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Autumn calving is now under way across the country. A successful calving period will result in more live calves on the ground and therefore more cattle to sell.
As with all aspects of farming, good management will have a direct bearing on calving and, thankfully, this is something which is within our control.
Being prepared, having cows in good body condition, good handling facilities and ensuring cows are properly supplemented pre- and post-calving will result in a positive calving period.
Outlined are five tips for managing cows through calving this autumn.
1. Get pre-calving nutrition right
Where cows are grazing, they should get adequate energy and protein from grazed grass.
Cows should be able to get trace minerals through grazing, provided soils are not lacking in any element.
However, it is still a good idea to offer cows supplementary pre-calving minerals at grass, either through lick buckets or by feeding powdered minerals.
Proper supplementation with pre-calving minerals will help to minimise calving difficulties and improve calf vigour after birth.
This is important should a cow calve outside unsupervised or ahead of its scan date, as it increases the chance of calf survival.
2. Calving intervention
When it comes to intervening at calving time, always work with the cow and do not force the situation.
Generally speaking, autumn cows which have been grazing all summer will be much fitter at calving time compared with spring cows.
Therefore, as far as possible, allow the cow to make progress on her own. There is no harm in checking for progress.
But if the head and feet are coming in the correct position, leave the cow to calve on her own under supervision.
Once the cow passes the water bag, allow at least two hours before stepping in to intervene.
With heifers, check after one hour. At this point, you are checking that the calf is correctly presented.
If the calf is in the correct position, leave alone to see if the cow will make progress on her own.
Check again 30 minutes later and if no progress is being made, it is time to intervene.
3. Getting the calf off to the best start
Whether the calf is born indoors or outside, it is important that the newborn animal gets adequate colostrum within the first two hours of life.
As a rule of thumb, a combined period of 20 minutes of feeding time within the first two hours of life should result in the calf getting enough colostrum.
Ensure the calf’s naval is disinfected to prevent infection.
Pathogens can be picked up through the naval as the calf lies on straw or soil.
Tag calves and return the cow and calf outfit to grass as quickly as possible.
4. Graze good-quality grass
Freshly calves cows should be viewed as high priority animals.
Therefore, graze cows on high-quality grass to increase energy and protein intakes in early lactation.
This will boost milk production and help bring cows back into heat again.
However, grazing cows on lush swards has a downside.
To avoid the risk of tetany, ensure cows are properly supplemented with magnesium through buckets, bolus or magnesium in water.
As a rule of thumb, allow one bucket per 10 cows.
Avoid grazing swards that have been recently fertilised with a high potash (K) fertiliser or slurry.
Offering cows a small quantity of hay or straw will increase fibre intake and slow down the cow’s digestive system at grass.
5. Supplement with concentrates
Offering cows a small quantity of concentrates will also boost milk production and can help reduce the risk of tetany.
Feeding 2kg/day during September and October will suffice.
Ideally, feed cows on a movable trough or on a hard core area to prevent grazing ground being poached.
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