Calving: Spring-calving dairy farms will be busy over the next few months. Two ways of reducing the workload is to milk once a day for the first few weeks and to feed cows at night to increase the number of cows calving during the day. In Moorepark studies, once a day (OAD) milking for up to four weeks in early lactation was found to have no effect on overall lactation milk solids yield, but it saved a lot of time in early spring. However, cows should continue to be “fed well” when on OAD, that is good grass/silage and meal.
SHARING OPTIONS:
Feeding 200g to 300g/head/day is typically sufficient to boost colostrum quality where silage quality is quite poor.
The level of protein in the diet of the cow for the last few weeks prior to calving will have a huge influence on both the amount and quality of the colostrum the cow produces.
While feeding soya for the final two to three weeks prior to calving is a great way to increase the overall protein level of the diet and therefore colostrum quality, there are certain situations where the benefit of feeding soya pre-calving should be questioned.
January 19, 2021 12:45 pm
Some key messages have been outlined for Irish farmers on the issue of bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) for 2021 by Animal Health Ireland (AHI).
Issued earlier this month, AHI highlighted that a new Animal Health Law (AHL) will come into force in April; this sets out the requirements for recognition of BVD eradication programmes at EU level, the organisation says.
AHI notes that substantial progress has been made since the start of the national eradication programme.
This, it says, has reached the point where the BVD Implementation Group (BVDIG) plans to apply for recognition of the Irish programme in 2021 and to meet the conditions for freedom by 2023.
January 17, 2021 4:00 pm
Johne’s disease is a bacterial disease of cattle, which can have a negative economic impact on farms. With calving gathering speed, it’s important to keep the necessary steps in mind to limit the spread of this costly disease.
The Irish Johne’s Control Programme (IJCP), operated by Animal Health Ireland (AHI), is developing a long-term programme to control Johne’s disease, within the Irish cattle industry.
According to AHI, cattle usually become infected as calves early in life by drinking milk or eating food contaminated with the bacteria, which are shed in the dung or milk of infected adult cattle.