Calving: Difficult weather conditions have meant delayed turnout on many farms, especially towards the south of the country. On farms where early spring calving is taking place, this has put huge pressure on housing and facilities.

Increased stocking rates in sheds will increase disease pressure and the likelihood of scour or pneumonia. Where young calves are being housed, don’t skimp on straw bedding and make sure calves have a clean, dry bed at all times.

On Tullamore Farm, a temporary creep area has been constructed in the centre passage of one of the sheds as an interim measure until cows and calves are turned out.

If freshly calved cows are being fed average quality silage after calving, they will need to be supplemented with concentrates at the rate of 2-3kg/head/day until turnout to maintain milk supply. Heat and warmth are also important for calves and if calves are being moved to large, more exposed sheds, make sure there is good shelter.

Calf jackets could be used if numbers weren’t big. Tullamore vet Donal Lynch outlines some tips on keeping calves healthy.

Compensatory growth: This occurs when animals are moved on to a diet rich in energy, eg spring grass after a period of restricted intake or growth. The target growth rate for weanlings over the winter months is somewhere between 0.5kg/day and 0.7kg/day in order to avail of maximum compensation after turnout. On many farms, weanlings will have been offered 1-2kg/head/day over the winter months to achieve target growth rates and this supplementation can now stop. If weanlings gain too much weight over winter months and become fat, it has been shown that they subsequently lose this fat at grass and the extra weight is not carried through to slaughter or sale at the end of the second grazing season. Weanlings should be offered a silage-only diet from now until turnout. The earlier they are turned out, the higher the compensatory growth will be.

Grass: While the last few weeks of bad weather will hamper early grazing plans on many farms, have a plan in place for when the weather and ground conditions improve. Tailor this plan to your farm and try to push the boundaries a little. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

The aim on dry farms is to have 40% of the farm grazed by 10 March and 100% grazed by 1 April. This changes to 20 March and 10 April on wetter farms. Don’t use the silage pit as the gauge to let cattle out. If silage is left over it will keep and may be needed later in spring if weather turns bad.

Getting some fields grazed early will allow for slurry to be spread and also stimulate some growth. Urea should be in the yard at this stage ready to be spread at the rate of half a bag/acre once the weather improves. Aim to spread where there is a light cover of grass once soil temperatures hit 5°C to 6°C for a few days. Light cattle, like weanlings, are ideal to try out first as they will have a lower risk of poaching. The later you leave turnout, the quicker you will need to graze the farm to hit targets.