cowmanagement oct/nov 2011

V O LU M E 9 N O 7 OC TOB ER/ NO VE MBE R 2011

IN THIS ISSUE

GOLD CUP WINNER

CALF REARING

FEED EFFICIENCY

We profile the herd that came top in this year’s competition

Health, feeding and the impact of difficult calvings

Ration formulation is not all about chemistry

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C O NTENT

F E A T U R E S

Cow Talk Overalls off: Football referee NMR Dairy Management News Avoncroft Breeding Information/ Thompsons Nutritional News 50 Shows, events and contacts 4 12 41 45

R e p orts 14 Gold Cup winning Vortex herd wowed the judges C o l umn 28 Roger Evans H E A LT H 32 BVD control moves on a pace 35 Veterinary practice: calf scours B reeding

38 The cow family behind G-Force is growing into a dynasty

Tom King “We want hassle-free cows that produce at least 50 tonnes of milk”14

Editor Rachael Porter Turning point

U

nusually warm and sunny weather at the beginning of the month may mean that a late flush of grass growth has seen your girls grazing a little later than usual this year. But thoughts on most units are now focused on winter rations and housing. Focus on the rumen, and you should optimise cow performance and feed efficiency.

On page 48 there’s the final part in our series on feed conversion efficiency, which looks at the importance of ration formulation – both in the chemical and physical sense – to maximise milk production per kilogramme of dry matter fed.

And we take a closer look at rumen function and the latest research from Northern Ireland that offers some tip and pointers for producers on how to check that the rumen is working efficiently. See page 8 to find out more.

Our extremely popular calf rearing special begins on page 19. Research from the Scottish Agricultural College has revealed that difficult calvings impact on the calf, as well as the cow. So read our article on page 20 to find out why you should give a little more TLC to these ‘special’ babies.

We’ve also an article on BVD and why eradication programme success in Scotland means that a similar system could – and should – be moving south of the border.

Roger Evans offers some light relief on page 28 – essential reading as the nights draw in. And our ‘Overalls off’ column features a producer who swaps his Wellingtons for football boots in his spare time.

Main article Rumen efficiency

Special Calf-rearing

Series Feed conversion

8

19

48

Practical study outlines some useful indicators of good rumen function

Round up: we review what’s new in calf-rearing

COW MAN AG E ME N T

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The right feed in the right form is vital to maximise feed conversion efficiency

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C O W

TA L K

Winners line up for awards

The 2011 NMR Silver Salver winners Mike and Shaun Miller and their family

Runner up in the Gold Cup 2011 and recipient of the NMR Silver Salver is the Miller family from Greville Hall Farm in Evesham, Worcestershire.

Mike and Shan Miller moved to Worcestershire from Somerset with 46 milking cows. Today, with sons Paul and Steve, they are heading rapidly upwards from the current 280 cows.

Nutrition and cow comfort are high on

Switch to blends to help control costs With volatile feed markets, limited moist feed availability and high compound prices continuing to put pressure on feed costs, KW’s Andy Dickins is urging producers to consider switching to blends this winter to help minimise the impact on cash flow and profitability.

“Blends are more cost-effective than an equivalent specification compound, avoid the need for cash flow to be tied up in the storage of several straights, and can be formulated to replace a single straight that’s too expensive or not available,” he says. “Load sizes can also be matched to usage, with fixed price contracts to minimise the risks in a volatile market.

“And because the majority of blends sold nowadays are custom-formulated to meet the farmer’s specific needs, feed ingredients can be fixed in the blend for consistency if required, or the blend reformulated regularly to balance variations in farm-grown feed materials.

The choice is yours.”

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C OWM ANAGEMENT

the agenda, as is producing high quality embryos and breeding stock. Embryos from the herd have been sold across Europe and North America.

This year’s production is likely to exceed 12,000 litres and the milking herd will reach 350 head. The Shanael herd has an NMR annual average production of 11,801kg at 3.70% fat and 3.15% protein on three-time-a-day milking. Milk is sold

to Cotteswold Dairy in Tewkesbury. The cell count average is 186,000cells/ml.

The Chris May Memorial Award, for the herd with the highest average lifetime daily yield among Gold Cup qualifying herds, went to the Higgins family from Wilderley Hall Farms, Pulversbatch, Shrewsbury.

Their 245-cow herd achieved a lifetime daily yield of 18.34kg for the year ending September 2010.

The Lilyhill Cup, awarded to the highest placed Jersey herd in the Gold Cup competition, went to Hugh and Tom Richardson from Wheelbirks, Jersey Farm, Stocksfield, Northumberland.

Along with herd manager Chris Shipley, brothers Hugh and Tom manage the 120 pedigree cows.

The Murchland Perpetual Trophy, awarded by the Ayrshire Cattle Society to the highest placed Ayrshire herd in the Gold Cup competition, went to Gilmour and Jim Lawrie, Sandyford Farm, Monkton, Prestwick. This is the second time in three years that Gilmour has won the trophy.

Next-generation pedometer A pedometer, launched by Fullwood, offers producers the ability to gather improved levels of cow activity and inactivity data, allowing them to improve herd health and boost milk yields while reducing production costs and limiting veterinary expenses.

The Crysta Act+ pedometer from Fullwood not only provides early warning of heat and potential health disorders, but can also provide early warning of the onset of calving.

By employing an accelerometer to measure rest or lying time as well as the number of rest or lying periods, the system builds a much more accurate picture of animal behaviour than traditional activity-triggered pedometers, according to the company.

