I was at the field gate before 7am. We had let out 35 calves the day before and I wanted to see how they were getting on.

There was a field of grass for silage between the calves and the road.

The day the calves go out marks the end of the busy spring season and the start of summer. The sun was up and the vibrant green of the grass contrasted well with the darker green of the trees.

Elder trees were in bloom here and there.

The creamy flowers are not quite as showy as the spent whitethorn blossoms. I stole my way down the ditch and as I did, I spotted three wandering heifers.

They were a little startled to see me and started to go further away. I called them and recognising my voice, they came running.

That alone lifted my heart. I opened the fence at the gap for them to rejoin the bunch that were still sleeping in the next field. They lowed loudly as they crossed the field as if to say, “we were lost, she found us and now we’re back”.

Cue for breakfast

They all gathered around me. I know this familiarity will wane as they grow, but for now I enjoy it. I’ve always been their cue for breakfast so they suddenly ran off to the mobile feeder to get some nuts.

What a sight it is to see young stock exploring the beautiful environment and enjoying the new found freedom of running and eating ad-lib grass.

They were weighed every few weeks before that. It is the only way to monitor the progress properly and correct any problems that might arise.

They are still only babies. They are of course the cream of our crop being the February girls. Our policy is to have them at 100kgs by the time they are weaned and putting on 1kg/day. We’ve been weighing the calves every week for the last six weeks.

They were weighed every few weeks before that. It is the only way to monitor the progress properly and correct any problems that might arise. The ICBF programme is a wonderful management tool.

Any heifer in the red or pink zone can be immediately identified and given the attention required to get her on par with the group. None of this first group falls into that bracket. It is usually later calves that might have difficulty reaching the target weights.

When to wean?

As you read this, I’m sure some calf rearers are saying that we are late with turnout. This is deliberate, and for two reasons. We wean according to weight.

The advice from Dr Emer Kennedy, Dairy Enterprise leader with Teagasc is to hold calves inside for a further two weeks after finishing milk.

They will eat grass properly, taking in the fibre as well, if they are no longer on milk. While on milk, calves tend to eat just the top of the grass and thus might run the risk of scour.

The challenge now is to get the remainder weaned and up to an adequate weight. Every farmer has their own ideas about weaning weight and how to manage it.

It is hugely important for the life and health of the future cow.

The next batch of calves are doing well. Realistically, they will probably be inside for another three weeks. I don’t mind so long as we get it right for each heifer.

Planning ahead

We are now at the time of year when we farmers are authorities on calf rearing. We know what went wrong and why. More importantly, we know what went right.

This is the time to write down what you must remember to do for next year and also write down your wish list for the calf rearing enterprise on the farm. I promise you that you will have those nitty gritty bits that need attention well forgotten by summer’s end.