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In the Brief
With the cold snap seemingly behind us for now, we can turn ourselves to the positive signs of Spring- it never seems to take long for the grass to take on that vibrant green hue!
At the practice, sheep seem to be taking centre stage at the minute as lambing ramps up. A mixed bag of everything and thankfully no abortion problems to speak of at the moment. There have been a few cases of vaginal prolapse where the tails have been docked a bit short (they should easily be able to cover the vulva), not necessarily a causal factor, but one which can contribute to this multi-factorial condition. Judith will cover more sheep topics later on.
It’s also a good chance to get any remaining dehornings out of the way, so that they have healed up well before the nuisance fly season starts. The smaller the better too, as there will be less of growth-check to the calf. There’s no doubt that the earlier they are dehorned the better- as there is less pain. A recent study in The Vet Record showed that up to 40% of calves showed a pain response when disbudded- a strong indicator in there that the injection site is critical for the nerve block to work properly. If you need any help, find that the anaesthetic often doesn’t seem to ‘take’, or would like us to do them then please get in touch.
Dairy cattle fertility seems to be improving all the time, likely as the days get longer and heats are better expressed. Milk yields seem to be holding up well, although silage stocks are often reported to be quite tight on farms, with many now seeking supplementary stocks- the dry and good quality silage that was produced during and after the very dry spell last year is certainly proving very palatable, with plenty of milk in it!
As the lockdown eases over the next few months we will be starting to run farmer meetings again. If you have any course requests, whatever they may be, then please get in touch as this will help us assess demand.
The same goes for any other herd or flock health issue you want to address on farm- we are all still here- with renewed enthusiasm and an appetite to get out there- after feeling (like everyone else) that life can start to get back to normal soon!
Richard Knight
Next Online event - 10th March 7:30pm Calf Pneumonia
As it has been a bad year for respiratory disease, the next free talk in our online series will focus on calf pneumonia and give you lots of useful tips to reduce disease and improve calf health and profitability in your herd.
We’ll think about tackling a pneumonia spike, planning for next Autumn and talk a little bit about building designs and modification.
Please ring Kendal surgery to book a place.
Herbal leys panel discussion: feeding and grazing management
Date: Wednesday 3 March
Time: 7:00 - 8.00pm
AHDB is supporting a panel discussion from the British Grassland Society on feeding and grazing management of herbal leys. In the fourth webinar of our herbal leys series, the panel will share practical farming experience of managing herbal leys, via short presentations and a Q&A session.
Carbon Week webinars
Monday 1 March (12:00 – 1:00pm)
Understanding low carbon farming - this webinar is for levy payers who want to understand more about the carbon cycle and where they fit into it. It will start to look at what actions can be taken to enhance the environment or mitigate emissions, and how this will help their businesses. Find out more
Carbon Week
Carbon Week is a series of AHDB events, taking place from 1 to 5 March.
The webinars and panel discussions will feature a range of speakers and are for farmers and growers interested in understanding more about the carbon cycle, carbon auditing, reducing emissions and the opportunities around this.
Monday 1 March (7:00 - 8:00pm)
The basics of carbon - panel session - an opportunity to ask a panel of experts any questions you have concerning carbon. Open to all farmers and growers, you can ask any questions about the carbon cycle, carbon foot printing and what action you can take to enhance the environment or mitigate emissions. Book now
Tuesday 2 March (12:00 – 1:00pm)
Understanding fertilisers, carbon emissions and how to reduce them - Anne Bhogal and Christina Baxter, ADAS will look at how farmers maximise the efficiency of organic materials and fertilisers, understanding how nutrient management can potentially reduce the use of fertilisers as well as the added benefits, such as reduced costs and building soil organic matter. Book now
Wednesday 3 March (12:00 – 1:00pm)
Carbon Footprinting - save the planet and make money - whether you grow potatoes or produce lamb, join Seth Wareing from The Stabiliser Cattle Company and David Ball from the AHDB Environment Team to explore how measuring your farm’s carbon footprint can not only inform decisions on carbon reductions but also identify opportunities to improve profitability. Book now
Thursday 4 March (12:00 – 1:00pm)
The ins and outs of carbon in the soil - measurement and management - understanding the importance of carbon in agricultural soils is paramount to meeting environmental goals. Join us for this cross-sector panel discussion aiming to increase the understanding of carbon in agricultural soils, including benefits relating to soil functioning. Book now
Friday 5 March (12:00 – 1:00pm)
Supply chain requirements - building a narrative - this session explores why we should invest time and effort in measuring and reporting our sustainability and environmental performance and how this information will be required and used within the supply chain. Book now
Webinar archive
In case you missed it...
