Over 1m calves will be born on Irish dairy farms before the end of April this year, according to Teagasc.
Calving is one of the busiest times of year on Irish farms and can be a stressful time for many farmers.
Therefore, it is important that you’re prepared for whatever situation you may face when you enter the calving shed.
The Moo Call Calving Sensor can accurately predict when your cow is most likely to give birth by measuring tail movement patterns.
It’s a non-invasive, tail mounted sensor gathers over 600 pieces of data a second.
If a cow is having difficulty with calving by herself, you many need to help her with a calving jack.
The Tecnall Calving Jack is both lightweight and heavy duty with a 1640mm shaft. It is also supplied with two ropes – foot ropes in proper order are a must – and a Moorepark Head.
If you don’t need the calving jack but just need the ropes then the Vink Calving Ropes are for you.
Made from soft woven nylon, one is red and one is blue to assist delivering the calf.
Iodine to disinfect the navel is another essential at calving and you’ll need approximately 10-15ml per navel.
The Strong Iodine 10% Netex is a spirit based,strong solution and is of excellent quality. It is suitable for umbilical cords and surgical procedures.
Ensure that you have a good amount of hydrated lime on your farm to disinfect the calving areas after calves have been removed.
The Vink Lime Spreader is a simple hand tool that is powered by a cordless drill which will spread your bedding materials in the boxes very fast and easily.
Have you checked out the teats on your calf feeder ahead of calving? If some need to be replaced, now is the time to order spares.
The Screw-in Peach Teat or the Pull Thru Peach Teats are good options for replacing teats on the calf feeder.
If the calf is having difficulty feeding, you may need to stomach tube it. The Calf Feeding Bottle with Stomach Tube and it is a good way to feed weak calves their first feed of colostrum if they can’t suckle.
With the cold weather of late, a calving lamp could be another essential you need at calving time. This Infrared Cage Lamp Holder with wired ceramic holder and guarded cage is ideal.
Two 250w infrared bulbs are needed for it.
All of the above items, and more calving essentials, can be found on AgriRetailer.ie.