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Grazing conditions are holding up OK on livestock farms across the country, although farmers operating on heavier land are coming under pressure to keep animals at grass.
Grass quality will now be in decline as dry matter content falls, meaning cattle are taking in more moisture and less dry matter energy.
Feed value
As the feed value of grass declines, milk yield in spring-calving cows will also be tailing off.
Therefore, if calves have not been introduced to creep feed yet, it may be worthwhile to offer young stock some meals to maintain liveweight gain in late autumn.
Creep feeding will also help break the cow and calf bond prior to weaning.
Start by offering calves 0.5kg to 1kg/day of a 16% ration, either as a blend or a pellet.
Target feed
Feed levels should reflect grass quality and availability, with lower concentrate levels fed when calves have access to high-quality ryegrass swards.
Ideally, you should have cow groups split into bull and heifer calves once breeding is finished.
This will allow you to target bull calves with higher levels of concentrates, as they will respond better than heifers.
Feed bulls 1.5kg to 2kg/day depending on grass supplies, while heifers can be offered 1kg/day to avoid becoming overfat on good grass.
If grass is limited, increase feed levels by 1kg/day.
Method
Ad-lib creep feeders work best where bull calves are separated from heifers, as there is less chance of animals becoming too fat.
However, calf intakes will vary greatly, with some animals eating high quantities of meals and little grass.
Feeding in calf troughs ahead of cows or on laneways allows a flat rate of 1kg or 2kg/head to be fed every day.
Using calf troughs will encourage calves to creep ahead of cows, again helping to break the bond between cows and calves prior to weaning.
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