AHDB, HCC and QMS and Dr Alex Corbishley, vet and senior lecturer in farm animal practice at University of Edinburgh, hosted a webinar on improving new-born survival on beef and sheep farms, focusing on the importance of colostrum. Watch now
Contact us
If you have any questions, please contact us via email: ke.events@ahdb.org.uk or call: 01904 771218.
Dehydration in Adult Cattle
Cattle have high water requirements, and when illness knocks this out of balance rehydration becomes a critical – but often overlooked – part of treatment.
Did you know a lactating dairy cow requires 2-3 litres of water for every kilogram of milk produced? This translates to a high yielding cow needing approximately 128 litres per day. This input will come mainly from drinking water but also from moisture in the ration.
When treating conditions such as metritis, scour and toxic mastitis (thinking mainly of e.coli), keeping cows hydrated is really important. Using an aggers pump is an easy technique to master, and a couple of buckets of water with electrolytes is a cheap treatment!
Appetite Suppression
Research has found that dairy cows respond to dehydration by reducing the amount of food consumed and dropping their milk production (Burgos et al., 2001). This is particularly important for sick, freshly calved cows: we are always concerned about their risk of slow fever and twisted stomachs, and so the quicker we can restore the fluid balance in these cows – the quicker they will up their feed intakes - and the better their chances of avoiding further complications.
A focus on E.coli mastitis
During a case of mastitis, e.coli bacteria can multiply rapidly in the udder. The bugs release endotoxins, which can result in a chain reaction of inflammation through the cow’s bloodstream. This can send the cow ‘toxic’, and at this point they are difficult to recover.
In mild and moderate cases, stomach pumped fluids – in combination with your usual treatment plan - can help stop a sick and sunken eyed cow from becoming a full-blown down cow.
Scour
Diseases such as Winter Dysentery and Salmonella will rapidly dehydrate cows. It can be difficult for sick cows to compensate for all the fluid lost out the back end – and so pumping in fluids can help speed up recovery and prevent cases from getting more serious (and potentially avoid a vet visit!)
When to use a stomach pump?
√ Freshly calved cow that hasn’t drunk
√ Scouring cow
√ Mild/Moderate cases of e.coli mastitis
√ Sunken eyed sick cow
If you are unsure about using an aggers pump, or would like a refresher on how to use one – please get in touch to arrange some on-farm training
For more information about electrolyte sachets, give one of the farm vets a ring.
Gus Cassie
One of the many sadnesses of lock down has been having to suspend the WVG Flock Health Club. Since getting involved with my own flock I spend a lot of my spare time obsessed with all things sheep so it has been good to share that interest and information with our clients. I am now joined in running the club by our new(ish) vet Becca Howard who ran the Flock Health club at Dalehead at Settle who will brings her own ideas and a fresh perspective.
Our FHC has been running since May 2017 and the meetings have always been great fun with lots of lively discussion. The members have become quite a close group happy to share their ups and downs with each other. Not forgetting that Jaquie’s complimentary food is great!
We have looked at every stage of the sheep farming year in great detail hoping to ensure members farms are as successful and profitable as possible.
Amongst other things, we have covered:-
· ram and ewe selection
· preparing ewes and rams for tupping,
· maximising lamb survival,
· making sure lambs grow
· worm control
· ewe nutrition
· ewe losses and iceberg diseases
· how to market lambs successfully which included an abattoir visit.
We have also arranged a flock visit every year (which every WVG client is welcome to join) to some really inspiring farms in the north of England and south of Scotland. This year, covid willing we are hoping to get our usual summer visit in. These visits have given the participants much food for thought and many have adapted their farming systems using ideas they have seen in practice during the visits.
We are now going to relaunch flock health club starting with an initial zoom meeting on April 15th at 7.30pm. We will be hoping to start in person meetings as soon as possible.
The cost will be £15/month which includes 4 meetings a year and will now include an annual red tractor compliant flock health plan and performance review.
For more information or to register please contact either surgery
Judith Lee
Spring Vaccines
Despite the recent wet weather, spring is approaching rapidly and hopefully turnout will appear on the horizon shortly! Please place your orders for your spring vaccines (BVD, Lepto, IBR, and Huskvac ASAP to ensure that you are ready to turnout when the weather allows. See below for details of our super spring offer!
