Cattle Management Activities: February

The Annual Livestock Management Calender can be downloaded at: https://www.box.net/shared/7kvs8fceot6x58ojisc1

Cattle Vaccination Calender (annual) is available at: http://agrialert.blogspot.com/2013/02/cattle-vaccination-calender.html
             

Body Condition

                  
Continue supplementing phosphate (P) with the green vegetation.

Mix your own P6 for phosphate supplementation as follow:

33 % Futterfos (P 18)

50% Salt

17% Molatek Molasses meal 
100%

Lactating cows should at least consume a minimum of 6 gram of Phosphate a day (browsing green bush also contribute to P intake). Therefore the minimum intake per lactating cow/day should be 100 grams of the P supplement. This is needed for milk production, growth and building body reserves during the green season. The same apply for growing cattle, assimilating body reserves during this period.

Make sure breeding cows have a body condition of at least 3 (working bulls at least 4 to 5) when going into the mating season (picture above). This will lessen the effect of lactation an-estrus, improve the chance of re-conception during the mating season, shorten the Inter Calving Period, improve calving % and therefore herd fertility and ultimately income....If the body condition is below 3 additional feed like Enerfeed (Feedmaster), albida pods, hominey chop etc. should be fed to the cows (1-2kg/cow/day).

  

1st Week:

                         

• Dehorn Calves

2nd Week:

• Artificial Insemination (AI) stops around 8 February. Cows that was not inseminated goes to "opruimings"/clean up/reserve bulls. Observation of AI cows continue 

          
Artificial Insemination

4th Week:

• Heifer mating season ends
• Weigh all cattle for biomass and weigh heifers for mass at the end of mating season

Cattle Management Activities for the rest of the year:

July Management Activities: http://agrialert.blogspot.com/2011/07/livestock-management-activities-for.html

August Management Activities: http://agrialert.blogspot.com/2012/08/large-stock-management-activities-august.html

September Management Activities: http://agrialert.blogspot.com/2012/08/large-stock-management-activities-for.html

October Management Activities: http://agrialert.blogspot.com/2012/10/large-stock-management-activities.html

November/December Management Activities: http://agrialert.blogspot.com/2012/11/large-stock-management-activities.html

January Management Activities: http://agrialert.blogspot.com/2013/01/cattle-management-activities-january.html