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Calving Pattern

When analysing a herd for the first time, it is useful to get an understanding of the calving pattern. Seasonal calving herds should be assessed in a different way to all-year round calvers.

The example chart on the right shows the number of animals (cows and heifers) that calved or are due to calve, in each month during the period specified. This allows direct comparison of last year’s calving block with the forecasted block for next year. In this example, the majority of cows and heifers are due to calve in autumn. Last season, the majority calved in August, but calving was spread out over 7 months. By comparison, next year’s calving block is only spanning 5 months, but fewer cows are calving in August.

This herd calves all year round, but with an autumn/winter bias. This is likely to have knock-on effects on management at different times of the year.

Higher numbers of cows calving during September-December could put more pressure on environmental management (stocking density, bedding, scraping, nutrition), which could have unwanted impact on production and performance.

A semi-seasonal calving pattern will also affect milk production – in this case, a large proportion of the herd is likely to be at peak milk yield over the winter.