Running an Irish spring-calving herd means you burn through supplies in a very specific rhythm. The parlour consumables don't stop, but the big spikes — straw, calf milk replacer, minerals, drench — come at predictable points. Miss an order by a week in March and you'll pay courier-level prices to fix it. This is the checklist we use.
Late winter / pre-calving (January – February)
This is your stock-up window. Deliveries are fast, the co-op yard isn't heaving yet, and you've got time to actually check what arrived.
- Calf milk replacer — 4+ bags to start, 25 kg each. Avoid skim-based in Jan if you want fewer scour calls.
- Calving ropes, calving jack, lubricant (500 ml +).
- Iodine 10% — 2 × 5 L tubs for navel dipping.
- Colostrum bags, oesophageal feeder, stomach tube, fresh electrolyte sachets.
- Straw — enough for 3 weeks minimum, priced and booked for top-up deliveries.
- Teat sealer & dry-cow antibiotic (prescription — order through your vet).
- Magnesium bolus or mag flakes for transition cows.
- Parlour: liners (most farms replace every 2,500 cow-milkings or 6 months), chemicals (acid, alkali, peracetic), filter socks by the box.
- Footbath chemical (copper sulphate, formalin or formalin-free alternative).
Calving & early lactation (February – April)
- Electrolytes — 3+ boxes, because scour happens.
- Calf jackets if you're outdoor-born or in an open shed.
- Milk replacer top-up: keep 2 bags ahead of consumption.
- Disbudding gas/disbudder iron, local anaesthetic (vet-dispensed).
- Ear tags — order ahead of calving, the department turnaround kills you otherwise.
- Teat dip — pre and post. Stock up.
- Grass meal / concentrate for post-calving cows — depends on early grass.
Order rhythm: plot your calving spread on the calendar and back-time your deliveries. If peak calving is week 10, your milk-replacer reorder needs to be on the way in week 8, not week 11.
Grazing season (April – September)
Grass & paddocks
- Reseed mixes — if you're doing 10% of area, order in Feb/Mar for April planting.
- Fertiliser — CAN, protected urea, 18-6-12, N-P-K rotational. Book co-op delivery slot.
- Lime — test soil, spread before end of summer.
- Electric fence consumables: reel tape, pigtails, pigtails, more pigtails.
- Rotary topper or contractor date booked.
Parlour consumables (year-round, but peak load here)
- Liners — change on schedule, not by eye.
- Detergent — acid + alkali wash, rotate.
- Rubberware: short milk tubes, long pulse tubes, shells.
- Filter socks (box of 200 usually gets you a month).
- Teat dip cups — they get grubby, replace yearly.
- Paper towel rolls or cloth if you wash teats.
Animal health
- Pour-on fly control — critical mid-summer, particularly near watercourses.
- Worm dose for youngstock on rotation.
- Lungworm vaccine programme if in your plan.
- Mineral bolus for cows on autumn grass — copper, iodine, cobalt, selenium.
Breeding season supplies
- Tail paint / heat detection aids (scratch cards, activity collars, etc.).
- Nitrogen for semen storage, if you keep a flask.
- AI consumables: sheaths, gloves, rods if DIY.
- Pregnancy diagnosis booked with vet.
- Bull management: mineral bolus, lameness kit, footbath rotation.
Autumn & drying off (September – November)
- Selective dry-cow therapy — plan on somatic cell count data with vet.
- Teat sealer — internal & external where used.
- Hoof trimming booked (or done on-farm with crate).
- Bedding: straw for sheds, rubber mats condition-checked.
- Winter ration — concentrate plan, book the mixer truck dates.
- Slurry storage check + LESS applicator booking where mandated.
Winter housing (November – February)
- Silage — enough for the herd, with 20% buffer.
- Mineral lick buckets for loose mineral supply.
- Foot care: formalin or copper footbath weekly.
- Lice treatment — pour-on, full herd.
- Parlour chemicals stock-take.
- Spare parts: liners, pulse tubes, pressure switch, wash pump kit.
What dairy farms forget to stock until it's urgent
| Item | Min stock on hand | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Electrolytes | 3 boxes | Scour waits for no one |
| Iodine navel dip | 2 × 5 L | Calving spikes |
| Ear tags (blank + replacement) | 20 each | Dept. lead time is the enemy |
| Pulse tubes & short milk tubes | 1 full set spare | Fail at the worst time |
| Footbath chemical | 25 kg drum | Lameness spikes without warning |
| Pressure washer fittings | quick couplers + nozzle | Always the wrong one |
Where Irish dairy farms typically buy
Most herds split their spend across their processor co-op (Dairygold, Kerry, Tirlán, Lakeland) for commodity bulk, plus a local agri merchant or online source (Agristore, MyAgri, FRS, AgriDirect) for specialist or faster-moving items. Parlour chemicals often come direct from the milking system dealer on a standing order.
Need quotes from Irish dairy suppliers?
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