Autumn calving is not a common practice for most suckler herds in Northern Ireland. Around 20% of suckler-bred calves are born during August, September and October, compared with 40% of all suckler calves being born from March to May.

While certain suckler farmers carry an autumn herd on farm, it is usually smaller than the spring herd and came into being as the result of a prolonged calving pattern.

Compared with spring calving, calving cows in autumn requires more specialised housing to accommodate young calves. Provision of straw bedding and supplementary feed to support milk production in autumn cows increases labour and running costs compared with spring cows, which can go straight to pasture at calving.

Benefits of autumn calving

There are several benefits to be gained from an autumn-calving herd. Stocking rates can be increased as cows can be weaned before spring turnout, reducing the demand for fresh grass.

Cows can be calved outdoors in early autumn, which can reduce calf mortality. Cows can also be put to silage aftermath in early autumn, with the higher quality grass boosting milk production and cow fertility.

As the breeding period also occurs indoors, autumn calving facilitates the use of AI as cows are easily handled.

For farmers operating on heavy and challenging land, autumn calving makes the best use of ground.

Cow numbers increased from 45 to 60 during 2017, with plans to have 40 cows calving from mid-August to late October in 2018

With a very late turnout and short growing season, dry autumn cows can run over rougher land, allowing farmers to focus on keeping the better land for silage and weanlings.

In Garrison, Co Fermanagh, Barry Carty runs a suckler herd of 60 cows that traditionally produced continental-type weanlings which were sold through the local mart. However, changes are afoot, with Barry paying more attention to getting a defined calving pattern in place and adding value to calves by moving to selling yearling stores.

Spring-calving cows are being served to either AI or a new Charolais stock bull and were turned out to grass in mid-May.

Farm background

Barry farms on extremely challenging land close to the Fermanagh-Donegal border. The farm is also heavily fragmented, which makes herding cattle time-consuming. Autumn calving suits the farm due to land type, making it extremely difficult to graze spring-calving cows that are suckling calves.

Dry autumn cows run over rougher land and are brought home to calve within a few days to a fortnight of their due date. They are usually calved in a paddock next to the main farmyard or calved indoors.

Cow numbers increased from 45 to 60 during 2017, with plans to have 40 cows calving from mid-August to late October in 2018.

The remaining 20 cows will calve in early spring and Barry plans to have them settled in-calf before turnout each year.

Cow type is a mix of Simmental breeding with Limousin and Charolais-cross animals also present. Replacements have been a mixture of homebred and bought-in animals.

Cows were traditionally served to Charolais stock bulls with the autumn-born calves sold from May to June. Spring-born calves were usually sold in autumn and winter as they were weaned.

In 2017, Barry joined the BETTER Farm Beef Challenge NI programme and is well on his way to making wholesale changes on farm.

Up until last year, the calving pattern was spread out, with cows calving almost on a year-round basis. In an effort to tighten the calving pattern, Barry started serving autumn cows on 11 November 2017 to AI.

The plan is to serve cows in a 12-week period, with a Charolais stock bull used to serve any cow during the last four weeks of the breeding season.

For this year only, any late-calving cow will be moved to the spring herd if she is still a productive animal or culled if she is poor-performing animal.

Greater use of AI at breeding time should improve the performance and quality of calves born. Barry is also moving from selling weanlings and instead holding calves until they are basically yearlings, with target sale weight around the 400kg mark.

Finally, replacements will be bought to simplify the system and allow Barry to use terminal sires on all cows and produce top-quality cattle for the live trade.

Winter Feed

Central to making these changes work is winter feeding management. With the autumn herd, there is a greater necessity for good-quality silage to help support milk production when cows are housed.

With the breeding season also a key period for the change in the system, concentrates are being fed in supplement silage, ensuring cows are getting a balanced diet.

If cows are not being fed correctly and the diet is lacking in energy and protein, then cows will lose body condition and fertility will take a hit.

In addition, to keep weanlings growing over the winter period, they also need to be on higher-quality silage and concentrates.

However, an over-reliance on meal will erode any additional income generated on the sale of cattle. Therefore, silage quality really comes into play on the farm.

Fodder budget

Housing normally starts in early October and cows do not go to grass until May. An estimated fodder budget for the farm is outlined in Table 1. Total forage requirement is approximately 655t.

Calculations are based on 40 cows eating an average of 40kg/day over 220 days. Freshly calved cows will eat more than 40kg/day in early lactation, but early weaning in spring will also save on silage.

Their calves will ideally be weaned indoors and go to grass early so the budget is based on 200 days for them.

The early spring-calving cows have a budget of 30kg/day as they will be weaned in September, put on to maintenance feed and silage increased in late pregnancy and post-calving.

Fodder reserves

Barry made 800 bales of silage in 2017 and purchased 60 round bales of hay, along with 60 bales of straw also purchased for bedding.

Dry cows

Dry cows are grazed until calving and ideally go back out to grass for a short period before housing. Where cows have to be housed before calving, Barry offers them average-quality silage or hay when available.

Dry cows were fed baled silage earlier this winter, but have since moved on to hay that was purchased to stretch limited fodder supplies.

Where cows are in good body condition prior to calving, silage can be restricted to suit. Pre-calving minerals are also fed to cows from six to eight weeks pre-calving.

Barry made 800 bales of silage in 2017 and purchased 60 round bales of hay.

Cows in milk

Once calved, cows move on to higher-quality silage. Baled silage made in May 2017 is being targeted to cows in milk. Silage has been analysed with bales at 65 to 67 D-value.

Cows are also being supplemented with a 16% ration. To stretch silage supplies during the winter period, cows are getting 2kg/day of concentrate until they are settled back in-calf.

Silage is fed on a daily basis to keep it fresh. To increase silage utilisation, one bale is fed between two to three pens depending on cow numbers, rather than one bale per pen every few days.

Once the breeding season finishes, concentrate levels will be reviewed depending on body condition and the availability of silage.

Weanlings

The 2017-18 winter is the first year to carry spring-born weanlings through to the yearling stage. Calves were weaned in September and offered silage and 1.5kg/day of concentrate. Weight gains stalled for a short period in late autumn.

Barry weighs the weanlings every month and was quick to pick this up. After discussing his options with programme adviser Francis Breen, the decision was made to increase on a concentrate level to 2.5kg/day.

Weight gains responded positively, with bullocks gaining 1.37kg/day over December and heifers gaining 0.7kg/day on average.

Bullocks averaged 395kg on 30 December 2017, with heifers averaging 393kg liveweight.

  • This article first appeared in the Irish Farmers Journal Feed Guide magazine.