In the Dingle area today entailed pre-breed scans of dairy herds which are starting their breeding programmes this week. In this part of Kerry, most of the herds calve in the Spring time from the middle of February onwards.Winters are milder here than in other parts of the country and the grass growth season is earlier. Farmers like to get the cows out to grass as soon as possible after calving to satisfy some of their cows appetite with grazed grass. It is very worthy to note today, the fact that the percentage of cows cycling greater than 20 days calved was 90% overall.The average last year was close to 70%. It's noticeable dry weather with good grass covers and good dry matter intakes has resulted in improved in good body condition score of cows and more cows as a result for breeding.
Dr Dan Ryan
www.cows365.com