As we approach the Christmas period, farmers need to ensure they have all of their supplies in order to get them over the few days where all co-ops and farm shops are closed.
A lot of co-ops will be open from roughly 9:00a.m-12:00p.m on Christmas eve and then close from Christmas day to December 27, which means that any last supplies need to be secured this weekend.
Another area of consideration is whether or not there is enough dairy nuts in the meal bin to get you over the Christmas period for the winter milking herds.
The winter milking herd will also be in the process of getting cows back in calf over the next couple of weeks, so, making sure everything is ready from an artificial insemination (AI) point of view is also crucial.
Farmers need to put a checklist in place now, so that nothing is forgotten during the Christmas period.
Supplies for Christmas
Whether you are winter milking or spring milking, every farmer must have a good supply of hydrated lime or sawdust to see them through over the Christmas period and that the hygiene of the cows is still prioritised.
The winter milk herds will have a bigger checklist to go through than the spring calving herds given that the milking machine is in still in operation.
The winter milking farmers will need to check the following within the milking parlour:
- There is enough detergent, descaler, acid, bulk tank wash and peracetic acid for the few days;
- There is enough teat dip;
- Milk filter socks are plentiful for the period;
- Standby milk liners and tubes are in the yard;
- Back-up claw pieces;
- Enough dairy nuts in the meal bin;
- Enough salt for the water softener if one is in place.
For the winter milking herd, enough calf milk replacer will have to bought for the few days along with calf starter crunch.
Another item which farmers may need to stock up on is electrolytes for calves that are suffering with calf scour or dehydration.
Farmers should also talk to their vet to make sure they have enough antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and other essential drugs in the case of an emergency around calving or calves.
As many cows are still calving down, farmers need to ensure that they have calcium magnesium at their disposal in the unfortunate event of a cow going down with milk fever.
Below is a list of materials that should be stocked for the Christmas for the winter milking herd:
- Disposable plastic gloves (long and short);
- Gel and paper towels;
- Calving ropes (minimum of two pairs);
- Calving jack;
- Oxytocin, calcium bottles or boluses and magnesium;
- Disinfectant for navel;
- Brix refractometer to test colostrum;
- Stomach tubes – have a minimum of two to have a separate one for electrolytes/sick calves and another for feeding colostrum to calves;
- Calf tags, notebook or a phone app to record calving information;
- Infrared lamp for sick calves;
- Footbaths with disinfectant.
Farmers need to also make sure that they have enough scraper oil for the period while making sure that they have a spare hydraulic pipe in the event of a burst pipe and one or two essential spare parts for the scrapers.
Farmers should also check the engine oil and back-end oil levels of their tractor or loader to make sure they have enough and it’s no harm to have a drum of each in the garage for the Christmas period.
If farmers can run through what supplies they need for the Christmas period over the next couple of days, it will cover them for any upsets or anything that may go wrong.
It is also important for farmers to get themselves set up, so they can take a couple of hours on Christmas day and over the next couple of days to spend time with family and enjoy the festive period.