Accommodation
You’ve still time to run through the following check list and make any necessary maintenance repairs to winter accommodation. Cow environment is equally if not more important than diet.
• What state are the cubicles in. Do any cubicles need altering to improve lying times?
• Are the mattresses in a good state or should some be replaced?
• If you’ve sand or other deep bedding systems, have they been cleaned and any issues addressed?
• Have the water troughs been scrubbed and cleaned and are they working correctly?
• Are feed faces and troughs clean and smooth or would they benefit from treatment to increase intakes this winter?
• Is the feed rail at the correct height for your cows and heifers?
• Are walking surfaces suitably grooved to reduce slipping, or maintained to minimised the risk of injury and damage to feet?
facing massive pressure. For starters they’ll be changing group, changing environment and changing diet all at once. Make sure these animals are well grown – 85% adult bodyweight by 24 months – and they calve down at no more than body condition score 3, with no metabolic disease, lameness or mastitis, so they’ll be in a better position to cope and maximise their potential.
ABOVE Before housing, check whether cubicles need altering and remember to check walking surfaces are suitably grooved to reduce slipping and minimise risk of injury.
BELOW The rumen takes up to six weeks to fully adjust to a change of diet, so a gradual introduction is better to keep cows healthy and reduce risk of fertility or production issues.
One of the major issues facing heifers coming into the herd is housing and feed space, as it’s often tight. One answer is to offer the heifers priority in a separate area, or keep one portion of the herd, such as the fresh calved cows, at a lower stocking rate and increase the numbers of those in late lactation.
Remember your herd has been in its natural environment with free access to feed and lunging room for up to six months. If you want to maximise performance potential this coming winter, then it’s vital you do everything you can at this stage of the season to keep both cows and heifers comfortable and healthy through the housing period.
THE JOURNAL OCTOBER 2014 101
PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICHARD HODGSON
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