“A well-fed, healthy cow should spend a minimum of 12 to 14 hours lying down and ruminating each day,” explains Fullwood’s John Baines. “This system not only monitors activity levels through step counting, but also measures periods of cow inactivity.

“By detecting and monitoring activity

OCTO BER/NO VE MB E R

levels including cow restlessness, it can provide early warning of a number of key cow conditions including oestrus and the onset of calving, and can identify cows suffering discomfort due to poor cubicle design or lameness.”

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Milkminder award winners

Greg and Annette Fletcher with Promar consultants Jonathan Hilland and Anni Cooke

Greg and Annette Fletcher from Woodview Farm in Stapleton, Leicestershire, are the winners of the 2011 Promar Milkminder manager of the Year Award.

Promar Milkminder is a comprehensive costing scheme which helps producers to improve technical and financial performance and the Fletchers saw off more than 700 other dairy businesses to win the award, which has been made for more than 25 years.

Fletcher Partners run a herd of 191 cows, averaging 9,446 litres at 4.0% butterfat and 3.25% protein. The herd’s focus is on producing high quality grazing and silage, which allows it to produce nearly 40% of all milk from forage.

Collaboration boost to genomic selection An agreement to share genotypes of elite dairy bulls has been signed by CRV AmBreed and LIC – both global leaders in dairy herd improvement. This will allow both companies to further improve their genomic predictions and covers both Holstein-Friesian and Jersey sires.

The sharing of information will generate larger genotype reference populations for both LIC and CRV AmBreed, enabling more accurate predictions of sire performance than has been possible before.

Genomic selected bulls are rapidly gaining market share and genetic gain is the single biggest contributor to on-farm productivity improvement.

Both LIC and CRV AmBreed will continue to genotype their own bulls and market the best.

Don’t skip post dipping Trends emerging from the latest National Mastitis survey, organised by MSD Animal Health, are showing a decline in the number of producers who are teat dipping post milking.

Compared with previous years, this year’s results also showed an increase in mastitis cases. There was an increase in the number of herds with between 25 to 60 cases of mastitis per 100 cows and a decrease in herds with 25 or less cases per 100 cows.

Now in its third year, the survey attracted 1300 respondents with a range of herd sizes and management systems.

“While pre dipping cows might be subject to the individual farm, post dipping is considered a given,” says dairy vet and survey co-ordinator Andy Biggs who viewed this trend – albeit small – as worrying.

“We have no real explanation as to why producers are cutting the post dipping routine other than it being a cost-cutting exercise or maybe they are being mislead into thinking that pre dipping – now carried out by a greater proportion of herds according to the survey – will suffice.”

The survey delved into a wide range of milking protocols that has allowed Mr Biggs to investigate links between standing time during milking and

Long-life cow award Gladwake Neptune Collona EX90, owned by W&P Ives of Park Farm, in Herriard near Basingstoke, was crowned this year’s winner of the Genus ABS Long Life Cow Competition at the Dairy Event and Livestock Show.

In her 11th lactation, Collona was born in August 1998 and has amassed a lifetime yield of more than 132,000 litres with a total yield of more than tonnes of combined fat and protein.

She has a lifetime daily yield of 28.05kg/day and her average calving interval is just 376 days. Collona is classified EX90. The 287 cows in the herd average 10,400kg.

“Collona has been a remarkable cow who has improved with age,” said a delighted Bill Ives. “She classified G78 in 2001, but is now EX90. She is

COW MAN AG E ME N T

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production and between machine maintenance and cell count levels.

“Results here confirm that excessive standing times are a problem and can impact on cow health and welfare. More time on their feet means less time eating and resting.”

Data also highlighted the link between high cell counts and an extended interval between changing liners.

a medium-sized, quiet-natured cow with good legs and feet and you hardly notice her. She just gets on with producing milk. If we had a whole herd of cows like her we would be very pleased.”

From left to right: Genus ABS’ Andrew Rutter, Bob Ives, award judge Ian Scarisbrick, herd manager Steve Samways, and Bill Ives

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M A I N

A RT I C L E

Practical study outlines some useful ind

What’s your herd’s rum Rumen-fill score, faeces score and milk composition ratios, have all been suggested as indicators of rumen efficiency. Since performance levels and herd health are a direct result of the rumen’s ability to function to its full potential, the need for some clear guidelines was identified by a team of dairy specialists in Northern Ireland three years ago. text Allison Matthews

T

he rumen’s microbial population converts around 75% of the feed raw materials eaten by the cow into end-products that can be utilised for maintenance and production.

So says Thompsons’ technical consultant Professor Fred Gordon, who was involved in the three-year research project on rumen function. “However these microbes are very sensitive to fluctuations in rumen pH, with the most striking and extreme example of this fluctuation being sub-acute rumen acidosis – SARA.” He says that well before SARA becomes an issue, even small fluctuations in rumen pH are reducing the overall efficiency of digestion in the rumen.

For example a reduction in rumen efficiency of only 1% could reduce energy supply to the cow by the equivalent of 0.5 litres of milk.

Fred Gordon: “No single assessment can quantify rumen efficiency”

Detailed research

“Due to the inability of producers to assess such changes, an equation has been developed as a direct result of the research project, which will enable a rumen efficiency score to be predicted from diet parameters. This relationship can prove to be particularly effective in detecting those herds where rumen efficiency scores were low and likely to be at risk of SARA,” Mr Gordon adds.

Professor Gordon played a central role in both the academic and practical side of the research project,

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Feed-fence fact: producers must focus on feeding the rumen and not the cow

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eful indicators of good rumen function

umen efficiency score?

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number of farms

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–15 –13 –11 –9 –7 –5 –3 –1 1 3 rumen efficiency scores

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7

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Figure 1: Frequency graph of herds with differing rumen efficiency values

which involved an 18-month period of research at Hillborough’s Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, led by Conrad Ferris.

“The initial aspect of the research team’s project was undertaken in late winter and involved 42 dairy farms in Northern Ireland, which were selected to provide a wide range of dairy systems. On each farm, more than 35 different types of measurements were taken in order to understand the key drivers of rumen efficiency. These parameters related to different aspects of the herd, ranging from diet characteristics, housing and cow comfort, rumination details and performance data on both a herd basis and on an individual cow basis.

“This data was fed into a database to determine a rumen efficiency score for each of the specific farms. This created the benchmark for potential improvements in rumen efficiency for the project,” explains Professor Gordon.

Survey detail In the survey two technicians visited each farm and completed detailed visual assessments, including milk yield and quality measurements, on 20 cows from each farm – 10 cows, which were between zero and 50 days in milk, and 10 cows, which were between 51 and 150 days in milk.

Manure samples were collected from 12 individual cows in each herd and brought to the laboratory for detailed sieving analysis. Rumination behaviours – such as chews or boluses – were recorded on 10 cows per herd. In addition to these animal assessments a wide range of management issues, such as feeding methods and management, were documented. All feeds were sampled and feeding levels recorded. Table 1 contains some examples of the data.

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MAIN

ARTI C L E

faeces data on 12 animals/herd faeces consistency score faeces sieving-% faeces DM in bottom tray visual scoring of 20 animals/herd cow dirtiness rumen fill body condition score performance of 20 animals/herd yield (kg/day) butterfat (%) protein (%) fat:protein ratio rumination behaviours of 10 cows/herd chews/bolus chews/minute

mean

min.

max.

2.47 54.93

1.88 40.86

2.83 76.26

1.24 2.89 2.56

1 2.4 2.25

2.28 3.53 3.18

32.7 4.09 3.17 1.29

20.9 2.81 2.91 0.91

48.2 5.87 3.47 1.89

61 71.7

46.4 59.6

74.2 85.8

Table 1: Mean herd data, plus the range in herd means

The objective was to develop a scoring method that would quantify the rumen efficiency of each herd. In the past many animal indicators of rumen efficiency have been suggested, including rumen-fill score, faeces score or milk compositional ratios.

“Analysis of the data in Table 1 indicated that no single assessment was able to provide a quantitative measure of rumen efficiency,” says Professor Gordon. “The most effective method proved to be a complex one, which encompassed seven different assessments, ranging from milk quality to faeces sieving data. Using this rumen scoring system, a rumen efficiency value was developed for each of the 42 farms. These values ranged from –15 to +11.”

A frequency graph of the scores is shown in Figure 1.

Efficiency conclusions The first clear indication from the data analysis was that there was no link between cow accommodation and rumen efficiency score. Similarly poor rumen efficiencies were not more prevalent within any particular feeding, or feed management system, with low efficiencies being recorded with full and partial TMR, out-of-parlour concentrate dispensers and in-parlour feeding systems.

Professor Gordon explains the nutritional warnings highlighted by the survey: “The overriding factor in all systems was that as metabolisable energy (ME) intake was increased, and the higher the percentages of crude protein and starch and sugar in the overall diet, the poorer the rumen efficiency score.”

In contrast, fibre fractions – particularly acid detergent fibre (ADF) – were the major nutritional factors improving

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herd performance yield (l) butterfat (%) protein (%) fat:protein ratio % forage

range

mean

5,600-11,700 3.17-5.05 3.02-3.50 0.95-1.57 29.3-82

8,839 4.08 3.28 1.25 56.2

Table 2: The range across the dairy systems evaluated in the Northern Ireland survey

rumen efficiency. As a result an equation was developed that enabled the rumen efficiency score to be predicted from diet parameters. This relationship proved to be particularly effective in detecting those herds where rumen efficiency scores were low and likely to be at risk of SARA.

Diet adaption As producers strive to provide diets with an ever increasing energy density in order to support higher levels of performance, knowledge about rumen efficiency is becoming vital and producers need to be continuously mindful of how the rumen is functioning at any particular point in time.

“The research project identified the large amount of variables that must be considered when assessing rumen function.

“With the ability to identify a rumen efficiency score, and therefore a SARA risk, producers can essentially stay one step ahead,” says Professor Gordon.

“Working with your nutritionist to assess rumen performance, and to highlight potential warning signs before they become detrimental to overall herd profitability, is a vital management tool.

“The identification of clear parameters to assess rumen function also provides a platform of knowledge on which product development can begin,” he adds. l

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B E D R I J F S R E P O RTA G E

O V E R A L L s

Name: Location: Number of cows: Hobby:

O F F

Arnold Hunter Enniskillen, Northern Ireland 40 Professional football referee

Arnold Hunter: “You have to be quick – both on your feet and with your wits”

Football focus text Rachael Porter

T

wenty-two men keep Northern Ireland-based producer and part-time FIFA referee Arnold Hunter on his toes during the football season. And for him it’s a welcome and enjoyable change from looking after the 40 milking ladies who keep him busy on the family dairy unit, based near Enniskillen.

Arnold sees grass fields in two different guises. Once he kicks off his Wellingtons and laces up his football boots, it’s about the off-side rule, goals and free kicks and, although it’s a far from relaxing past time, Arnold says that it keeps him in shape and focuses the mind.

“You have to be quick – both on your feet and with your wits – to be a referee. There’s so much more to it than having a strong pair of legs, a whistle and notebook. And refereeing at this level requires just as much training as there would be if I were to play at professional level. Referees have to be extremely fit.”

There are rigorous tests to pass – both in terms of physical fitness and mental skills and knowledge. “Our eyes are checked three times a year, on average, and we’re also given a full physical examination once a year. The latter is more to make sure that we don’t get injured as it’s gruelling out there keeping up with the play. We run many miles during a game and our focus has to be on the football and not the physical exertion of following the players around the pitch,” says Arnold, who also travels abroad to referee.

Being a referee was never something he considered until he was badly injured during a football match, aged just 19. He played in goal and collided with a player – an accident that broke his arm in three places. “It mended well enough, but I was out of action for the best part of a year and, as you can imagine, that’s not good for a family-run business. So I gave up playing football to avoid the risk of being injured again.”

It was then that his uncle suggested he joined a referee course for a weekend and he’s not looked back since. “I really enjoy it and the people running the course were keen to see me progress as most people who train to be referees are considerably older than I was. Many of them are retired players in their 30s or older.”

Fitness and a sharp eye aside, Arnold says that it’s also vital to have a thick skin and he’s grown one during the past 10 years.

“If you let the shouts and chants get to you it could affect the game. I block them out so I can concentrate on the job.

“When I’m refereeing I’m absorbed in what I’m doing. That’s all I can think about and I’m totally focused. That’s quite liberating – I’m not worrying or thinking about anything else,” he says.

“I’m lost in the game, just as I would be if I were playing. I don’t miss playing football – how can I when I really am well and truly in the thick of it? ”

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H E R D

R E P O RT

The King family A proactive approach to herd health, targeted breeding and precision feeding, and investing for the future. All factors that impressed this year’s Gold Cup judges.

Number of cows: Annual milk sales: Unit size: Average milk yield:

Martinstown

300 > 3,000,000 litres 120 hectares 12,125kg

Superb staff: it’s all about having a skilled and dedicated team

Dorset-based herd succeeds with third bid for gold

Vortex victory This year’s NMR/RABDF Gold Cup winning herd wowed the judges and is set to impress visitors next year when the unit hosts an open day. We caught up with the business’ surprised and delighted owner to find out more about the herd. text Rachael Porter

T

hird time lucky? “I guess it was,” says Tom King, whose Dorset-based dairy herd scooped the industry’s most prestigious title – the NMR/RABDF Gold Cup – at this year’s Dairy Event.

The King family’s unit beat five other finalists and no one was more surprised than Tom. “I really didn’t expect them to read out our name – I honestly thought that the winner was notified before the award ceremony. So I assumed we’d not won,” he says, His surprised turned to delight: “It’s always been an ambition to win the Gold Cup and now that we have, it’s all a bit surreal really. And exciting.

It’s the ultimate recognition for us all – the family and our dedicated team of staff – and reward for our hard work.”

Dedicated team This year’s panel of judges visited the King’s 300-strong pedigree Holstein Vortex herd, which is based at Martinstown near Dorchester, in July.

And they saw for themselves how Tom and his family, and their dedicated team of staff, get the best from their herd.

More than three million litres of milk are

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CM07_herd report 14

sold each year to Dairy Crest on a Sainsbury’s Dairy Development Group (SDDG) liquid contract.

Tom King is the fourth generation at Church Farm and runs the 120-hectare unit with his father Alan. Since returning from Sparsholt College 11 years ago Tom has gradually taken more responsibility for the herd and has undertaken an expansion programme, more than doubling the milking herd to its current size, with 250-head of youngstock.

In order to keep more cows the Kings have converted two existing silage barns into cubicle sheds and built a new feed yard. Also they recently extended and upgraded the existing 16:16 herringbone parlour – it’s now an 18:18 with auto ID, ADF and pedometers to aid heat detection.

“We have automated the parlour as much as we can to reduce milking time without compromising the milking routine, which could impact on udder health and milk quality,” says Tom. Like many producers, achieving the best possible milk price is a key objective for the Kings. Calving year round and producing as much milk as possible on the limited acreage supports level milk production year round. Coinciding with

O CTO BER/NO VE MB E R

Consistency is key: a uniform herd fed a precise and balanced ration

an increase in milk prices and the launch of the Sainsbury’s contract nearly four years ago, Tom decided to change from twice-a-day milking to three times. “This made a massive impact on yields,” adds Tom. “Average yield increased by 1,500kg in just 12 months and it has continued to increase to today’s average of 12,125kg at 3.64% butterfat and 3.06% protein.”

But it’s not all down to the extra milking.

Tom says that feeding a consistent ration also has a key role to play, as does attention to detail with day-to-day herd management.

“We’re fine tuning all the time. We’re not making big changes to the diet or any other areas of management. But we’re removing some of the barriers to efficiency milk production that inconsistency can create.”

Replacement rate Aside from increased milk yields, this has had another positive side effect – fewer cull cows. “The average age of the herd has increased during the past two years and our replacement rate is down to around 16%,” says Tom. “This means that we have been able to expand at a faster rate.”

Herd size does indeed continue to grow using home-reared heifers. The past year has seen cow number rise by 45 head and the Kings plan to continue to push milking cow numbers up past the 300cow mark. And there’s to be no let up on ensuring that fertility and longevity are first class. The King’s herd’s lifetime daily yield is an impressive 14.36kg a day, indicating that it has good fertility and staying- power.

This all starts with bull selection, according to Tom. “We’re hot on health traits – they’re key to breeding cows that will last for several lactations,” he says.

“We screen all bulls for fitness traits and take out any that are negative for herd life and fertility and positive for

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13-10-2011 11:01:52

Pit and polish: milker Mike Ball in the unit’s spotless and newly extended parlour

cell count,” he explains. “This leaves a shortlist of mainly higher index bulls.

We want hassle-free cows that produce at least 50 tonnes of milk – a minimum requirement for her to pay for herself.”

The herd is run as one group and fed on a TMR based on maize, grass and lucerne silage. This supports maintenance plus 37 litres. With the help of his brother Charlie, a nutritionist, the feeding has been changed during the past four years with the introduction of a mixer wagon.

Charlie formulates the rations and sources the feeds.

Fertility management sees herdsman, Mike Ball, working closely with the herd’s vet, Sally Wilson, to pick up any

Balanced diet: brother Charlie formulates the herd’s ration and sources feeds

problems. “We’ve been more aggressive with fertility during the past 12 months and have been serving cows a little earlier than we were before so our average days to first service for the herd is about 68 days,” explains Tom.

Proactive approach With a growing herd, he says it’s vital to keep on top of fertility and take a proactive approach, rather than wait for problems to arise. “By then so much ‘damage’ has been done. It’s important to continually focus on reducing our 397day calving interval.”

The Kings also take a proactive approach to herd health. Cows are vaccinated for

BVD, Lepto, IBR and BVT8 and blood samples are tested regularly for Johne’s.

Working closely with other members of the SDDG, lameness, mastitis and any incidences of metabolic disorders are benchmarked so necessary improvements can be made.

“And we’re always striving to improve what we’re doing and we’re open to new ideas and the possibility of investment,” adds Tom. “We do have plans to continue to expand – possibly to as many as 600 head in six years time. But for now we’ll consolidate what we have.

“We’re focusing on ensuring that we run a tight and consistent ship in order to maximise cow performance.” l

Staying power: Tom strives to breed cows that will last for several lactations

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Are you really doing all you can to protect me from coccidiosis? © Elanco Animal Health Sep 2011

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The only single anticoccidial drench licensed for dairy calves, beef calves and lambs Indoors or out Any weight and age Zero meat withdrawal With no environmental restrictions on use Allows the development of natural immunity1, 2 Always seek advice on the correct use of medicines from the prescriber, your veterinarian or suitably qualified person.

Vecoxan 2.5 mg/ml Oral Suspension contains diclazuril 0.25% w/v. Legal category POM-VPS Use medicines responsibly. www.noah.co.uk/responsible.

1. Agneessens et al. Build up of immunity after diclazuril treatment in calves. Poster at World Buiatrics Congress, France October 2006. 2. Cieslicki M, Diclazuril (Vecoxan®), ein neues produkt zur metaphylaxe und therapie der kokzidiose des schafes,Tierärztl Prax 2001; 29(G): 73-77.

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Elanco Animal Health

www.elanco.com

Elanco Animal Health Lilly House Priestley Road Basingstoke Hampshire RG24 9NL Tel: 01256 353131

12-10-2011 11:09:37

C A L F - R E A R I N G

S P E C I A L

Special-care calves: TLC is essential after a difficult delivery. Page 20 Best start: milk feeding to switch on essential metabolic pathways. Page 22 Round up: we review what’s new in calf rearing.

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11-10-2011 14:38:54

C A L F - R E A R I N G

S P E C I A L

Study reveals the true impact of birth trauma on calves

TLC helps survivors to thrive

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Difficult calvings not only have serious repercussions for the cow, but also the calf. New research adds weight to the argument for avoiding dystocia at all costs and reveals the impact of a prolonged and difficult labour on the new-born calf. text Rachael Porter

M

ilk fever, retained cleansings, LDAs, metabolic diseases and fertility problems – the list of problems that difficult calvings, or dystocia, can cause in cows is long and full of all too familiar health conditions. But what about calves?

Many are stillborn, but what does the stress of a prolonged labour and difficult delivery have on those that are born alive – both in the short and longer term?

These questions have been tackled by postgraduate dairy researcher Alice Barrier.

She led a study at the Scottish Agricultural College, funded by DEFRA, The Scottish Government, CIS, Cogent, DairyCo, Genus, Holstein UK, and NMR under the Sustainable Livestock Production LINK Programme, to investigate the effects of birth difficulty on dairy calves and some of the findings make depressing reading.

Calving difficulty (or dystocia) affects one in six calvings in UK dairy herds, but the figure varies from just 2% to a staggering 50% internationally.

“A difficult birth is traumatic and we wanted to quantify just how bad the effects are on the new-born calf,” she says.

Post-mortem examinations The team’s experimental work allowed the monitoring of 496 calves born with various degrees of birth difficulty over two years.

All but one vet-assisted calves were born dead, and producer-assisted calving calves were more likely to be stillborn than calves born without assistance.

Post-mortem examinations revealed that stillborn dystocial calves displayed larger internal damage – predominantly severe haemorrhaging – than stillborn calves from ‘normal’ calvings.

But they did not have a different body shape at birth compared to dystocial calves that survived.

“We also found that dystocial calves that survived the birth process had lower vigour at birth, had higher salivary cortisol, acquired lower passive immunity and received more health treatments in the neonatal period,” says Miss Barrier.

Mortality rates “Dystocial heifers also had higher mortality rates up until weaning, but had similar growth to first-service age.”

Historical records from the farm also showed that dystocial heifer calves were three times more likely to have died by weaning and by first service than calves born without assistance.

“Altogether, results suggest that dairy calves born with any difficulty have poorer welfare in the neonatal period and possibly beyond,” she added.

