Friday, 13 July 2018 10:55

How to have a smoother calving season

Written by 
A well-stocked calving kit will save you making trips between the paddock and the shed. A well-stocked calving kit will save you making trips between the paddock and the shed.

Calving season is around the corner and now is the time to start planning and preparing.

According to DairyNZ, now is the time help your farm team get set up early for a smoother calving season.

Pre-calving checklist

- Supplies of metabolics, electrolytes, navel spray etc. on hand or ordered

- New team members up to date on farm policies and what to expect during calving

- Calf trailer and feeding equipment clean and disinfected

- Calf shed clean and disinfected and all repairs and maintenance done

- Designated sick calf area ready 

- Fresh bedding laid in calf shed

- Calving kit prepared.

A well-stocked calving kit will save you making trips between the paddock and the shed.

Planning and preparing for calving with your farm team will reduce stress when calving is in full swing and help it run smoothly. 

Hold a team meeting prior to calving and decide who will do what and when. Record the plan where everyone can see it. 

Introduce new staff to systems and processes so everyone is on the same page when calving starts. Establish a roster and make sure staff know how to fill out timesheets. 

Eating well is important and some owners provide staff with crock pots; keep healthy snacks at the shed or have a cooked breakfast together after milking.

Watch for signs of stress, meet regularly and talk often.

Keep your calving kit at the gate of the springer paddock. 

Have a team member in charge of making sure it is restocked regularly. 

Calving kit contents

- Bucket with a lid to contain kit (tape a checklist of contents inside the lid).

- Metabolics (clearly labelled milk fever treatments and starter drench).

- 3 calving ropes or chains (strong, supple and cleaned after each use).

- 2 litre container of lube (a plunger pump is an easy way to dispense lube if hands are busy).

- Towel and soap for cleaning hands

- Notebook and pencil (A pencil will still work in wet conditions, unlike a pen).

- Ear tags or other calf identification system (Pre numbered tags with corresponding numbers on a record sheet will save time and reduce the chance of recording mistakes).

- Spray paint, red plus another colour (red can be used as a warning colour. e.g. withhold milk. Communicate this with staff).

- Gloves for rectal or other exam

- Head torch and spare batteries

- Iodine spray pre-mixed with water (do not use teat dip as an alternative).

- Key contact numbers (vet, manager) on laminated sheet. Save numbers in phone).

- Calving intervention guide

- Food/energy bars.

More like this

DairyNZ plantain trials cut nitrate leaching by 26%

DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.

Featured

Australia develops first local mRNA FMD vaccine

Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.

NZ household food waste falls again

Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.

Editorial: No joking matter

OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.

DairyNZ plantain trials cut nitrate leaching by 26%

DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.

National

All eyes on NZ milk supply

All eyes are on milk production in New Zealand and its impact on global dairy prices in the coming months.

Machinery & Products

Leader balers arrive in NZ

Officially launched at the National Fieldays event in June, the Leader in-line conventional PRO 1900 balers are imported and distributed…

JDLink Boost for NZ farms

Connectivity is widely recognised as one of the biggest challenges facing farmers, but it is now being overcome through the…

New generation Defender HD11

The all-new 2026 Can-Am Defender HD11 looks likely to raise the bar in the highly competitive side-by-side category.

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Full cabinet

OPINION: Legislation being drafted to bring back the controversial trade of live animal exports by sea is getting stuck in the…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter