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Dairy notes Dec 04

Work smart

It is a well known fact that all farmers work long hard hours. The typical labour hours required for a dairy farm with 75 cows and 40 young stock is listed in the table below.
 
Activity

Hours per week

Milking

Preparation and cleaning

15
 

Milking

17

Feeding & Bedding

Cows

5
 

Calves

7
 

Heifers

3

Slurry Handling

  

3

Breeding

Heat detection

4
 

Serving cows

2

Vet Tasks Records

Cows

5
 

Calves and Heifers

2

Buying & Selling

Livestock

1
 

Goods & Services

1

Maintenance

Buildings

1.5
 

Machinery

1

Other

Various

3
 

Total

70.5

Have a look at the labour requirement for your own farm. While you do most of the management and operational work others can help. Ask yourself:

  • Who is available?
  • What can they do?
  • How much time do they have available?
Generally your labour pool comprises a wife, parents, older teenage children and neighbours. Each will have some experience and skill that is best suited to a particular task. For example:
  • A retired father will have a good eye for livestock, can feed calves, will keep the farm tidy and can do a lot of the ‘daily running’. Against this he will not be able to do heavy lifting or constant work such as milking.
  • An older teenage child can feed calves and may occasionally milk on his own but is only likely to be available at weekends or school/college breaks.
  • Your wife generally has all the skills to keep VAT records and financial accounts but generally has to arrange her time around employment and family needs.
  • A neighbour’s adult child can supply regular relief milking and can feed all the stock. They are flexible and can do weekend evenings or a couple of hours during the week.

Feeding wholecrop / maize silage

Maize harvesting is now complete and many farmers with wholecrop cereal silage have already started feeding this to dairy cows. Feeding alternative forages has shown to give significant benefits to milk yield and quality.
Maize and wholecrop silage have very different energy and protein contents to grass silage. Both are typically lower in crude protein content than grass silage but have higher starch contents and also different mineral profiles. However, it is important to remember the following:
  • An analysis is the starting point for any ration.
  • Higher protein blends are required to balance the diet (22 - 28%).
  • The level of digestible fibre needs to be maintained.
  • The mineral/vitamin content needs to be adjusted.
Your local Dairying Development Advisor has access to Feedbyte software which can aid in the formulation of rations.
Good silo face management is essential and can prevent aerobic spoilage of the silage. Good silo face management consists of:
  • Moving across the silo face as quickly as possible.
  • The use of a shear grab rather than a bucket.
  • Removing any mouldy silage as this can harbour mycotoxins which will reduce performance.

Improving heat detection

Heat detection can be improved by paying attention to the following key points:
  • The use of a good dairy cow recording system. Cows must be clearly identified, preferably by freeze branding.
  • All systems should record cow number, calving date, all heats and services and include brief comments reference calving difficulty, health and pregnancy diagnosis etc. A paper based system is most commonly used listing the cows in order of calving date. Ideally this should be used in conjunction with a 21 day pocket breeding diary which records all heats and services making it easier to prepare action lists by identifying cows, which were in heat three weeks previously and are potentially due on heat again. Problem cows, which are not cycling or repeat breeding, thus requiring veterinary attention, can also be identified.
  • Circular breeding boards are also used effectively on many farms.
  • Computerised recording packages offer an effective herd recording system, providing a wide range of reports, including action lists. However, these are more expensive, and similar to all systems, but are only as good as the information entered!

Heat detection signs

Cows are more likely to show signs of heat if they are:
  • Adequately fed (including minerals and vitamins) to avoid excessive loss of body condition after calving.
  • In good general health and vaccinated against infectious diseases, with minimal levels of lameness.
  • Suitably housed with a spacious loafing area and a solid non-slip surface to encourage mounting activity.
  • In close proximity to a penned bull.

Heat detection techniques

  • Ideally cows should be observed for signs of heat three times daily for thirty minutes each time.
  • The best times to observe cows are early in the morning, (before milking) before evening milking and late at night.
  • Cows are unlikely to show signs of heat at milking or feeding times.

Watching for secondary signs of heat

Since not all cows will be observed in standing heat it is important to look out for secondary signs of heat, in the days before, during and after standing heat. These include:
  • Head mounting and chin resting.
  • Restlessness and bellowing.
  • Reduced appetite and milk yield.
  • Eating when other cows are resting.
  • Bloody mucous, after heat.

