Some cattle in parts of the country with heavier soil types have already been housed for the winter while in other areas, farmers are planning on housing stock in the coming weeks.
With this in mind, ABP Food Groups’ Advantage Beef Programme farm liaison team leader Amie Coonan has reminded farmers of some factors to consider before housing cattle.
With current mild conditions, extreme caution is advised with housed cattle to ensure sheds have adequate ventilation to reduce the chance of pneumonia outbreaks.
Before cattle are housed, the following is recommended:
- Check roofs and gutters for leaks;
- Repair damaged barriers and gates;
- Check lighting is all working correctly;
- Clean light covers;
- Repair any leaking water troughs.
Coonan said: “Ideally, sheds should have been power-washed and left to dry over the summer months to reduce the chance of disease carryover from one year to the next.
“If sheds are being power-washed now, use a suitable disinfectant especially in sheds where young stock are housed or where there were previous issues with scour/disease.”
Winter feed
Now is the ideal time to take a silage sample and use its results when planning the winter diet for the farm.
The Advantage Beef Programme farm liaison team is available to take silage samples and offer advice on winter feeding plans.
Due to the wet weather conditions this autumn, a lot of cattle have been housed earlier than farmers would have originally anticipated.
Farmers who are concerned regarding their supplies of fodder should complete a fodder budget. This will help farms estimate how much silage is on the farm and identify if there may be a deficit in silage supplies over the winter housing period.
“It is important to take action now and put a plan in place if silage will be short on farm,” Coonan said.
“Our Advantage team is available to complete a fodder budget with you.”
Animal health
Housing can be a stressful period for all animals, but particularly younger animals. Farmers should ensure all health treatments have been carried out at least two weeks prior to housing.
When vaccinating cattle, remember many vaccinations require two shots administered four weeks apart.
“It is important to take this into consideration when planning your vaccination programme,” Coonan said.
Farmers should take a dung sample from their cattle and treat based on the results and the recommendations of their vet.
If cattle are coughing, farmers should pay attention for the presence of lungworm. Animals with a heavy lungworm burden at housing have a higher risk of developing pneumonia.
When castrating bulls, farmers should ensure this takes place at least two weeks before housing. It should not be done in combination with weaning, dehorning or during any other stressful period.
Winter housing is the ideal time to weigh cattle and allows farmers time to calculate the average daily liveweight gain (ADG) of their cattle over the winter period and ensure stock are hitting growth targets.
Scheme measures
Farmers participating in the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) are being reminded that cows and calves must be weighed for SCEP before weaning. These weights must be submitted within one week of the cattle being weighed and no later than November 1, annually.
Farmers participating in the National Beef Welfare Scheme (NBWS) are reminded that suckler calves must be fed concentrates at least four weeks pre-weaning and two weeks post weaning.
As part of the National Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme, all dairy-bred calves must be weighed before November 1, to receive payment of €20 on up to 50 calves.