COWS
- Milk quality and RVM consults are underway. This is a good opportunity to review your milking season, ask us any questions you have on animal health, and to setup your dry-cow plan for this season. This is also a good occasion to complete your Animal Health Plan for the Fonterra Cooperative Difference and demonstrate that things are being done well.
- Drying-off of high SCC cows and your lighter animals will be happening soon – remember, cows need 25-30 days to gain half a body condition score. They won’t put weight on 10 days after dry-off nor 30 days pre-calving, so you need 10 weeks for 0.5 BCS gain, and 14 weeks for 1 BCS gain before calving. Get us to come out and condition score the herd if you’re unsure, and we’ll give you a very classy table telling you when to dry off each animal based on her calving date.
- If you’d like us to help administer dry cow to the herd, book in now! It’s always a bit tricky to fit everyone in, so the more notice you can give us the better.
- Herd lepto vaccinations are starting; fitting them in before drying off is often easier.
- Zinc supplementation should be continuing.
- Liver Mineral checks can be performed on any late culls to check trace minerals going into winter.
- Keep balancing the maize minerals. Milkers will need calcium, magnesium and salt added to the maize to avoid becoming deficient. Call us if you need help working out the doses or if cows are going down after starting maize.
- Please order your dry cow, ideally with 24 hours notice, so we can have it ready for you for the time that you want it.
HEIFERS
- Give them a visit to make sure the feed is adequate for them and they come home big and beautiful and BCS 5.5 for calving. There is still time to get them pregnancy tested if not yet done.
- Don’t forget their Lepto/Salmonella/Rotavirus boosters.
- Think about their B12/Selenium/Copper requirements.
- Book in Teatsealing.
CALVES
- Worm larvae numbers will be up with autumn rain. Ensure regular drenching to keep on top of this and avoid growth checks.
- Autumn Calves dehorn + 5in1/10in1 vaccinations
- Spring calves 3rd lepto vaccination should be considered if their first and second shots are given before Christmas but the heifers are not usually done until the autumn. The ideal gap between the annual lepto vaccinations is, well, 12 months. Please talk to your vet if you have any questions about this.
All the best for the last few weeks of the season.
