Herd Update 09.04.18

General Detail

• 98% of the Newford Suckler Herd has now calved.
  • 90%  of the Newford Herd calved within 6 weeks
  • 105 cows with 104 live calves
  • 4 sets of twins
  • Five mortality
    • One calf had health issues
    • One calf  came back ways
    • One awkward calving
    • One calf had an birth defect and traces of crypto
    • One calf die from a twisted gut and traces of crypto
  • 2 cows left to calved
• The average weight of all the calves born so far is 43 Kgs
  • Bull calves 45 Kgs
  • Heifer calves 41 Kgs
• The average Calving score is 1.29  Summary as below

• The below table shows a breakdown of the sires verse’s the calves weights

• Newford farm has 50 cows and calves indoors at the moment. Lime is been spread on the slats and on the calves straw bedded area to keep infections under control
• Cows will be treated for Leptavoid H and received a mineral bolus on Friday 12^th
• Two teaser bulls have been purchased and will arrived on the farm in the coming days
• The breeding season will begin on the 23^rd of April in Newford this year and Matthew (farm manager) will be carrying out the AI for 2018
• Due to the poor weather the yearling animals will remain indoors until conditions allow them to go to grass.
• 10 of the replacement heifers on the contract rearing farm were at grass, but due to the poor weather they have been rehoused again. They have received their Leptavoid H and in the coming days, all 26 replacement heifers will be given a mineral bolus

Grassland Details

• The average soil temperature in Newford this week was  9.6 degrees
• With the breeding season approaching fast, the farm needs to build up grass on the home farm. To be able to maintain the 107 cows during AI.

• Grass growth rate on the home farm was 26 Kg DM/Ha this week.
• Slurry has been spread on some of the home farm at a rate of 1,700 gals per acre
• The below diagram shows how difficult spring grass growth this year is as compared to 2017.

2018 grass growth is the green line.

• Note : Grass Growth on the 10^th April 2017 last year  was 39 Kg/Ha on the home farm  and a Farm cover of 873 Kg/Ha
• Grass Growth this year on the 9^th  April 2018 was 26 Kg/Ha on the home farm with a farm cover of 418 Kg/Ha

Key recommendations for this week

1. Monitor all cows constantly inside and outside.
2. Record all tag numbers of cows bulling
3. Monitor cows for Grass Tetany 
4. Watch out for any pneumonia in the calves outside
5. Monitor grass growth closely
6. Cows to received their Lepto vac and mineral bolus
7. Draw up the selection of bulls for breeding (ICBF) and order AI straws