These findings make depressing reading and also show up that the costs of difficult calvings in both financial and welfare terms are more costly than many producers realise.

And they reinforce how vital it is for producers to avoid difficult calvings where ever possible.

So what can producers do to help calves born with difficulty and to prevent mortality and improve vigour?

“Everything they would do with calves born without assistance, but just with a

Typical symptoms of a dystocial calf • Lower vigour at birth – calves take longer to stand and walk, which is usually linked to poor survival, and delayed and lower colostrum intake.

• Higher cortisol levels (stress hormone) at birth.

• Poorer immunity and more health treatments typically required.

• Higher mortality rates to weaning – during the trial, as many as 16% of the producer-assisted heifer calves alive at birth were dead by weaning.

COW MAN AG E ME N T

CM07_special dystocia 21

little extra ‘tender loving care’ thrown in for good measure, to help them along,” says Miss Barrier.

Colostrum is, of course, vital. Calves should receive at least three litres of good quality colostrum within the first six hours of life.

“And producers should check on these calves several times a day, to make sure that they’re up and about and not showing any signs of weakness or illness.

If they are, easy intervention is vital to ensure not only their survival, but that they will also maximise their growth and performance potential.”

Closer eye Miss Barrier recommends using a marker spray on the dystocial calves so they can be easily identified within a group and producers can keep a closer eye on them throughout the rearing period.

The good news from the study is that, for dystocial calves that survived, there was no indication of altered growth to weaning or subsequent impaired fertility.

This may be explained by the early mortality of the most badly affected calves or by farm management.

“Heifer calves that survive weaning seem to cope, according to our data.

They had similar growth to first service and subsequent fertility as those born with assistance.

“It may be that the ‘survivors’ may be less affected and/or good farm management compensates for adverse effects on their performance,” adds Miss Barrier.

Detrimental effects However, they still showed lower survival to first-service age and recent studies have seen detrimental effects up to in their first lactation.

They show higher physiological stress at birth and have more fragile health in later life.

So the ultimate advice is to avoid difficult calvings at all costs – just as most producers strive to do already by carefully selecting easy calving sires and adopting good dry cow management, for example.

“And when they do occur avoid using excessive force and think about the calf as well as the cow – particularly post calving,” says Miss Barrier.

“A bit of TLC in the first hours, days and weeks of life really could be the difference between life and death.” l

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13-10-2011 11:03:22

C A L F - R E A R I N G

S P E C I A L

Tips on feeding young calves pre-weaning to maximise their early growth potential and to ‘light up genetic pathways’ to future productivity

And they’re off...

Maximising early pre-weaning growth is the key to rearing productive and long-lasting heifers. And a fresh approach to feeding calves in this period can pay dividends. We spoke to the experts to find out more. text Rachael Porter

P

roducers can significantly increase lifetime performance and profits worth £148 per cow per year by feeding calves to exploit their genetic potential in the first few weeks of life. So says Frank Wright Trouw Nutrition International, which launched its metabolic programming approach to pre-weaning feeding at this year’s Dairy Event.

“Research shows that a brief period of enhanced nutrition in the perinatal period switches on the metabolic pathways that lead to better lifetime performance,” explains the company’s John Twigge. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and if these pathways are not activated in the first few weeks then the opportunity is missed. They are not activated later in life.”

Nutritional stimulus The clues were in human nutrition.

Studies following WWII showed that poor nutrition in humans during pregnancy and post partum had a significant effect on birth weight and then on growth and size in adulthood.

“If nutrition was poor then growth never really caught up – there was no compensatory growth.

“So scientists wondered if that would be the same for heifer calves and, if so, what level of nutritional stimulus would be needed, and for how long, to maximise genetic potential,” says Mr Twigge. He adds that it’s not an issue in the late dry period, but more to do with early post-calving milk feeding.

Metabolic programming is a feeding system geared to ‘light up the genetic

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pathway’ and exploit early potential.

It involves feeding to achieve higher growth rates in calves. But he stresses that it’s not a substitute for good overall calf management, such as feeding adequate amounts of colostrum.

“We see it very much as ‘the next stage’ for producers who have got the basics right and want to move on to the next level – it’s a natural progression. And some of the UK’s best dairy producers will be doing much of what we’re advocating already – like feeding calves more milk in cold weather.

“They look at their best cows and then look back and see that those were their best calves – they make the connection without any need for scientific research.

Our work and system just backs up what they already know, which is that extra time and money invested in calves today will be rewarded later on – with more milk, better health and fertility, and more lactations,” says Mr Twigge.

More milk The system involves feeding higher levels of a more concentrated milk replacer for the first six weeks, followed by a gradual weaning period.

“We recommend six litres/day of milk replacer, made up with 150g of milk powder per litre of water. More typically, calves are fed four litres/day at a rate of 125g/litre and, particularly in cold weather, that can be close to starvation and I have seen calves on farm that have literally starved to death,” says Mr Twigge. “We’re saying feed between 800 and 900g of powder per day – not the usual rate of 600g.”

Provimi’s Norman Downey agrees. The company has been an advocate of feeding

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higher rates of milk replacer until weaning for the past eight years, as part of its heifer rearing programme. And it’s milk replacer – Elevator – is designed to unlock early growth potential in dairy heifers and enhance lifetime performance. It contains 17% oil and 26% protein.

“Calves should be fed milk replacer balanced with the correct source of energy and protein with the optimum amino-acid profile, to improve ‘lean’ daily live weight gain, for the first six weeks of life,” says Mr Downey.

