I am currently drying off the autumn calvers. The first cow is due on 14 October and her 68 colleagues are due over a seven-week spread, with 68% due in the first three weeks.

I always give a 60-day break with at least 70 days to any first calvers or thin cows.

It is cheaper and more effective to build condition with an extended break than any extra feeding during the dry period.

That said though I will be splitting the herd to allow extra feeding to some next week.

So far the dried cows are following the milkers with a bale of straw in a round feeder.

I have two bands of red tail-tape on each cow in case of any show jumpers causing a bulk tank accident.

Treating dry cows well is an investment rather than an expense. Dry cow tubes cure any stray infections and a worming injection allows healing while their bodies are not under production pressure.

The chance to eat more energy than expended builds up reserves to cope with any energy deficit after calving.

France

For the same basic reasons, though I would never explain it like this to my wife, we spent the last week on holiday in France.

We chanced it without the tubes and injections but definitely ate well. I should have done a before and after weigh-in.

It’s a bit like Operation Transformation in reverse, though I’m sure Dr Ciara Kelly would still approve of the health benefits.

Individually we all have our own interests outside of work or school. Getting together as a family is just as important.

Going far enough away that no-one can be expected to rush back to a breakdown or runaway calf is a vital component.

It was great to be able to sit in a mobile home with no TV or free Wi-Fi and have a chat. They seem like nice people when you get to know them.

Meanwhile, I didn’t do a running Twitter commentary on the holiday. I don’t like advertising to a certain type of potential visitor that the coast might be clear.

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