Ensuring that calves have little or no setbacks during the first grazing season is important, in order to keep them on track to meet their growth targets.

Calves that are hit with a setback may struggle to achieve target weights going forward, so close monitoring is important.

Worms are a likely parasite that can affect calves and result in a setback, as worms have an impact on a calf’s growth performance, making close monitoring of worm burdens in calves particularly important.

The best way to do this is by taking faecal egg counts, with worm burdens that are over 200 eggs/g requiring dosing.

Treatment

Although the introduction of the new regulations has been delayed and all wormers have not become prescription-based just yet, best practice is to complete a pooled faecal egg sample of your calves and consult with a vet over the results.

This should help to determine what treatment is best to use on your farm.

Parasite control

On paddocks where you believe the worm burden may be high, the removal of grass silage or reseeding are good ways to reduce worm build-up.

Along with controlling worm burden, removing silage in the form of bales is also a good way to reset paddocks and ensure that calves and heifers are getting the best-quality grass.

Reseeding is another great way to improve grass quality on the heifer block and ensure the animals are eating the best-quality grass.