FIRST SEASON AT GRASS

TARGETS: Target 30% of mature body weight at 6 months.

Animal Nutrition

• Feed GAIN Wean ‘N’ Build Nuts at 1 - 2kg/day to calves at grass from one month after weaning. Concentrates can be phased out on good grass 4 - 6 weeks after weaning.

• Calves are selective grazers, they should be offered fresh grass but should not be left in the same paddock for long periods.

• Ideal pre-grazing grass covers for calves are 1,0001,400kg DM/ha.

Animal Health

Control of parasite burden

• If calves are below target weight, a good response to autumn supplementation can be achieved.

• With autumn born calves or calves housed above 12 weeks of age, offer GAIN Calf Rearer 18% Nuts.

• In some cases calves can display wasting symptoms post weaning and after turnout. This is often linked to the consumption of short leafy grass, with high levels of sugars and protein post-weaning and a lack of fibre consumption. Where issues such as this arise, GAIN RumenCare Calf Nut and long fibre should be offered, offering a chopped fibre inclusion in the concentrate.

The control of stomach worms, lung worm and fluke is based on:

1. Grazing management

First grazing season animals should be turned out to clean pasture. Clean pasture is land not grazed by young cattle since the mid summer/early autumn the previous year and implementing an appropriate treatment protocol to keep pasture contamination low.

2. Good nutrition

Good quality grazing and appropriate concentrate supplementation can partially offset the negative effects of parasite infestation and the associated reduced appetite. Well-nourished cattle are also better at building up immunity against parasites and limit parasite reproduction.

3.

Appropriate use of anthelmintics

Anthelmintic resistance is a key consideration in sustainable control of parasites. Monitor calf and heifer performance during the grazing season and use faecal egg count (FEC) testing to treat when appropriate. Grazing these animals on aftergrass pasture will reduce the need for repeated treatment. In case of identification of rumen fluke eggs in dung samples, treatment is certainly not indicated if animals are thriving. When calves are at grass, a ‘dose and move’ strategy is highly selective for resistant worms and is not recommended.

Leptospirosis To protect heifers from the negative effects of leptospirosis during their first breeding season, the primary vaccination course of two shots should be completed before heifers are turned out.

If FEC after more than 3 weeks of grazing indicates an increased worm burden, strategic dosing (3-week, 8-week and 13-week strategy using ivermectin or the 0-week and 8-week strategy using doramectin) may be used. Seasonlong products would also work in this situation. Calves dosed in this strategic manner should remain set-stocked on the same fields for maximum effect.

A vaccine against lung worm is available to give to heifers before turn-out.

Clostridial diseases

Diseases such as Blackleg and Tetanus can be prevented by vaccinating calves from 2 weeks of age. The primary vaccination requires 2 doses 4 to 6 weeks apart.

Coccidiosis wet areas such as beside streams and around water troughs form high risk areas for build-up of coccidia in the calf's environment.