Herd Tasks: Your weekly farming checklist
If you have a silage result, act on it, devise a nutrition strategy for all groups of stock.
- There is still a lot of grass on many farms, make sure you use the right animals to graze it off, if it is actually possible to leave animals in the fields. Recently dried-off cows are a good option to graze off heavy covers to set ground up for next spring. You can afford to let these cows work a bit harder at grass as they typically have plenty if not excessive body condition after an excellent grazing year. The downside of this strategy is that these are the heaviest animals on the farm, so this may not be the best option, depending on land type.
- If you have a silage result, act on it, devise a nutrition strategy for all groups of stock. Silages are average this year so feed accordingly.
- Proteins are low. Some second cuts in particular are very low and badly preserved.
- Set targets for animal performance once indoors—base this on available forage quality and quantity along with utilising any purchased concentrates efficiently.
- Most herds are in by night with a huge proportion now housed full time.
- Use silage results to devise the correct diet for late-lactation cows.
- Keep them milking as if they are dry for too long it will hit your pocket with lower milk sales and is likely to have cows over-conditioned at calving.
- Additional protein will be needed in any concentrates fed with forage in order to maintain a good appetite.
- Get calves off to the best possible start.
- Don’t stock pens too heavily to avoid bullying of fresh cows and injury to young calves.
- Weanlings and replacement heifers are going backwards if they are still outdoors. They physically can't eat enough grass to maintain target gains.
- With current conditions, feeding meals outside is close to impossible, so the best place for them is in the shed on a consistent diet.
- Stock to be finished this winter really should be housed. They are not thriving on grass at this stage of the year no matter how much grass you might still have to graze off.
