The transition from pushing in silage once a day to full-blown calving season can catch many off guard. Often, during calving, we find ourselves in reactionary-mode – racing to the vet or co-op to pick up something we need, rather than having it there and waiting beforehand. The list below is typical of the items and practices we would come across on a well-run suckler farm around calving time. Some, like minerals or spare calving ropes, are essential. Some, such as soya bean meal or a whiteboard, aren’t but those who have them say they wouldn’t go without. The list below plucks different items from farms across our BETTER farm beef programme. How does your own list look? Is there anything you could add to help calving 2018 more successful?

Scour vaccine

Scour can be a problem at calving when prevailing weather prevents animals turning out to grass. When indoors, the calf’s environment is more concentrated with undesirable bugs. Many farmers also say that they get scour problems with calves towards the end of calving. This is due to a build-up of these bugs throughout the season causing a high burden in later calves. Scour vaccine can be given no less than 21 days pre-calving. Some farmers chose to only vaccinate the later calvers as a cost-saving measure, but we are taking a small risk doing so.

Pre-calver mineral and vitamin supplement

An absolute no-brainer – the nuts and bolts in the engine that is our cow. Preventing hard calving, avoiding metabolic disease, calf development, ensuring calf vigour, subsequent cow fertility – all heavily influenced by mineral and vitamin status. Supplements should be introduced 6-8 weeks before calving and we have had extensive coverage on optimal pre-calver supplementation in our Feed Trends in recent weeks.

Soya bean meal

In recent years some suckler farmers have started to supplement their cows with 300-500g of soya bean meal in the weeks prior to calving. Soya is almost 50% crude protein and the protein it contains is of exceptional quality. Its inclusion in the diet helps with colostrum quality.

Straw

A crucial item on our list and one that could be an issue this season. The straw you require this season will depend on your setup and ability to get cows and calves out. Those with creep areas will need less straw than those forced to keep cows and calves together. The more frequently you can completely clean out your calving pens during the season, the better. Lime the pen in between straw beds.

Calving gate

If you don’t have a calving gate yet, get one. There is no argument here. If you do, check its functionality. Ensure the head gate is working – the springs on these can wear.

Calving jack

Clean your calving jack, oil the crank up and make sure it works. Many will keep a spare jack shaft in case the crank mechanism breaks.

Calving ropes

Clean your calving ropes, keep them somewhere clean and importantly, have a spare pair. The thicker the better with these. Generally the white ones that come with a calving jack are substandard. Don’t skimp here.

Camera/calving monitor

Have you got a calving camera or monitor? For me, every farm should have one. When we check the cow in person, we are disturbing her and the calving process. Having a device like this allows us to let nature work as it should, giving us full control and eliminating guesswork around progess. For me a 3G camera can’t be beaten, giving you a direct feed to your smartphone anywhere in the world. Many can be swivelled or zoomed on demand too. However, these are obviously more expensive than tail-mounted monitors, which many farmers swear by also.

Whiteboard

Having a whiteboard on the wall of your calving shed with a list of cows, their estimated calving dates and sires can be a big help when segregating animals. Many will also use these to record data – calving difficulty score/calf weight/calf vigour. A simple alternative is blackboard paint, which can be bought in any hardware shop.

Hot water supply

Have you got a hot water supply in your shed? If not, is it time to invest in a simple boiler? If you do, now is the time to check that it is functioning correctly. Have a supply of clean buckets ready for use too.

Calving gloves

Have an ample supply of elbow length gloves for calving and conventional surgical gloves.

Lubricant

An obvious one for when intervention is necessary. We cannot afford to run out.

Iodine

Applying an iodine solution to our calf’s navel shortly after birth will help prevent infections. Some use a dip, though others opt for a spray. Either way, concentration is important. We are looking for a 3-7% iodine solution, which research has identified as the optimum. Be conscious of the volumes of the containers you are using and the iodine concentration in your bought-in iodine, which is generally 10%. Some will use a chlorhexidine solution alternatively, which is fine.

Cold water bottle

A simple one – keep a drinking bottle with a sports cap filled with cold water handy. It can be easily squirted in the new born calf’s ears to help them wake up.

Weigh scales/tape

Every beef farmer should be weighing and the best time to start is day one. Everyone tells me that they were surprised in their first year weighing new born calves – the heaviest at birth isn’t always the heaviest at weaning. In the USA, birth weight is a crucial selection variable. In terms of a device, a typical livestock scales will suffice. Some just hold the calf in their arms, stand on a conventional bathroom scales and subtract the difference. Be sure to take care when pulling calves around or lifting them. Weighing tapes are cheap alternatives and prevent excessive physical exertion. When using tapes, focus on the relative differences between your own calves as opposed to the absolute weights as they won’t be as accurate as the scales. It is fine to enter tape values into the ICBF system, as its focus is on-farm relativities too.

Stomach tube & teat bottle feeder

Vital apparatus on a suckler farm for when a calf hasn’t suckled themselves in the first hours of life or a weak calf needs a feed. Make sure yours is clean and ready to use. Every farm should in fact have two stomach tubes, one for getting colostrum into newborns and another for feeding poorly calves – though touch wood there will be none of these. Last year a bottle feeding tube arrived on the market, which has advantages over the bag-based stomach tube in that it can be operated easily by one person. A teat bottle-feeder is also a no-brainer.

Electrolytes

Have some electrolyte sachets and a good dosing gun on standby in case you experience scour in calves. Often a vet will prescribe stronger medications but these will likely not be on farm when they’re required and getting electrolytes into calves straightaway will be a massive help.

Soap and paper towel

Have an area where people can wash up before and after working with animals. Wiping an animal’s rear end with paper towel before we handle her is also good practice.

Tails clipped

It’s a good idea to have our females’ tails clipped before or just at calving to help keep her elder clean. When she’s locked in the head gate while you weigh and spray the calf’s navel, consider spending a few seconds clipped her tail.