As the vibrant hues of summer fade and the crisp embrace of autumn fills the air, livestock farmers shift their focus to the impending calving season. Autumn calving presents both challenges and opportunities, but with meticulous planning, this period can be rewarding for both animals and farms alike.

Dive into Herdwatch's comprehensive guide to autumn calving below, designed to equip farmers with the tools for a seamless and productive autumn calving experience.

As the calving season approaches, establish a calving calendar to track expected due dates. This strategic approach will help anticipate busy periods, allowing you to arrange sufficient assistance for calving-related care.

Assess breeding performance, ensuring the well-being and proper body condition score (BCS) of cows and heifers. Deliberate on culling animals with chronic health issues or subpar reproductive performance.

Forge a comfortable and secure environment for calving cows and their newborn calves. Conduct thorough checks and repairs on fences, gates, and calving pens. Assure barns and calving areas are clean, well-ventilated, and devoid of potential hazards.

After calving, maintain the cleanliness and disinfection of calf pens to ensure optimal calf development.

Prepare for calving by replenishing essential supplies: Clean and dry bedding, obstetric gel, gloves, ropes for assisting with calving if necessary, and a well-stocked medicine cabinet equipped with vital veterinary supplies.

Closely monitor cows for signs of imminent calving. Recognise behavioural changes like isolation from the herd or heightened restlessness, which may signal impending calving.

Cameras can streamline monitoring during peak calving times, though intervention should occur only when necessary.

Despite thorough planning, calving emergencies can arise. Familiarise yourself with common calving challenges and establish a clear protocol for addressing such situations promptly and safely.

Make sure the veterinarian's contact information is accessible to all farm workers to expedite their assistance if needed.

Maintain accurate records of each calving event, noting dates, times, and noteworthy observations. This data serves as a valuable resource for tracking cow and calf health, identifying patterns, and making informed breeding decisions.

Before the calving season begins, procure necessary remedies and load treatments into the medicine cabinet on the Herdwatch app.

This proactive approach streamlines record-keeping, ensuring impeccable reports for inspections and audits. This not only saves time but also upholds best practices for both farmers and calves.

If a calf falls ill, fellow farm workers can access the animal's profile to review past treatments and uphold their treatment plan.

Effortlessly register calves using the Herdwatch App. Electronic identification (EID) tags are preloaded onto the app, minimising the possibility of errors that might occur on paper.

By selecting the dam from the due-to-calve list, and with input from previous serves, the sire is automatically populated.

This straightforward process simplifies calf registration, which can be conducted in bulk to reduce time spent searching for cow and bull tag numbers.

For farm-to-farm sales, acquaint yourself with Herdwatch Movements. Located within Compliance, this feature enables farmers to apply for movement certificates and accept animals into their herds.

This method replaces traditional movement completion approaches, allowing farmers to text the certification number from the app to the buyer.

When the cow's breeding cycle initiates, input serves from stockbulls and artificial intelligence (AI) bulls, along with positive or negative scan results, into the app. This crucial information empowers farmers to adjust the cow's regimen based on her status.

A positive scan generates a "Due to Calf" list, conveniently accessible within the Breeding Section, aiding farmers in their planning.

To download the Herdwatch app for free, click here.

The autumn-calving season holds the potential to shape a farm's future, serving as a foundation for the next generation of livestock.

By embracing this comprehensive checklist, farmers can confidently tackle the nuances of autumn calving.

Prioritising animal health, fostering a safe environment, and maintaining vigilance during the calving process will inevitably lead to healthier cows, thriving calves, and a flourishing farm for years to come.

For more information on Herdwatch, click here.