are once-a-day milking, to help improve body condition score, and if cows are routinely coming in at night, the once-a-day cows should be milked at the evening milking to help reduce milk drop on cubicles overnight.
Where maiden heifers are housed, 2kg or 3kg of meal must be fed to these. Silage on its own is only capable of supporting growth rates of around 0.5kg/day and heifers should be doing in excess of 0.7kg/day. The meal should be high energy and relatively high in protein, with 15% or 16% crude protein.
Weekly weather: persistent showers throughout the week
SHARING OPTIONS: