Square bales ahead of meath game no need for the gym

Anyone who reads my column on a regular basis will recall I purchased calves a number of weeks back to rear on milk replacer.

Pre-purchase, I had decided on the rearing practice to be carried out until weaning.

The most important stage in the lifecycle of a heifer/bull is the rearing stage. An optimum system will ensure good animal performance resulting in growth rates >500g/calf/day from milk replacer.

Unfortunately, bucket feeding calves, as opposed to them suckling dams, results in lower growth rates.

The calves averaged four weeks of age when purchased. Buying from a trustworthy source and from visual observations, I knew these calves received top class management.

The first hours of an animal’s life are crucial and the farmer assured me all had received colostrum within the first four hours of birth.

Colostrum, in the milk of freshly calved cows, has antibodies and vitamins that have a significant impact on the health of the new-born.

To my benefit, these calves received whole milk until I purchased them and were eating concentrates.

Unlike whey based milk replacers, whole milk forms a clot in the stomach of new-born calves, enabling digestive enzymes, renin and lactase, to break down the milk structure and release nutrients to the calf. The gradual consumption of concentrates aids rumen development.

Shelter, milk replacer, concentrates, grass area and fresh water were taken care of and eventually the last piece of the puzzle landed to their new home.

Due to their age, the calves were suitable to receive a whey based milk replacer. I opted to change the type of concentrate they were receiving from a pellet to a coarse ration.

The introduction of milk replacer was gradual. Their stomach would not have been ready for a full allocation of milk powder so they were built up to the correct level. Calves are fed twice a day and are now receiving a minimum of 5L/head/day milk replacer and 800g/head/day of a coarse concentrate.

As the coarse ration will develop the rumen, there is no need for a large supply of hay – a small supply of hay will aid rumen health.

Square bales are a favourite on our farm (for some) and have become a tradition. The summer I was leaving for Australia we had our biggest crop of hay. I am still convinced it was done so I wouldn’t miss home, but it didn’t quite develop that way.

As I am putting this article together, grass has been knocked with the intentions to produce square bales. If I was a gambling man I’d bet my father has one eye on our next football match against Meath.

I’m sure to hear the familiar ‘you won’t need a gym for a week’ comment with a reference toward the game.