General Details
- Calving started on 14th February with 85/98 (87%) cows calved by Wednesday 13th April and 82 live calves on the ground
- Mortality rate: 4.8%
- One 3 day old calf died on Saturday with suspected pneumonia, awaiting PM results
- Farm is now closed to all visitors until 1st May 2016, this is to ensure good disease control
- 44 weanlings and 37 cows and calves currently grazing
- Ground conditions have deteriorated a lot over the past few days and we have housed weanling steers and replacement heifers last Tuesday 5th April
- Two groups of 16 cows and calves grazing and one group of 5
- TB test was clear last week
Grassland Details
- Average farm cover 639kg DM/day on 8th April
- Average growth rate 28kg/DM/Ha
- Average Demand 17kg/DM/Ha
- Soil temperatures in Athenry currently 9.5 degrees
- Silage fields closed on Monday 4th April with slurry spread at rate of 2000 gallons/acre last week. 100 units nitrogen/acre to be spread this week if conditions allow
- 23 units/Acre UREA spread across 40% of the farm on 25th February
- 35 units UREA/acre spread across 70% of the farm on the 23rd March
Housing/Nutrition details
- All cows receiving pre-calving minerals at rate of 100 grams/head/day
- Pre calving cows on restricted diet with straw included
Key recommendations for this week
1. Ensure calving pens are bedded regularly
2. Check calves regularly for scour and pneumonia
3. Pre calving cows being fed straw 3 days each week
4. Split grazing cows in 2 groups (16 in each group) (first/second calvers and mature cows)
5. Feed cows 2kgs concentrates to cows per head per day with calmag included
6. Spread 90 units N on silage fields