Calving has eased back a little here in Abbeyleix over the past week, but we’re still making steady progress. At this stage we are 71% calved, and overall I’m happy with how things are going. We’ve had a particularly strong run of heifer calves, with 60% of calves born being heifers.

After what was a fairly disastrous heifer scan last year, that run of heifer calves has certainly softened the blow. For the first three weeks of calving, we had just four heifers calve down, which was disappointing. Thankfully, the remainder have started to calve now and numbers are building. Considering the harsh weather we’ve endured for the past month, it might help the heifers to only be calving now.

The wet conditions have been the dominant theme of the spring so far and, as always, they bring their own challenges. We had two cases of grass tetany last week and one case of bloat – problems we haven’t dealt with in years.

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Both tetany cases occurred on paddocks that received slurry. In hindsight, it’s likely that the higher potassium levels in the slurry increased the risk. The unsettled weather may also have affected grass dry matter and intakes. It’s a reminder that where slurry has been applied, particularly in early spring, extra attention to magnesium supplementation is essential, as some cows may not eat their nuts every day. But it also shows that after all the rain the slurry wasn’t washed away and was utilised by the grass. The cow with bloat was another warning sign. In response, I switched the milkers onto drier silage bales. While the wetter bales had a slightly higher DMD, they may have been contributing to the issue.

We also had the hoof trimmer out again last week as part of our participation in the EIP programme. After mobility scoring, 24 cows were identified for trimming. Of those, 11 required blocks and six were treated for scald. The scald cases were bandaged and given antibiotics for three days. Any cow with an issue also receives anti-inflammatory and pain relief for three days as standard.

Again, the wet weather is the underlying culprit. Soft ground, constant moisture and muck all create ideal conditions for scald and other hoof problems. It’s frustrating, but early intervention is key.

To keep the rotation moving in difficult ground conditions, we’ve been allocating larger areas with lighter covers of 900-1,100kg DM/ha. The priority was to hit area targets rather than focusing solely on achieving tight residuals. On 1 March, we were bang on 30% grazed.

The lighter covers worked very well in the wet spell. Cows were able to graze cleanly without excessive poaching, and it kept grass moving through the system.

Now that cows are well settled back at grass, we’ll begin moving into heavier covers, ranging from 1,600 to 2,000kg DM/ha, with one paddock close to 2,300kg DM/ha. These will require drier conditions to manage properly, so we’re hoping the forecasted reduction in rainfall materialises. A settled spell would make a big difference.

If conditions stay reasonably dry this week, I plan to go with our first round of fertiliser. Any paddocks that didn’t receive slurry will get one bag of protected urea, while paddocks that did get slurry will receive 25-30 units of nitrogen.

The aim is to drive on grass growth without overdoing it, where nutrients have already been applied. With soil temperatures gradually improving, a timely application now should set us up well for the next rotation.

We also sent five more cull cows to the factory last week. They averaged €2,200, which I was very pleased with. It’s encouraging to see the trade holding firm.