As we enter harvest supper season and back to school routines, keeping cows out for as long as possible becomes increasingly appealing. Grazing in the autumn can be an efficient way to maximise milk from forage but is not without its challenges.
Planning your autumn pasture rotation and adopting on/off […]
All the T’s – teeth, toes, testicles, tone and treat! With tupping time fast approaching now is the time to start thinking of the ways we can be best prepared to optimize the chances of a successful lambing season.
Teaser Tups
Starting with teaser tups, implementing some of these vasectomized […]
Hopefully your suckler calves are growing well and thoughts are turning to weaning over the next few months. Body condition scoring cows is a helpful way to inform your plans. Ideally spring calvers should score 2.5 at calving and 3 by housing. Autumn calvers should score 3 at calving but […]
Chantal, Derbyshire’s answer to Olivia Newton-John, shares her thoughts on the passing of the seasons. Tell me more, tell me more!
We are well into summer and hopefully it has continued with the warm weather. As I write this the sun is shining and many of you are out in […]
After a slow start to the grazing season and with autumn calving herds drying cows off, many of you will be making the most of the ‘summer’ weather and grazing dry cows, either as far offs or right up until the point of calving.
Dry cows can be managed successfully […]
Bloat is caused by a build-up of gas in the abdomen that is unable to escape. There are two main types of bloats in calves; abomasal bloat and ruminal bloat. Feeding consistency, colostrum management and good hygiene of feeding equipment are the main ways to avoid cases of bloat.
Bloat […]
Over the last two years I have had the opportunity to accompany an experienced Dutch vet called Joost De Veer on several Cow Compass farm assessments to UK dairy farms. Although comprising some data capture, some animal scoring and a farm assessment visit, these are rather different to either Red […]
The wet weather has forced many outdoor lambing flocks to retreat indoors. With sheds bursting at the seams and hygiene becoming difficult to maintain, this has led to an increase in E.coli (Watery Mouth Disease) cases in newborn lambs. Increased housing periods would normally cause us to be concerned about […]
With the sun (finally) shining and grazing in full swing, now is a good time to think about measures to control mastitis incidence through the summer, and having accurate and appropriate treatment protocols should flare ups occur
While environmental type mastitis (e.coli, s.uberis etc.) has always been seen as a […]
Picture the scene – your vet is preparing your cow for surgery. She’s haltered up, secured and sedated, her flank clipped and cleaned. While your vet’s been scrubbing her flank, you rushed off to find a dose of antibiotics and a jab of anti-inflammatories to be given prior to the […]
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