ALMOST 50% of suckler cows calve in the months of March and April, so a large proportion of beef cows are now in the final 2 – 3 months of pregnancy. There are a few important management tasks to be addressed in preparation for calving.

By the way, having 50% of the spring calving herd calving in March and April is rather late for those selling weanlings in the autumn as it means a very light weaning for sale and one that cannot make full use of summer grass. A better target would be to have 50% of calvings in February and March but that issue is for another day. Today I will discuss feeding to target condition score, pre-calver minerals, scour vaccines and parasite control.

FEEDING

Body condition score (BSC) is the best guide to correct feeding of suckler cows. The appropriate condition score in late pregnancy is to maintain body condition between BCS 2.0 and 3.0. Having cows above 3.0 is unnecessary, wasteful and can lead to a greater incidence of calving difficulty. Lower than BCS 2.0 results in weaker cows and much slower re-breeding, resulting in an increase in calving interval. Thin cows may also produce poorer quality biestings and calves that are at greater risk of disease.

Cows that are in good body condition at the start of the winter (BCS 3.0) can tolerate a loss of 0.5 of a condition score between housing and turnout, therefore body reserves can be used to substitute for scarce feed supplies in winter, provided cows go into the winter in good condition.

In relation to silage feeding, a 600kg cow is unlikely to consume above 45kg per day of moderate quality silage. Therefore, cows in condition score 2.5 – 3.0 should be fed such silage to appetite (if an adequate supply is available) while thinner cows will need 1 – 2 kg concentrate before calving. Where silage is restricted, provide 1 kg. concentrate per 7 kg of silage spared.

Pre-calver minerals: Feed about 100g (4 oz.) of pre-calver mineral per cow per day for six weeks before calving. The mineral can be sprinkled on the silage or on concentrates if feeding straights or mixtures of straights. Compound rations have minerals included but, where only a small amount of ration is fed, cows should still get loose minerals on the silage.

SCOUR VACCINES

The administration of anti-scour vaccines before calving, provides additional protection, via the colostrum, against known scourcausing organisms. Vaccination provides added protection to good husbandry practices but is not a guaranteed blanket prevention for calf scours. Vaccines are available to combat E.coli, rotovirus, coronavirus and salmonella. Cryptosporidium has become a common cause of calf scour but there is no vaccine available to combat it. Where cryptosporidium has been identified, disinfection, feeding adequate high quality colostrum in the first few hours of life, good hygiene and vaccination against the other scour-causing organisms will help reduce its severity. Follow the manufacturer's instructions on administration of caccines and consult your vet on an appropriate vaccination routine.

PARASITES

Fluke and lice are the most troublesome parasite of mature suckler cows. Well fed, healthy cows should have strong immunity to worms. This has been a bad fluke year. All housed cows should have been treated for fluke at this stage with products that are effective against immature and adult flukes. Outdoor stock on rough grazing or reserved pasture should have been treated in October/november and again around now.

When treating for lice make sure to cover all the stock in the shed at the one time.