Outwintered stock

Outwintered weanlings and young cattle are very susceptible to worms and fluke. Lungworm can continue to be an issue, and with cold and wet weather, pneumonia can occur rapidly. Where calves are coughing, pay close attention to them in the days after treatment. Calves that are coughing up worms can become stressed quickly and this can lead to a high temperature.

Cattle should have access to shelter from wind and rain at all times and have a plan B in mind if heavy frost or snow occurs for a prolonged period. Where calves or weanlings are being wintered on stubble ground, kale or rape, they should receive a fluke dose to cover all stages of fluke. If weanlings have been housed for more than eight weeks, a product that kills only adult fluke can be used. Most of the fluke will be at an adult stage and a high kill rate should be obtained.

Remember that brassicas are high in protein, but low in dry matter and minerals. Therefore, cattle need to be supplemented. Take care where feeding animals outside that you don’t run into cross-compliance issues with poaching and try to move feeders and troughs regularly to avoid penalties. Remember, an animal (1 LU) must have access to 1ha of land at all times when being outwintered.

Castrating bulls

I was speaking to a number of farmers over Christmas and it’s surprising the amount of them who are going to or who have castrated their male weanlings this year. This is a big decision to make and could have a big impact on your farming system in terms of requiring extra land for grazing steers for a second grazing season.

When questioned, many of them cited the difficulty getting bulls killed and factory sentiment, but some of them hadn’t discussed the situation with their factory before castrating. A simple phone call to the factory should inform the decision-making process. Just because the neighbours are doing it or say they are doing it doesn’t mean you have to.

Stock bulls

If stock bulls are neglected during the winter period, this can have a negative impact on a bull’s fertility and functionality. Take care where bulls are housed on straw-bedded pens with no access to concrete areas, as feet can become overgrown and tender.

It’s also important that the bull does not lose too much condition over the winter months. It’s also important that they are fit and not fat. In most cases, ad-lib access to good-quality silage plus 3kg to 4kg of a balanced ration is adequate. Avoid feeding rolled barley on its own, as this could increase the incidence of feet problems. Make sure the bull receives all doses and vaccinations that the herd gets - if outwintered or housed separately, they can often be forgotten about. Many vets now offer a fertility testing service and there are many specialised fertility testing services around the country. It costs between €50 and €70 and could prove a good spend if your stock bull has become infertile for some reason. Discounts may be obtained by testing a number of bulls in the same area.