Top tips for improving your calving setup

Top tips for improving your calving setup

Calving can be a stressful period fraught with danger but simple improvements every dairy and beef farm can make to their existing setup can minimise risk to the operator and the animal. Whether it is investing in a restraining yoke and gate for assisted calvings or...
Diarrhea: Treatment & Prevention

Diarrhea: Treatment & Prevention

Diarrhea can be caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites. Diarrhea can be caused by bacteria (E. coli, salmonella), viruses (rota, corona) or parasites (cryptosporidia, coccidia). Rota and corona infections, which generally occur during the first month of life, can in...
4 tips for optimizing dairy cow fertility

4 tips for optimizing dairy cow fertility

Key take-home messages to improve fertility > Focus on the stage pre-breeding (90 days) to ensure cows conceive, as their condition at this stage affects ovulation > Provide cows with optimum levels of beta carotene and vitamin E during the dry period > Check...
Guide to effective dairy parlour cleaning.

Guide to effective dairy parlour cleaning.

Ineffective cleaning of the internal surfaces of the milking system increases the risk of bacteria and milk residues building up. As well as potentially leading to higher Bactoscans, this raises the potential for cross-infection with diseases such as mastitis from...
Water, Water Everywhere…

Water, Water Everywhere…

Fresh, clean water is critical to successful rumen development. An important part of the calf’s development is the ability of the rumen to ferment the concentrate and forage that it eats. This is termed rumen development, and is necessary before the calf can be...
Colostrum Feeding, How Much is Enough?

Colostrum Feeding, How Much is Enough?

The greatest risk occurs when the calf will receive too little colostrum, which puts the calf at great risk of disease and death. The traditional recommendation has been to feed 2 quarts of colostrum as soon as possible after birth and then again, 12 hours later. Is...