When's calving starting 2022

whelan2 · 03-01-2022 10:03am #1

Had a fr heifer calf born this morning in cubicle shed. Cow due 15th January. I served a few in early April as I was penalised for not supplying enough milk last January. A sexed mo salah calf. All good. Best of luck for calving 2022

Easten · 03-01-2022 10:59am

I have springers calving these days, 11 on the ground so far, 4 left to go. All in-calf to Salers and haven't had to intervene at any stage from caving to sucking. Space for them all Calving is tight enough even though I made another 2 calving pens last year.

Cows not due to start calving until the end of Feb.

Dunedin · 03-01-2022 11:31am

Kicked off on New Year’s Day with a set of twins which I wasn’t expecting. All is well though. Be the end of this week before it all rightly kicks off.

davidk1394 · 03-01-2022 12:04pm

I won't be expecting anything until the end of the month. I'll be settling up calf pens and calving pens next week. Making up two new calving pens as the one last year worked but wasn't ideal

Sugarbowl · 03-01-2022 12:40pm

A LM ZGM heifer calf for me on New Years Day. First time using him. Lovely calf.

squinn2912 · 03-01-2022 4:11pm

a lim bull calf for us. She’s out on her own was carrying twins and lost them so put her back in calf so all good. Be a couple of weeks now I think

Who2 · 03-01-2022 4:41pm

14 calved, 3 sections two of them were coming backwards but calves are coming very big this year out of my own bull. I’ve 2 heifers left to calve but 1 of them is to Marco so I can sleep comfortably.

the 3 sections were all over 80kg biggest topped 100kg. I’ve them on 1/3 hay 2/3 silage and they are being restricted even more now. I’ll have another two or three this month and full swing for February and March.

Hard Knocks · 03-01-2022 5:15pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118411024#Comment_118411024

We’d an issue last year due to good quality silage, vet recommended reducing silage that springers have enough to keep them going but have bare concrete for a few hours

Hard Knocks · 03-01-2022 5:18pm

LM bull calf off ABI today, next in February

SuperTortoise · 03-01-2022 5:19pm

Ye will all be finished by the time i start calving!

I'll see ye all in about 3 months time!

whelan2 · 03-01-2022 5:47pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118411024#Comment_118411024

How are the cows and calves after the sections?

tanko · 03-01-2022 6:03pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118409884#Comment_118409884

Great comfort at calving time with Gamin, he’s a super bull.

Who2 · 03-01-2022 6:12pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118411180#Comment_118411180

I was feeding 1 feed rest pushed in the next morning. I’ve gone to one feed, rest pushed in the next evening now, then feed the next day now. And not feeding until next evening again. The cows are in reasonable nick of the three sections they were the thinner of the cows so seemed to be pumping all into the calf.

the first section all good, the second section had to get her pumped after three days but she’s around nicely the third ended up with a burst vessel because the calf was massive and lying over the wrong way on her. The vet had some craic sorting her out but got it stopped and she seems to be doing fine.

im lucky I’ve a good vet. The bull was hung up last week. Only three and a half but he is too raw calving and he shook the head at me a few too many times this year.

Who2 · 03-01-2022 6:13pm

The calves are all flying it, torture to get them to latch onto the spins with the size of them but once they got going they haven’t looked back.

funkey_monkey · 03-01-2022 6:25pm

Would any of you have problems with crypto with calving at this time?

You'll have calves though that are able to utilise the grass when turned out.

ABitofsense · 03-01-2022 6:35pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118409884#Comment_118409884

Any pics?

I've him on 4 of my best cows this year & looking forward to see what he brings. Hoping for heifers.

golodge · 03-01-2022 6:48pm

Have a cow due on the 11th of this month, another due on the 25th. Both calves will be from new bulls, so fingers crossed that everything will be okay.

Albert Johnson · 03-01-2022 7:20pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118411204#Comment_118411204

Do you sell the weanlings or keep through to beef/store? I wouldn't be a fan of early calving myself, between the workload, facilities needed to keep them until turnout, expense and risk of scours ect. It's grand to get them calved and out to grass ASAP but you'll generally see the difference when the autumn comes. That's not as big an issue if you're retaining them as opposed to selling.

whelan2 · 03-01-2022 7:29pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118411561#Comment_118411561

Keep everything clean . Make sure calf has enough biestings . Use rotavec or equivalent

squinn2912 · 03-01-2022 7:33pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118411945#Comment_118411945

Every year around this time I be thinking about the stragglers in May - nice, mild weather and a massive long day to check them, calving outside on their own. There are drawbacks surely but I dunno how to make my mind up on it. We dont really sell weanlings so there’s little point in very early calving. It allows for keeping on heifers to calve at 27/28 months just

SuperTortoise · 03-01-2022 7:40pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118411945#Comment_118411945

Usually sell at 12Months as stores, i tried early calving a few times and it just does'nt suit my setup, turnout here is usually late April/early May so shed space is at a premium.

When you're calving in March/April there's no price for the weanling at the back end, the only value you have is to keep them on and sell as stores or finish yourself.

The last year i tried early calving we had a bad spring and turnout was 15th May and the ground was still soft, i was calving cows in pens with sometimes 3 or 4 other calves lying in them and it was just hardship all around, if you could rely on a turnout date you could make it work but here in the west it's an absolute lottery.

We tend to feed on the weanlings in the first winter and they would generally make up the difference in weight to calves 2-3 months older.

Who2 · 03-01-2022 7:45pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118411561#Comment_118411561

I had crypto twice, a pure torture. I use more bedding now, I’ve better calving facilities with being able to hold calves on straw beds longer before going back into slats with cows, keep the minerals right and a really tight eye on calves with the first sign of an issue getting it dealt with rather than saying he should be grand. I haven’t vaccinated yet, I intended to but didn’t get to do it yet, hopefully get it done on Saturday.

I had gone away from calving this time of year but I cleared out the autumn calvers and I’d too many late calvers so I’ve a bit of an amalgamation to do. February calving onwards would suit me better but I wouldn’t be able to handle them all in one really tight bunch. I’ve a three acre paddock set up with a good cover to get the early ones going out soon.

DukeCaboom · 03-01-2022 9:47pm

Boy n girl yesterday morning. Up sucking. It's the first time in 20 I'd changed (he retired) from where I bought my bulls so I was a bit nervous. He still only 6.1% but still nice have them popping out.

patsy_mccabe · 05-01-2022 9:46pm

First calf of 2022 arrived here this evening. An Elite Lacette (LM5037) bull. Serious front shoulder to him. Reminds me of Ardlea Dan type calves. Probably the smallest cow I have but she calved no bother. My new calving shed worked grand. Even having the crush running along the wall allowed me to check calf with no worry of cow cornering me at back of shed.