“Our milk replacer combines 26% protein with essential amino acids and 17% fat content – the ideal level to maximise lean gain and minimise fat deposition. We recommend a protein level of at least 22%.”

Cold weather He too says that many producers are not aware that calves need more milk replacer in cold weather: “Particularly those that are less than three weeks old – they have very little in reserve to generate body heat and, as a rule of thumb, once temperatures fall below 100°C, every 50°C drop in temperature requires an additional 100g of milk powder per day to maintain weight gain.”

“Much of the problem is down to the system that producers use. Some don’t alter feeding rates as temperatures fall as they’re simply not aware of the impact on calves.”

John Twigge says that producers are sometimes fearful of feeding more milk or ‘richer’ milk because they think the calves will develop scours. “But if the calf is fed skimmed milk-based replacer, it forms a clot in the calf’s abomasum and breaks down slowly. Products without skimmed milk don’t do that and feeding more could increase the risk of digestive upset.

“Our Lifestart milk replacer includes skimmed milk powder and comprises 18% oil and 23% protein. Typically, growth rates exceed 750g/day and there is no effect on dry feed intakes.

“The cost of additional milk replacer is

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recovered in better performance.

Volac’s Jessica Cooke also stresses that calves should be fed to maximise early growth.

“The amount of milk replacer powder, fed each day is key to growth. For example, increasing the amount of solids from 500g per day, that’s four litres per day at a rate of 125g/litres, to 900g per day, or seven litres at 125g/ litre, will increase growth, as long as the protein content is not limiting,” she says.

Good quality “When it comes to feeding milk replacer, it’s also about quality – not just quantity.

“It is essential to use a milk replacer, with a high protein content, low fat content and low mineral content,” adds Dr Cooke.

For producers who are looking to maximise early pre-weaning growth, Dr Cooke recommends Heiferlac.

“It contains 16% fat and 26% protein. It’s slightly lower in fat to prevent fat deposition and contains more protein to fuel lean growth.”

But what about concerns that feeding more milk would depress concentrate intake and rumen development. “We found that more milk actually increases the calf’s appetite for concentrate,” says John Twigge.

“Calves fed on the programme grow better, exhibit optimal rumen development, have reduced incidence of scours and have better mammary development. In trials, calves fed on the metabolic programming approach were served younger and entered the herd sooner,” he says.

On average they produced 8% more milk in the first two lactations and there was a 47% reduction in the culling rate in the first two lactations. The financial benefit adds up to an extra profit of £148 per cow per year.

“So it’s well worth the additional milk replacer cost and minimal effort required to slightly change your pre-weaning calf feeding system.” l

More milk: feed calves with a view to maximising early growth

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C A L F - R E A R I N G

S P E C I A L

We round up some of the latest calf rearing products, research and advice

What’s new in calf rearing?

Read on and see if a livestock surveillance system, advice on preventing scours, or a yeast culture feed additive could help to make looking after tomorrow’s milkers as problem-free and successful as possible on your unit this coming winter. text Rachael Porter Simon Marsh: “Yeast increased DLWG”

K

eeping a close eye on youngstock couldn’t be easier this winter, since Dairy Spares has launched the award-winning cowCam Lite. It’s a video-camera system from which images can be relayed to the farm computer and from there, via the Internet, to a mobile phone screen, by subscribing to cowCam Online.

The company says that this is ideal for produces wanting to check, from afar, on their calving pens, young calves and, indeed, all stock. It’s also useful for security purposes.

The video camera itself is robust, has 10 metres of night vision, a wide angle lens and a microphone.

It costs £217.50 (plus VAT), and needs to be within 50 metres of an Internet connection. For situations where the internet connection is further away, perhaps in the house, then the original cowCam will be required.

This has a range of 800m and costs £426.10 (plus VAT).

Using either system, a subscription to cowCam Online can then be used to relay the video images to an iPhone or android phone. This costs approximately £90 per year, with the first month included free of charge. Subscriptions are paid for on a month-by-month basis, making the system cost-effective for shortterm periods, such as seasonal calving, according to the company.

By subscribing, producers can check their livestock 24 hours a day, from anywhere, so long as their mobile phone has a signal.

Yeast culture Adding a yeast culture to calf rations improves appetite and increases growth rates in young calves, according to the results of a study, carried out at Harper Adams University College. Significantly

improved daily live weight gains (DLWG) and feed intakes from birth to weaning affirmed the product’s value, while increased rumen girth measurements gave a clear indication that its inclusion was influencing rumen development.

Scientific evidence This performance gives credence to widespread positive on-farm findings, which have sometimes been based on anecdote, and a whole body of international scientific evidence.

“We wanted to investigate the effect of feeding XP yeast in both the milk and starter concentrate of dairy-bred bull calves,” says Harper Adams’ Simon Marsh, who led the trial.

He used a group of 48 Holstein and ContinentalxHolstein bull calves. Half of the animals were fed Rumenco’s Diamond V XP, while a control group were fed exactly the same ration without

Scours – it can prevented and controlled The most dominant calf scour pathogens can be controlled, according to a leading animal health company.

The latest published data from the MSD Animal Health ScourCheck scheme reveals that cryptosporidium and rotavirus are the most dominant calf scour-causing organisms on UK cattle units. “The latest diagnostic data from calf-side faecal samples, taken by participating veterinary practices, show more than 32% testing positive for cryptosporidia with more than 29% positive for rotavirus,” says MSD Animal Health vet Alfredo Sanz Moreno.

