Grass supply

Grass supplies are getting tight on some farms due to the prolonged dry spell and poor regrowth. Where supply is not meeting demand steps need to be taken as soon as possible. The livestock pages this week look at weaning of lambs. Where lambs are over 14 weeks they should definitely be weaned. However, if grass is in short supply it might make sense to push this forward a week or 10 days.

While lambs are with ewes they are in direct competition with each other for the best grass. Ewes can be tightened up onto rougher ground decreasing daily grass demand, as they will require less energy when they are dried off.

For cattle it can be more difficult to reduce grass demand at this time of year. Aftergrass from first-cut silage should be becoming available on farms that don’t take a second cut, but many fields are slow to get going after cutting.

Bringing in cattle that are planned to be slaughtered off-grass later in the season is one option to reduce demand, or indeed feeding some concentrate at grass to finishing cattle you will get a direct substitution with concentrate to grass.

Autumn-calving cows could be weaned at this stage and closed up on a bare paddock so you can concentrate on feeding the calves well with aftergrass and meal. If you are highly stocked you will need to keep spreading fertiliser to ensure high growth rates return when moisture returns.

Where silage is left over from last year and grass supply is really tight, feeding silage at grass may be an option until growth picks up once again. This will slow down the rotation and give grass a chance to get ahead of stock again.

Water

The long, dry spell has also put water supply on farms under pressure in recent weeks. For animals to thrive it is critically important to have constant access to fresh, clean water. Checking water sources should be part of the daily herding routine on farms.

In terms of intake, animals will drink 10-15l per 100kg body weight per day. Therefore, a 700kg cow will drink up to 105l per day, or a bulling group of 35 cows plus calves plus a bull will require up to 4,300l of water per day.

To meet these requirements and to service every group allow a trough size of 5-7l per livestock unit. Also, where water pressure is poor, the larger your water trough will need to be to counteract that.

Stock bulls

The higher daytime temperatures can increase the number of cows coming into heat for bulling at the one time. This can put extra pressure on a stock bull with the increased workload, meaning he will spend less time feeding. Also with ground conditions so dry there is an increased risk of a bull hurting himself while jumping a cow. Keep an eye on stock bulls over the coming days and take note of any cow that you see being served.