A compact calving is often what separates some of the top-performing herds in the country from some of the poorer performing herds.
But why is having cows calving compactly in the spring important for farmers?
Compact calving
Cows calving compactly in the spring increases profitability from cows, as the amount of grass in their diet can be maximised.
The aim is to ultimately match cows’ energy demand to the grass growth curve.
The target should be to have 90% of the herd calved in the first six weeks of the calving season.
For many farmers, calving compactly is a challenge. Some herds are well off this mark and achieving it within a year is very unlikely – it is going to be a longer process for these farms to improve this figure.
But to really take advantage of grass, as much of the herd as possible should be calving within the first six weeks.
Heat detection aids
For a compact calving, cows with high levels of fertility that come back into herd quickly after calving are needed.
It is also helpful to be able to detect when cows are actually in heat – and heat-detection aids play a vital role in this.
One of the most commonly used methods for heat detection is tail paint, which is applied on the cow’s tail head and when mounted, the paint is removed.
Another method is Kamars, which are pressure-sensitive detectors that turn red when pressure is applied.
Similar to tail paint, they are placed on a cow’s tail head, but they are glued on and need to be securely attached to work effectively.
Scratch cards are another option. These are also applied to the cow’s tail head and when mounted, the scratch card is rubbed, revealing a red colour.
Other options include a vasectomised bull with a chin ball. This bull will be unable to breed cows but will mark the cows that are in heat with paint from the chin ball.
There are also a number of heat-detection systems that can be used and these are now included in Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Schemes (TAMS), meaning that farmers can obtain grant aid to purchase them.