General detail
- The first calf has been born on Newford Farm for 2021. The bull calf (Laurel LM 4185) arrived 2 weeks earlier on the 26th of January and needed vet assistance but both calf and mother are doing fine.
- As of Thursday evening ( 28th of January ) there has been another 2 births on the farm and all 3 calves and their mothers are doing fine
- Pictured below: First calf born 26th January ‘21Sire Laurel LM 4185
- All the calving sheds and holding pen have been wash, lime and disinfected. The expecting mothers have been move into the holding pen since last week
- All the calving material and equipment has been set up alongside the calving pens
- Holding shed washed and lime
First of the cows due to calf have been drafted over to the holding pen.
- Slats are being scraped and a thin coat of lime is being spread daily on them. The thinking behind this task is that it will reduce the risk of mastitis establishing and also help to keep udders / teats cleaner.
- Newford Farm manager Iarlaith Collins is using the “No Feed of Silage Rule” during the day. It works as follows;
- Cows are restricted from silage from 8am to 4.30pm
- The cows have access to straw during the time only
- Iarlaith has found this method very successful and this has contributed to more efficient time management and cut labour requirements during the night
- An Agricultural student (G.M.I.T/ Mountbellew College) has started his 16 week’s work replacement on the farm.
Yeanling performance
- All the male yeanlings are receiving 2 kg of a high-energy, 18% crude protein ration and good-quality silage offered ad lib.
- All the yearling males were weighted on the 20th of January. The average weight for the 39 yearlings was 397 Kgs at 11 months of age. Their “Average Gain From Birth” was 1.09 Kg
Pictured above - a selection of the Newford yearling males
- The heifer weanlings are on 1.5 Kg of concentrates.
The weanling heifers were weighted on the 15th of January and weighted 397 Kgs and they done 0.62 Kg ADG since housing 30th of October ( 77 days)
Grass walk
- Paddocks have been walked and were identified for the spreading of slurry.
- 2,500 gals of slurry per acre have been spread on a number of paddocks on the home farm.
- The slurry was spread by the umbilical cord method
- Paddocks with a low cover of grass received the slurry.
