The end of January and beginning of February signals the start of the spring-calving season on Irish farms, with the majority of the national dairy herd due to calf between now and May, kicking off another lactation on farms.
Calf registrations
The latest figures from the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) show that the week ending January 21, saw a total of 26,667 calves registered.
This is a decrease compared to the same time period in 2021, when 27,605 calves had been registered.
Taking a closer look at the figures, we see that 18,323 dairy calves had been registered in the week ending January 21 – which is a slight increase compared to 2021, when 18,261 calves were registered.
Taking a look at the beef births, we can see a decrease in registrations compared to 2021 figures.
For the week ending January 21, some 8,354 beef calves were registered, a decrease of 990 head compared to 2021, when 9,344 calves were registered.
Calf registrations up to and including the week ending January 21, 2022:
- Dairy calf births: 28,061 (+842);
- Beef calf births: 18,846 (-737);
- Total births: 46,907 (+105).
Spring calving
As the calving season gets underway on farms, farmers are reminded of the importance of early management of newborn calves.
Farmers should use the 1,2,3 rule when feeding calves this spring, to ensure calves get adequate colostrum.
Using the 1,2,3 rule:
- Use the first milk (colostrum) from the cow;
- Feed the calf colostrum within the first two hours of birth;
- Calves must be offered at least 3L of good-quality colostrum.
Colostrum is a source of maternal antibodies and gives a calf the best start in life, so ensuring calves get adequate amounts of high-quality colostrum is important.
