General Details
- 45% of the Newford herd has calved within the first 19 days of calving - first calf born was on 2nd February. No major problems to report so far.
- 48 cows have calved with 51 live calves (Four sets of twins and one mortality)
- The average weight of the first , of the calves born is 41 Kgs
- The average Calving Score is 2.16
- Cows and heifers are being drafted to the holding area as required before calving
- The 89 yearling have return to the slatted shed due to poor weather but will return to grass as soon as weather conditions improve.
- Cows and older calves will go to grass as soon as weather improves.
- Urea has been spread on 110 acres (23 units/acre) on ground that did not receive slurry
- Work on converting the old sheep handling unit is almost completed now
- Lime is being applied to the slats to reduce infection levels for cows that are waiting to calve.
- Training was completed on the new grasshopper GPS system for measuring grass (TrueNorth Grasshopper)
Grassland Details
- Farm Cover 944 Kg /DM /ha
- Growth /Ha 9 Kg DM / ha
- Estimated DM @ 16 %
Suckler Herd
- Group and move cows that have calved down to the large loose shed’s
Key recommendations for this week
- Disbud calves and give intranasal IBR vaccination (2 weeks +)
- Identify cows and calves to turn out to grass (depending on weather) – treat calves for clostridial diseases
- Monitor cows and heifers close to calving
- Dehorn any yearling before returning to grass
- Check all paddocks and fences and carried out repairs where needed.
- Check all water troughs and wash them out before animals enter the paddock
- Keep all calving pens and area disinfected as calving continues
- Carried out a strict inspection each morning on every calf in the yard for health