Peak spring-calving season has now arrived on many farms across Ireland, so farmers should be thinking about things to prepare before buying calves.
Once these calves reach a saleable age, dairy farmers will be seeking customers for their surplus calves.
When calves arrive, things get much busier on the farm – so now is a good time for beef farmers who are considering buying calves this spring to ensure they are ready for the arrival of their calves.
While rearing calves for beef production is not an option for all farmers, in many cases, where good calves are bought at reasonable value, the system can work alongside existing systems on a farm.
With the volume of calves that arrive each spring, it is a buyers market and farmers should be selective on the type of calf they purchase – buying a clean, healthy calf that has gotten off to a good start on their origin farm and has a strong Commercial Beef Value (CBV).
Farmers may have the following in their inventory before buying calves:
- Milk replacer;
- Crunch/Pencils;
- Straw (adequate supplies for duration of rearing);
- Calf feeders;
- New teats;
- Buckets;
- Brushes;
- Weighing scales;
- Vaccine guns;
- New needles and syringes;
- Electrolytes;
- Stomach tube;
- Sterilising agent;
- Heat lamp;
- Calf jackets.
Adding to this, Advantage Beef Programme farm liaison officer, Sean Maher said: “It is also advisable to have the shed where the calves will be reared ready to go in advance of them arriving.
“This should be power washed and allowed to dry. It also should be disinfected and limed prior to the arrival of the calves.
“Check drinkers aren’t leaking, water dripping adds moisture which can help disease spread.
“With the current straw prices, locating the drinkers and feeders away from straw bedded areas in the calf pens could help extend bedding stocks.”
Sean added that any draughts entering sheds should be eliminated and said: “A low draught on a young calf is a recipe for disaster.
“It’s important to get down to the calf’s level when checking for draughts.”
Finally, Sean advised farmers with colder-type sheds to consider installing canopies in their sheds.
He said: “Canopies can give the calf a warm place to lie and often creates a micro climate on the roughest of days. You can create a canopy cheap and cheerfully. We often use gates on the demo farm and lay straw across the tops of these.”