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Breeding: There are three weeks to go before the main breeding season kicks off on 1 May. The appetite for pre-breeding heat detection ebbs and flows but if the information gathered is put to good effect it can be a great way of increasing submission rates and ultimately conception rates in the first three weeks.
The simplest way to do pre-breeding heat detection is to paint all cows 21 or so days before mating start date (MSD). Top up the cows that still have paint on them one and two weeks later. So on the day before you start breeding, most cows should have paint removed. These cows are all cycling and do not need any attention. The cows with paint still on should be assessed. If calved more than 30 days, they should be scanned. Some will be dirty and require a wash-out; some will be cystic and require hormone treatment; while others will be coming on heat or just need more time. If no pre-breeding heat detection was carried out, these cows wouldn’t be identified until three weeks into the breeding season. Some herds with really good fertility can tolerate that, but as the fertility status of the national herd is still considered poor, most farmers should do pre-breeding heat detection. The trick is not to tire yourself out at it – paint the cows and then forget about them until they need to be painted again. Don’t be like the team that peaks during the league, only to fall flat in the championships.
Late-calving cows: There are still up to 10% of cows yet to calve in many herds. These cows are all at risk. Firstly, they tend to be fatter so are at risk of harder calving and metabolic problems like milk fever after calving. Secondly, because they are fat they are sometimes prone to losing a lot of body condition after calving – their yields tend to ramp up very fast. Finally, they have less time between calving and the breeding season. Many will still be waiting to calve when their herd mates are going back in calf.
What can you do to protect them? First step is to prevent them getting too fat. Restrict their energy intake by restricting silage or feeding lower-DMD silage or hay ad-lib. Keep feeding dry cow minerals at the correct rate. If late-calving cows are out at grass, the risk of milk fever is greater as spring grass is high in calcium, which can reduce the cow’s ability to mobilise calcium after calving. Some farmers are leaving the late-calving cows on once-a-day milking after calving to prevent BCS loss.
Grass: The amount of meal being fed should reduce as grass is plentiful and quality is good. Tetany is a risk but sufficient magnesium can be included in a 1kg or 2kg/cow feeding rate nut. A 12% protein nut is optimum when at grass. Other tetany prevention options include dosing in the water or paddock dusting. The main thing is to walk the farm every five or six days for the next few weeks, monitor growth and take action. Most farmers will spread one unit/day of nitrogen during April and May. If on a 20-day rotation length, it means spreading 20 units/acre after the cows.
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