Late evening feeding to reduce night time calvings?

[crashbox]

Just wondering if any dairy farmers out there have tried this? We are all year round calving and I'm a mile from the farm, so it's a pain travelling to check on them. We have a camera but still...

Link to Farmers Weekly article here, but both case studies are beef farmers.

5 tips when late feeding to prevent night-time calving - Farmers Weekly

With cows usually checked less frequently at night, calving during nocturnal hours can lead to more complications, vet bills and higher calf mortality,

www.fwi.co.uk

Considering letting my close up cows have access to barley straw all day, but open up a gate to the maize silage and concentrates at say 5pm.

Cheers,
CB

 

[farmerdan7618]

It works, done it with dairy for 10 years. Don't make things complicated and just feed once a day in the evening. Most calvings between 10am and 2pm.

Works on the principal of not calving on a full stomach, so I suspect having different feeds morning and evening will make it less likely to work.

 

[Conrod96]

Works well for us here fed after milking every night after milking cows will mostly calf between 5am - 10am although try to mostly make them have the ration finished round lunch so they want to eat when fed again

 

[Rossymons]

Years ago an old farmer told me about this. Thinking it was complete nonsense I had a go.

He was 100% right. We fed our dry cows around afternoon milking time and well over 90% calved in daylight hours.

Would definitely recommend.

 

[coomoo]

Just wondering if any dairy farmers out there have tried this? We are all year round calving and I'm a mile from the farm, so it's a pain travelling to check on them. We have a camera but still...

Link to Farmers Weekly article here, but both case studies are beef farmers.

5 tips when late feeding to prevent night-time calving - Farmers Weekly

With cows usually checked less frequently at night, calving during nocturnal hours can lead to more complications, vet bills and higher calf mortality,

www.fwi.co.uk

Considering letting my close up cows have access to barley straw all day, but open up a gate to the maize silage and concentrates at say 5pm.

Cheers,
CB

Are you losing a lot of calves and cows the now?

 

[crashbox]

Are you losing a lot of calves and cows the now?

No, but a lot of late nights watching cows... with milking next morning looking for ways to improve work.life balance.

 

[Durry cows]

Ours have ad lib access to haylage so not restrictable, would the 2kg pre calver nuts make a difference towards calving? Currently fed at around 10am?

 

[crashbox]

Ours have ad lib access to haylage so not restrictable, would the 2kg pre calver nuts make a difference towards calving? Currently fed at around 10am?

I don't think so, as the theory is a full rumen applies more internal pressure and reduces ability of contractions to occur.
So it needs to be significant dry matter volumes to have an affect.

 

[farmerdan7618]

Ours have ad lib access to haylage so not restrictable, would the 2kg pre calver nuts make a difference towards calving? Currently fed at around 10am?

Little difference on the nuts I would think.

Never done it by restricting intakes, just by the fresh feed being in the evening, so works on ad-lib as long as feeding daily.

Last job of the working day, silage in for dry cows, park handler and walk along the line of cows feeling for any starting to pitch in.

Still have a camera, but far easier to wake up, watch cows eating on camera, then go back to sleep.

 

[som farmer]

works a treat for us, laughed at it, when told, very pleased to admit i was wrong.

 

[coomoo]

No, but a lot of late nights watching cows... with milking next morning looking for ways to improve work.life balance.

I get that I’ll be a mile away from unit aswell, 19 heifers chipping up now is going to take a bit extra watching. Interesting thread just think the problem ones will still be a problem good to see other people’s experience’s tho.

 

[thewalrus]

breed using easy calving bulls. Then leave them too it at night?

 

[Conrod96]

Ours are checked at bedtime and left to their own devices from then till 5am no cameras either as someone has said above it’s about work life balance maybe lose the odd calf but not enough to justify losing sleep over

 

[Homesy]

works a treat for us, laughed at it, when told, very pleased to admit i was wrong.

What do you do exactly ? I tried this this year. Feed them at 5pm and so far 80% are calving between midnight and 5 am. What am I doing wrong ? Complete ballache I haven't not have one calf in the middle of the night for over 2 weeks.

 

[som farmer]

keep them 'lean', so hungry when you put the feed out, 5.00, perhaps it's the 'hungry' bit, makes them come and eat.
Any 'pickings' in field, not so good. Definitely not starving them though.

 

[Y Fan Wen]

I believe it works for sheep as well.

 

[JMTHORNLEY]

Done this for years now. Once they are in they are on night time feeding. Ration out for the evening/day and then fodder pushed up FIRST thing in the morning. Usually cleaned up by 2 and fresh down again by 6/7 latest.
Best thing I have ever accidentally stumbled across, I was forced to change the time I was feeding and found that year everything calved in daylight so that’s what I have done ever since

 

[Scrapjockey]

Spring calving herd here,cows are fed 6pm from the time they are housed. Pushed up in morning,cleaned up by midday.Majority calved late afternoon.10 per cent calved 6-7 am.From talking to others that have tried it the best results are got from starting the feeding routine at housing.

 

[farmer on a bike]

What do you do exactly ? I tried this this year. Feed them at 5pm and so far 80% are calving between midnight and 5 am. What am I doing wrong ? Complete ballache I haven't not have one calf in the middle of the night for over 2 weeks.

if You feed at 5pm they should calve before 10pm and when you do a check at 9.30pm if one is still calving it normally has a problem. cows will then start calving again in the early hours and you will have some calved by 5am but they will have calved fairly recently.
Calving at night is natural tendency thaat is inherited as a way of protecting the calf from preditors. Your issue may be that your cows are fearful of calving in the day. Is the area they calve in particularly busy? Are there dogs around in the day?

 

[aidan]

Anyone got a nice easy DIY gate that they close off access to the feedbarrier with ?