This time of year it’s always nice to start seeing signs of growth and start thinking of spring just around the corner.

Without a doubt it’s to be seen from now on in the mornings as the birds start creating a hullabaloo from first light.

Not always a positive thing as someone who’s a light sleeper, but it heralds the return of longer days and warmer weather which more than makes up for a couple of hours lost sleep.

Working off-farm at a local lake, I get to witness a lot of wildlife coming back out of hiding at this time of year.

Though we’ve had four resident whooper swans throughout winter, I spied an extra white shape one day and was quite tickled to see a Muscovy duck had arrived to stake a place on the lake.

I don’t know how long she’ll stay around, but if anyone is missing a duck in the south Leitrim area, she’s pottering about Keeldra lake quite happily.

The milder weather also brings an issue with the fact that our shed can get quite warm, prompting an outbreak of ‘itch’ in the cattle.

While we’ve not had lice or ringworm for many years now, there are a few cows who are prone to scratching themselves bald if they’re not treated.

The worst of them got a dose of Dectospot and a couple of cows which were looking a bit peaky with loose dung were treated with Closamectin pour-on.

In recent years we blanket drenched everything for rumen fluke, but after a discussion with the local veterinary practice we are now only treating cows which look like they are in need of treatment in order to avoid resistance build up.

If the weather stays dry, we hope to get out the last two cows which calved, as there are two small meadows which were never grazed after silage last year.

With them being small and not easily accessible, they’re usually held up for stock we can let out early, if the weather is playing ball. This would also free up our calving pens as we have five due all at once at the beginning of March.

As it’s only a few weeks until these are due to calve, they were started on pre-calver minerals and rock salt, while our first calvers are now on a mix of oats and a high protein nut.

Since we started using the powder in recent years, along with Lugol’s iodine in the drinkers, we’ve noticed a great difference in the hardiness of calves as they hit the ground.

Occasionally we get the odd dopey calf but it’s much easier managing one calf than 10 of them. It’s certainly to be seen in our calves so far this year, which are the picture of bouncing health.

Although, I do wish the two pedigree weanlings outside would show a little less enthusiasm for being wily and cunning, as they managed to escape yet again. This time they walked up a bank and sauntered through a hole which wasn’t spotted behind our silage bales. I’m putting the blame firmly on the heifer though, as the bull seems to follow her around with a soppy look on his face.

Thankfully they’re both very quiet and seem to prefer moping around exploring around the shed than high-tailing it for far hills.