The next three weeks are when most cows calve. In many compact calving herds over half of the cows will have calved by St. Valentine’s Day. While great from a profitability and production perspective, it does put extra strain on facilities and labour.

If calving pens are full and more cows are due to calve with nowhere to go, set up a temporary maternity ward in a calf shed or other loose shed. Some farmers successfully calve cows outdoors in a dry, sheltered paddock near the house, or put woodchip on a silage pit and calve some cows out there.

Snatch new-born calves as quickly as possible and feed them 3 litres of colostrum from the first milking within three hours. More and more farmers are using stomach tubes for the first feed, as it quick and safe.

CMT test

Moving cows and calves out of the calving pens as quickly as possible after calving will free up space for other cows. Best policy is to milk the freshly calved cows first. Remember to strip out their quarters fully to remove all traces of teat sealer. Keep their milk separate. Next milk the main herd, whose milk can go to the bulk tank. Finally, milk the colostrum or antibiotic mob of freshly calved cows whose milk is not going to the bulk tank.

The freshly calved cows join this mob. Milking these cows last allows for more time to be given per cow. When cows are out of the milk withdrawal period, a CMT test should be carried out to make sure the cell count is low before their milk enters the tank. Treat high cows accordingly.

Because of the very wet weather, most herds continue to be housed fully. Remember to keep cubicles clean and dry, using lime as a disinfectant. Use a teat spray with a high level of emollient to keep teats supple, avoid using iodine with hydrated lime as it can lead to excessive teat end damage.

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Dairy management notes: buying the first load of meal

Part three: tips for calf rearing in 2016