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Dairying Management Notes – October

October 1, 2020

Colostrum hygiene

Most dairy farmers are aware of the often repeated message about colostrum and the three Qs. The three Qs are:

  1. Quickly – feed as soon as possible after birth.
  2. Quantity – feed three to four litres, depending on calf size.
  3. Quality – ideally above 22% on the brix scale, whether measured digitally or with a hydrometer.

Another aspect of colostrum management that is often overlooked is hygiene. The hygiene of feeding utensils for a human baby is paramount. Should it be any different for a baby calf, especially as a baby calf has no natural immunity? Colostrum can and does get contaminated at every stage, from udder collection, through storage to feeding. Udders should be hygienically clean before colostrum collection. Thoroughly disinfect all containers using hot water and an appropriate disinfectant before and after use. If storing colostrum fresh, it should be refrigerated for a maximum of two days or frozen fresh.
Why bother? The higher the level of bacterial contamination the lower the level of circulating antibodies in the calf, irrespective of the three Qs and the greater the likelihood of disease and possible death!

Winter feeding

The weather throughout the 2020 grass growing season has been extremely variable. This, combined with earlier housing on some farms this autumn, means now is an ideal time to calculate your forage requirements and check that sufficient silage is available.

Silage supplies and requirements

Use Tables 1 and 2 to estimate the tonnage of silage available on your farm and compare this with the likely winter demand. The volume of silage is calculated by multiplying the length by the width by the height. For example the volume of silage in a silo is 38 m x 10 m x 3 m= 1140 cubic meters. To convert the volume to tonnes select the correct conversion factor from Table 1. Assuming the dry matter of silage in our example is 25 percent, multiply the volume by 0.68, 1140 cubic metres x 0.68 = 775 tonnes of fresh silage.

Use table 2 to estimate the quantity of silage required, multiplying the number of each class of stock by the number of months to be fed. For example, 80 cows in milk, fed silage for seven months require a total of 784 tonnes (80 x 7 x 1.4).

Table 1: Conversion factors to convert silage volume to tonnes of silage
Table 2: Estimated monthly feed requirement of stock eating 25% dry

What are the options if you have a silage shortfall?
The priority is to feed the best quality silage to early lactation/high yielding cows, then consider the following options:

  • Cull barren, poor performing or problem cows.
  • Source suitable silage supplies for young or dry stock.
  • Feed young stock a straw/concentrate diet.
  • Use alternative feeds if available.
Silage quality on farm

Due to variable weather conditions and cutting dates throughout the 2020 grass growing season, there will be a variation in silage quality. You should therefore get your silage analysed to know its potential feed value (M+). This allows you to make decisions on the level of concentrate feeding needed on your farm at each stage of production.

Table 3 shows the difference in concentrate needed to feed a cow in early lactation with average and good quality silages.

Table 3 Feed requirement for 32 litres of milk
October jobs checklist
  • Identify cows to dry off in the next two months and assess body condition. Feed extra concentrates to cows with a body condition score less than three.
  • Get silage analysed in preparation for planning the winter diet.
  • Calculate the amount of silage available and how much you need.
  • The last day for spreading slurry is 15th October. Try to ensure tanks are empty for the forthcoming housed period.

For information and guidance during the Covid-19 pandemic please refer to: https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/landing-pages/daera-and-covid-19