Castrating bulls:

With warmer weather forecast, I have had a few queries in relation to farmers thinking of castrating bulls. Where banding is taking place, the risk of tetanus may be slightly higher.

Use a clostridial vaccine which will cover tetanus. Ideally the primary course and booster should be given four to six weeks apart, depending on the product guidelines. If bulls are over six months of age, remember it will be necessary to have your vet carry out the procedure. In terms of safety, if considering using a burdizzo in a crush, make sure you have ample help and ensure that bull is properly restrained and cannot move forwards or backwards. The advice is that each spermatic cord is crushed twice, one below the other for 10 seconds each along the neck of the scrotum to ensure a complete castration. After castration, it is necessary to monitor bulls regularly. Where swelling occurs veterinary intercession may be required.

Focus on grass quality:

On the Grass+ page (45) we see how grass growth has increased substantially. The target should now be to have the rotation back to 21 days and pre-grazing sward heights of 8-10cm (1,300-1,500kg DM/ha) should be targeted. Where covers are going above 2,000kg DM/ha, sward quality will be negatively affected as will post-grazing sward height and the quality in the next round. Where there are still 10 to 12 days’ grass ahead of stock, removing paddocks with heavy covers now will maintain grass quality in the next rotation.

Breeding:

With breeding progressing well on many farms, it is essential that you record cows who are showing signs of heat or who are bulled. Continue to watch for repeats, but it may be equally as important to look and see if there are cows that are calved four to six weeks and have not yet cycled. Consider having a vet examine these cows to address any underlying problems now to help get them back in calf quickly.

Repair the silage slab:

With silage fertilizer not long out, now may be the time to carry out any repair works on silage slabs and walls. Repairs need to be carried out well in advance of silage being cut. Often it is hard to see any weak spots in the slab or leaks in the walls until silage is in. A quick power-washing of the slab now will reveal any weak points. The key areas to look at are the expansion joints in walls, the joint where walls meet the concrete floor, the channels and the expansion joints. In most cases, plaster will be sufficient to seal cracks or repair surfaces, but in some cases tar may be required to re-seal joints. Remember, when stacking round bales, you are only supposed to stack them two bales high where stored on gravel or concrete without channels.