Three weeks prior to calving, cows move to a transition group in a loose-housed yard. They are fed ForFarmers’ TRANSLAC Advance feed with a mix of 3kg of straw, plus grass and maize silage, which includes a calcium binder, to reduce the risk of milk fevers. Cows are fed the forage mix once a day, but the feed is pushed up five times a day – with the TRANSLAC Advance top dressed twice per day. After calving, cows are put into a fresh-calved group and are kept separately from the main milking herd, close to the parlour. This allows staff to keep a watchful eye on them. Cows’ temperatures are checked regularly during this period and dry matter intakes are monitored.
They are given an electrolyte drink immediately after calving and the fresh-calved group are fed on a ‘calmer’ diet, before being moved into the main milking group. Protected choline is also added to their ration for between 10 days and two weeks after calving.
“We are also using Breeder Tag feed-fence technology, to help early detection of metabolic problems in the transition and fresh group of cows,” explains Tim.
He believes that the three weeks pre-calving and three weeks post calving are the most critical time in the lactation and that if this period is managed correctly, everything else falls into place.
“I need healthy, fertile, well-looked-after cows in order to make the most efficient use of feed in the system,” he says. Purchased feed costs are 9.1ppl, while yield from forage stands at 2,920 litres per cow.
The cows at the unit calve from the beginning of July through to early November, with the herd achieving a rolling calving index of 371 days. During the 2018 breeding season, Tim used sexed semen in order to produce the required number of replacements. The rest of the herd was inseminated with beef semen. “We’re aiming to breed fertility into the herd and we ensure that we have plenty of information to help with breeding decisions,” says Tim.
“We use Genus RMS, information from pedometers, and visual checks to make sure we’re serving cows at the right time. Running a block-calving system means that we get a break from fertility to concentrate on calving. It also helps to take the pressure off a bit, resulting in better results when we start again.”