Use of heat detection aids

  • Tail painting, pressure strips (e.g. Kamar or bovine beacons which are glued onto the tail head) or electronic mount detectors, all of which indicate that the cow has been mounted and may be in heat.
  • Pedometers - these devices are attached to the cow’s leg to monitor activity. Increased activity indicates that the cow may be in heat.
  • Teaser bull - vasectomised bulls, incapable of breeding, have proved very successful. They should be fitted with a chin ball marker (these are also very useful for breeding bulls). It is important to remember that Teaser bulls have all of the aggression associated with fertile bulls and should be treated accordingly.
  • Milk progesterone testing kits can be used to identify when progesterone levels are low, indicating that the cow may be in heat.

Timing of insemination

Ovulation in dairy cows takes place about 10 to 12 hours after the end of standing heat. The egg then remains viable for only 8 to 12 hours. In contrast semen is viable for up to 24 hours after insemination. It is therefore desirable that the cow is inseminated before ovulation to ensure sperm is ready to fertilise the egg before it deteriorates. The guidelines for timing are as follows:
  • For cows first seen bulling in the late afternoon or evening, inseminating at any time the next day is satisfactory, but preferably in the morning.
  • For cows first seen bulling in the morning always inseminate the same day.
  • For cows first seen bulling shortly after midday inseminate early the next morning.
If you suspect that the first signs of heat were missed, a judgement will have to be made as to the length of time the cow has been on heat.

RUAS Winter Fair – Thursday 16 December 2004

A visit to the RUAS Winter Fair at Balmoral is a ‘must’ for many producers. The show has now firmly established itself as the premier local event for dairy farmers. It provides an excellent opportunity to keep abreast of the latest developments in production technology and systems as well as a showpiece for the ‘cream’ of the Province’s dairy stock.
The DARD exhibit at the show has always highlighted new and topical issues in the industry with a view to providing guidance and direction to farmers seeking to develop their farm businesses. This year the implications of the Mid Term Review of the CAP and issues around imminent environmental legislation on nitrates and farm wastes will obviously be a focus for the exhibit. Visitors to the stand, with details of their stock numbers, land area and slurry storage facilities, will be able to have the nitrates loading and slurry storage capacity calculated for their farm business.
In addition, there will be displays highlighting the recent changes in TB and Brucellosis testing and key findings from local agri-environment research projects. The wide range of training and development opportunities available to producers to support either development of existing enterprises, or diversification, in order to achieve a sustainable farm business will also be displayed. Most importantly DARD staff from a broad range of specialisms and expertise will be on hand to discuss the issues of most concern to you.
Make it a date to visit the DARD stand at the RUAS Winter Fair on Thursday 16 December 2004!!

Bovine abortions

Brucellosis is very contagious and spread occurs mainly at calving. An infected animal may abort but it may also give birth to a weak or stillborn calf at full term. With this in mind the term bovine abortion has been defined in the Brucellosis Control Order (NI) 2004 which came into effect on 1 October 2004. In this Order ‘abortion’ means any bovine foetus or calf born dead or which dies within 24 hours of birth. The abortion must be reported immediately to your local Divisional Veterinary Officer.
Any animal which aborts must be effectively isolated and all hygienic precautions must be taken to prevent infection being carried from this animal to others. Separate outer clothing should be worn when attending to the animal and disinfectant footbaths placed at the door and refreshed frequently.
Brucellosis is very contagious. If the abortion has occurred among other animals, these must be removed immediately from the source of infection. If yards and / or housing are involved, these must be effectively cleaned and disinfected using an approved disinfectant. If the abortion has occurred at grass, the pasture should be rested.
The foetus and afterbirth should be disposed of hygienically and in compliance with legislation unless being sent to the lab for testing.
It is a good policy to dispose of all afterbirths hygienically, whether from aborted animals or not. Live, healthy calves can be born to infected animals, and the afterbirth and birth fluids infect other cattle.
Further advice on protecting your herd from Brucellosis can be obtained from your local Divisional Veterinary Office.
DARD Farm Management Notes for December 2004 have been prepared by Greenmount Campus, College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise - Tel: 028 9442 6771. We acknowledge the contribution from Veterinary Service. For further information contact your local DARD Development Adviser.