Where spring and autumn calving cows are grazing, make sure all lactating animals have access to some form of magnesium to prevent grass tetany.

Grass growth is on the rise, especially where fertiliser was applied in recent days and swards will consist of lush, highly digestible covers.

Weather conditions are extremely mixed with the return of wet and cooler conditions. All these factors will increase the risk of tetany in cows that have calves at foot.

Magnesium supplementation

Continued magnesium supplementation is important to reduce the threat of tetany as cows do not have the ability to store the trace element.

Supplementation options are varied. They all have merits and drawbacks, so do what works best for your herd.

If using lick buckets, work on the principle of giving one bucket per 10 cows in a grazing group. Not all cows will use buckets, so keep a close eye to animals when herding every day.

Another thing is keeping cows off paddocks that received slurry or high potash (K) fertiliser rates in the past two weeks.

Potash will lock magnesium up in the ground, limiting the elements uptake in forage by grazing cows.

Read more

Watch: Farm Tech Talk - The Livestock Show

Farm payment delays ‘uttlerly unacceptable’ – Sinn Féin