Many farmers will now ask themselves whether or not it is worth investing in labour reducing calf facilities as a result of a tough spring.
A recent Teagasc Moorepark study investigated the peak workload of a seasonal milk production system and it showed that 19.2 hours/cow were required between the months of February and June on dairy farms.
The average herd size of these farms was 137 cows and calf care in February and March accounted for 21% of the total work time.
Judging on the amount of time calf rearing takes up, investing in facilities or technologies that improves the efficiency of the calf rearing process will reduce the labour demand.
17 farms within the study had made substantial changes in their calf rearing facilities and despite having 26 more cows in 2021 vs 2019, calf input labour was reduced by 5% and calf care efficiency improved by 16%.
On the other hand, 40 farms had made no changes and their herd size increased by 11 cows, calf care labour input increased by 11% and calf care labour efficiency declined by 2%.
Calf facilities
If you are considering updating your existing calf shed or putting in a new one altogether, there are a number of factors that have to be considered to ensure your investment is worthwhile.
Starting with space allowance, there must be 1.8m2 allowed per calf. A standard sized pen of 4.8m x 4.8 m = 23m2 is enough for 12 calves.
Having sufficient space for calves will likely reduce the need for veterinary intervention and time spent treating sick calves.
The calf facilities should be well ventilated and free from any draughts, with a minimum of 7m3 air space per calf allowed, which is often a challenge for older farm builds.
Calf houses should be separate from the cow’s facilities so that the airspace is not shared with older animals who tend to carry and transfer pathogens to young stock.
Within the facilities for the calves , there should be solids divisions between the pens to minimise the risk of disease spreading and a farmer should account for accessing the shed with straw bedding or cleaning it out with a tractor.
Adequate drainage channels of 5% slopes are important to carry away any moisture from the beds as they will keep the straw bedding dry which will minimise disease and save on labour.
Even though it may seem like a hard investment to go through with, considering the year that’s in it, you could potentially see a rapid reduction in labour costs and requirements.
It is an investment for the long run and with the improvements in breeding in the last couple of years, it may ease up the need of getting rid of calves so early off the farm, allowing for a bit of breathing space and time to make decisions around the calves.