Raising dairy heifers
ROBIN HALL
At Plaw Hatch we run a closed herd of cattle. This means that we don’t buy in cattle and the herd regenerates itself. Heifers, all of whom will have been born and raised on site, enter the dairy herd at around two years old. At this point, a majority will go in with Winston, our Sussex beef bull, or a small number will be put to AI to keep regenerating the herd as well as improving genetics and making for robust and healthy animals. As a result of this we currently have some lovely Swedish Red calves, two of which are heifers who will eventually join the milking herd.
As calving approaches for these new heifers, it is time to introduce them to the routines of the milking herd. This involves bringing them into the milking parlour and at this stage they will be offered some oats which certainly helps to encourage them. Ideally, they will become comfortable with eating in the parlour by the time they come to calve and after calving they will hopefully transition smoothly into their new role as part of the milking herd. Each cow in the herd has a unique personality and so they will each respond differently to the sounds and smells of the parlour. On occasion it can come as a surprise when we first attempt to milk them, and this has at times lead to some interesting situations. Some cows take to it quite well while others can take weeks to settle down. There have been occasional failures where the temperament of the animal was not at all suitable for the herd and this has been a very stressful and disappointing experience. Generally though, we learn to work well together and it is rewarding working with animals that we have known, and who have known us, from birth.
