Land had dried out well in the previous week, when the first cattle went to grass.
The heifers were grazing in three batches and, up until Tuesday, graze-outs had been quite good.
Heavy rainfall over Tuesday night saw some superficial damage done to a couple of paddocks.
The heifers were starting to tramp grass back into the ground due to the heavy rainfall.
The heifers were moved on Wednesday to avoid excessive poaching and to keep fresh grass under their heads.
However, with the weather not improving throughout Wednesday or Thursday, the decision was made to rehouse the heifers.
There is plenty of silage in the yard, so feed was not an issue.
SHARING OPTIONS:
While a few cases of bloat are not uncommon in dairy-beef calves, if it is more prevalent on farm you need to consider feeding consistency and feeding hygiene.
While buying for the programme remains slow due to high calf prices, some calves continue to arrive at the demonstration farm.
These calves are coming directly from farms in close proximity to the demo farm at John Hally’s in Cashel, Co Tipperary, so there is no need to feed an electrolyte on arrival as journey time is minimal.
John has noticed a few calves with bloat issues over the past week to 10 days.
In the second of our Spring Livestock Series, we concentrate on dairy calf to beef production.
With more and more beef coming from the dairy herd each year, it’s becoming an increasingly popular topic of conversation and there s a huge debate on whether or not it’s something farmers should be considering.
This evening we will focus on the use of beef genetics on the dairy herd, and there will be discussion on the challenges faced in ensuring a viable dairy beef calf industry in Ireland.
Irish Farmers Journal editor and CEO Justin McCarthy will moderate the discussion tonight and our panel of experts will discuss a number of items listed below in relation to dairy calf to beef production.