Closing up paddocks

I was on a number of farms this week where cattle are still out grazing. While it’s a great bonus to be grazing one to two months later than last year, you should still have a plan as to what areas of the farm need to be closed by certain dates. Most farms should have in excess of 70% of the farm closed by now.

Roughly two-thirds of the grass you graze in early spring (February/March) will be grown in October and November. Paddocks need between 90 and 120 days’ rest over winter before grazing again in spring. With the very good back end, paddocks that were closed up in October have a good cover of grass on them. The temptation is there to go back in across these paddocks and graze them to buy an extra week or two before housing. This is a false economy and you are far better off getting weanlings out early next February/March. With more rain forecast, animals will cease to thrive outside and will be better off housed and settled on their winter diets.

Giving space

With fodder scarce on some farms, meal may have to be fed and this will require extra feeding space as all cows/cattle will need to feed at the same time. As part of our winter-ready Focus this week on page 59, we look at what the recommended lying space and feeding space allowances are. If animals are stressed out by not having access to feed or inadequate lying space, it will have a knock-on effect on performance and could result in a disease outbreak. Disease will spread very quickly in a heavily stocked shed.

Water

I was in a shed this week where bulls were being fed ad-lib meal and drinkers were changed from small bowls to 4ft drinkers on the walls. The farmer saw a marked increase in intakes and liveweight gain since installing the larger drinkers and there are no longer animals waiting to get water. The new drinkers have a very simple dump valve and drinkers are cleaned out once a week to make sure clean water is available at all times. Animal intakes can be severely reduced during the housing period where a plentiful supply of clean water is not provided. It’s good practice to check drinkers first thing every morning. A 500kg bull eating ad-lib meal could drink up to 60 litres a day so a good supply in a large enough drinker is essential.

Rats

I have heard of a number of cases of rodent issues where wild bird cover has been sown close to yards. This is the time of year where these pests start to look for shelter indoors in sheds and meal stores. The wild bird cover has compounded the problem as it provides an excellent feed source for rats and mice. Make sure to top up your poison trays and pipes and make a point of checking them regularly. Remember to update your Bord Bia Quality Assurance book when laying poison. Always wear gloves when handling poison or anything you think rats have been in contact with. Make sure pets can’t get access to the poison you lay.