Pre-mating heats should be recorded from 35 days before planned start of mating, so should be already underway. You may not be planning on treating non-cycling cows – but if things go wrong in the lead-up to mating and cows aren’t cycling well, you’ll be really pleased that you did it! Remember the earlier you treat non cycling cows – the greater the cost benefit.
Plan your mating – be it heat detection aids, CIDR timings, Why-wait programmes or phantom cow prevention. A repro-ready consult with your vet is a good place to start and these are free for members. Don’t forget to book in your AB techs, especially for CIDR AB days, and train your staff in heat detection.
Your bulls should be BVD free and BVD vaccinated. This is important, so if unsure ask your supplier for evidence.
Sort mastitis issues early – milk cultures are the best way to know what you’re dealing with and how to best treat it. Speak to us about testing options.
Bloat treatment should be starting now. Rumenox is a great help, but you may still need some bloat oil if it’s a bad year.
Metricheck the late calvers – this is probably the best intervention to help catch them up.
Scan your autumn-calving cows.
Draft for preferential feeding. Whether it’s once a day or just a smaller mob with more feed offered, it pays to look after heifers and light cows early to give them the best chance of cycling early.
Mineral check/pre-mating bloods – Especially coming into the repro season, it pays to make sure your trace elements are on track.
Lame cows –identify and treat these girls early and appropriately. Lift up every lame foot, use blocks and anti inflammatories but in most cases you will not need antibiotics. If you or your staff would like more training in this area, please get in touch.
CALVES
Booster vax for 5 in 1 / 7 in 1 / 10 in 1 – four to six weeks after the first vax.
Dehorn the remainder of the calves.
Avoid grazing calves on effluent paddocks/sick-cow paddocks to decrease the spread of Johne’s disease.
Only drench calves if they need it. Only after they have been on grass for at least three to four weeks. Use faecal egg counts as a guide, and you may be able to delay the first drench significantly
