It’s not often we can say it in Ireland, but it looks like water could be the biggest threat to producing milk this week. With freezing temperatures forecast, it looks like keeping water flowing could be difficult.
Remember, freshly calved cows need at least 50 to 60 litres of water per day. Some farmers feeding meal might be forced into reduced feeding if drinking water cannot be sourced for cows.
Talking to a number of farmers over the weekend, as the cold snap gets closer, many are planning ahead. Depending on your farm and yard some or all of the below might be issues you need to start thinking about.
Water: having a large store in the yard or a plan to get water from a local river or stream if all pipes are frozen around the yard and milking cows have no drinking water. Many farmers have all the water troughs in paddocks turned back on around the whole farm and, given the predicted temperatures, some farmers might consider doing this and working paddock by paddock as the cows require. Parlour: setting up red lamps or another heat source in the dairy/parlour so that temperatures don’t get that far below freezing internally. Many farmers are talking about sheeting down the cow entrance so that frost and very cold internal temperatures are prevented.Salt: having a couple of bags of salt in the yard to keep walkway from the cubicles to the parlour as ice-free as possible. Many will narrow down the area cows walk on so that they can keep that smaller area as frost-free as possible.Deliveries: if the meal lorry is due, or any other supplies for that matter, many are trying to get this delivery brought forward to Monday or Tuesday or to collect it themselves rather than leave to later in the week when the chances of snow seem stronger. All dairy farmers need to think about the week ahead – we have been warned. In the past few years much of this colder weather has come when cows were dry and the impact is not as bad. Now that a large proportion of cows are calving, it would be worth sitting down and thinking about what might happen for the coming week for your farm.
Read more
Managing ewes and lambs during cold weather: shelter and feed vital
Brace yourself: severe frost, snow and bitter easterly winds on way
It’s not often we can say it in Ireland, but it looks like water could be the biggest threat to producing milk this week. With freezing temperatures forecast, it looks like keeping water flowing could be difficult.
Remember, freshly calved cows need at least 50 to 60 litres of water per day. Some farmers feeding meal might be forced into reduced feeding if drinking water cannot be sourced for cows.
Talking to a number of farmers over the weekend, as the cold snap gets closer, many are planning ahead. Depending on your farm and yard some or all of the below might be issues you need to start thinking about.
Water: having a large store in the yard or a plan to get water from a local river or stream if all pipes are frozen around the yard and milking cows have no drinking water. Many farmers have all the water troughs in paddocks turned back on around the whole farm and, given the predicted temperatures, some farmers might consider doing this and working paddock by paddock as the cows require. Parlour: setting up red lamps or another heat source in the dairy/parlour so that temperatures don’t get that far below freezing internally. Many farmers are talking about sheeting down the cow entrance so that frost and very cold internal temperatures are prevented.Salt: having a couple of bags of salt in the yard to keep walkway from the cubicles to the parlour as ice-free as possible. Many will narrow down the area cows walk on so that they can keep that smaller area as frost-free as possible.Deliveries: if the meal lorry is due, or any other supplies for that matter, many are trying to get this delivery brought forward to Monday or Tuesday or to collect it themselves rather than leave to later in the week when the chances of snow seem stronger. All dairy farmers need to think about the week ahead – we have been warned. In the past few years much of this colder weather has come when cows were dry and the impact is not as bad. Now that a large proportion of cows are calving, it would be worth sitting down and thinking about what might happen for the coming week for your farm.
Read more
Managing ewes and lambs during cold weather: shelter and feed vital
Brace yourself: severe frost, snow and bitter easterly winds on way
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