With April 2021 the frostiest on record for 60 years there are potentially a few challenges for this year’s lamb crop. Most worryingly the lack of grass growth. Five consecutive days of soil temperature of 5◦C+ is required for grass growth so it’s easy to see why the grass is […]
Warm, summer hay-making days are on their way, despite some crazy early May weather we’ve been having, but with them come the dreaded nuisance flies. Flies are a burden on livestock and human welfare and it just takes one warm day for them to hatch and start causing havoc. Every […]
Several weeks ago, whilst on call at the weekend I saw two milking animals that were down and unable to stand. Both were relatively fresh calved and one of the two was a first calved heifer so milk fever, whilst possible, was an unlikely differential. Both animals had also […]
The bacteria, Chlamydophila abortus causes enzootic abortion of ewes (or EAE) and is the most frequently diagnosed cause of abortion in the UK1 costing the British sheep industry £15-20M per year2.
The big problem with EAE is that the […]
With over two thirds of the UK’s dairy herds harbouring Johne’s Disease, many of you will be all too familiar with this frustrating disease. We’ve seen the set up and implementation of Action Johne’s Management Plans over the past two years and with the plans implemented we should be getting […]
We sometimes come across disease cases which don’t have any identifiable origin. This was the case with a flock that Andrew visited recently:
A flock of 512 predominantly Swaledale ewes identified six Bluefaced Leicester tups at the end of the first cycle of mating in November with blood at the […]
Lambing 2021 is well and truly in full swing, as we hear Steph tell us about her start to the lambing season.
We have had a fast start to lambing time this year; vasectomising a homebred shearling tup that didn’t quite reach the mark. He has really tightened up our […]
It is now widely accepted within the UK dairy industry that one of the key targets for future proofing production is responsible antimicrobial use.
UK agriculture has done a fantastic job of reducing antibiotic use in the last six years, refining practices, and focusing on preventing disease. There has been […]
Left displaced abomasums (LDAs), as you know usually occur post calving in cows that have reduced dry matter intakes. Close up dry cows should be eating 1.5% of bodyweight (10.5kg/DM/day).
Achieving <1% LDA rate centres around achieving a hugely successful transition period, three weeks before and three weeks after calving.
Close up […]
Lameness is a consistent problem in dairy herds, but it is quickly becoming the hot topic amongst processors and that could have a real affect on how lameness is managed on farm. We could talk all day about the facts, challenges and solutions, but we decided it would be best […]
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