“In the samples submitted, these

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two pathogens caused the majority of infectious scour outbreaks on UK calf units, but the good news is that their impact can be controlled He added that the company’s ‘save our youngstock’ initiative was helping to highlight the costly calf losses caused by these extremely common infectious scour organisms. “In the dairy sector, 15% of heifers die during the rearing period and many of these youngstock losses are down to scour problems or pneumonia.

He stressed that many calf unit scour problems could be overcome with a dam vaccination regime.

“Good cow nutrition and calving hygiene, coupled with vaccination of the dam

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with Rotavec Corona, 12 to three weeks before calving is a very effective way of reducing scour problems caused by rotavirus, E. coli K99 and coronavirus.

Calves gain protection against these key disease-causing organisms by drinking the antibody-rich colostrum from their vaccinated mothers.”

“Scour problems caused by cryptosporidia can also be managed,” he said.

“Implementing sound hygiene protocols, and the use of Halocur, will definitely help.

“This medication reduces the severity of the disease in individual calves and reduces the output of cryptosporidia oocysts, which cuts the risk of disease spread.”

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live weight (kg) start 3 weeks weaning 12 weeks

control

XP

Sig

57.2 60.1 76.1 122.6

57.2 61.6 79.6 124.8

NS NS NS NS

NS = not significant

Table 1: Calf performance (liveweight)

DLWG (kg) start-3 weeks 3 weeks-weaning start-weaning weaning-12 weeks start-2 weeks

control

XP

Sig

0.139 0.638 0.410 1.225 0.779

0.205 0.721 0.485 1.189 0.804

NS * * NS P =0.069

NS = not significant; * = P<0.05

Table 2: Daily liveweight gains (DLWG)

rumen girth (cm) start weaning 12 weeks

control

XP

Sig

92.7 107.5 127.1

91.9 109.8 128.9

NS * P=0.098

NS = not significant, * = P<0.05

Table 3: Rumen girth measurements

the yeast culture. Calves were bucket-fed milk replacer twice-a-day to weaning at 46 days, to which 15g/head/day of XP yeast was added, for the treatment group.

The feed rate was reduced to 10g/head/ day on day 28, although this group’s early weaning concentrate contained 15kg/ tonne of yeast culture. The control group received no XP yeast, but their feed was otherwise identical to the treatment group.

With all calves monitored closely – for their weight gain; girth measurements; feed intakes and, more subjectively, for their coat bloom and faecal score – he says that one finding stood out.

“The daily liveweight gain was significantly greater in the XP yeast-fed group,” he says. “The difference was most obvious in the three-week-to-weaning period, but it was also seen all the way from the start until 12 weeks.”

Rumen girth measurements showed equally significant differences, which were most pronounced at the time of weaning. This reflected the higher concentrate intakes in the XP yeast-fed calves, which were 4.4kg more per calf by the time of weaning, or 7.9kg more by 12 weeks of age.

“The increased concentrate intake with XP yeast resulted in improved rumen development, which would explain both the increased rumen girth size and the greater DLWG,” adds Mr Marsh. l

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13-10-2011 11:09:53

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“Since using JFC hutches our calves are healthier, brighter and can be weaned earlier.

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12-10-2011 11:17:02

Do you know what’s in your colostrum product?

Locatim® is the only licensed standardised immunoglobulin treatment proven to reduce mortality in the calf Proven to reduce mortality and morbidity in the calf1 Contains specific immunoglobulins, vital to provide adequate immunity* Colostrum used is quarantined for 12 months before use Produced from vaccinated donor cows, guaranteed to be free from: ✔ EBL ✔ Tuberculosis ✔ Brucellosis ✔ Paratuberculosis ✔ IBR ✔ Parvovirus ✔ Adenovirus ✔ BSE

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Locatim may only be prescribed by your veterinary surgeon, from whom advice must be sought.

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02/08/2010 14:37 03-03-2011 11:29:01

A

F E W

W O R D S

F R O M

R O G E R

E VA N S

Award winning columnist and Shropshire-based dairy producer Roger Evans contemplates the future of cattle breeding with genomics and the prospect of selling grass to his local power station.

Cow power I

saw a presentation recently on genomics. I’d heard about it but didn’t know what it really meant. Relatively speaking, and everything in life is relative, compared with what I knew and what I know now, I am now an expert.

Simplistically, and where I am it is very simple, you, or preferably someone else, identifies the traits you desire in your perfect cow through its DNA. This would appear to be an impossible task because, in theory, there isn’t a perfect cow, simply because everyone will have a different idea of what she should be like. But that doesn’t matter because, unless I’ve completely misunderstood, you can pick out the particular traits that suit your system and milk the cows of your dreams.

What you should not underestimate is the speed at which this could all happen. Selective breeding has until now been a protracted process, not least because of bull lay off periods for example.

This technology may well mean that your perfect cow will be tall, angular, and give more than 10,000 litres on twice-a-day a day milking.

And she might have low milk constituents because your milk buyer doesn’t pay much for fat and protein. But that is not every producer’s idea of the perfect cow and, in some ways, it is stuck in the time warp of the big high yielding Holstein.

I cannot believe, for example, that in a world of potential food shortages, that fat and protein will not have an increasing value, and if energy is expensive then why would you want to cart all that water about?

At the other end of the perfect-cow spectrum is a very different cow.

A cow that will give between 3,500 and 4,000 litres on once-a-day milking, a cow that can run down a track at 100 miles per hour because if she doesn’t then, by the time she gets there, there will be no grass left. She will conceive to one service, will calve unaided, have high milk constituents because invariably her milk will go in to manufacture, because that is the sort of area where she will live.

So what is my perfect cow? She will have to give 7,500 litres for a start and have good constituents. She will graze well, because grass is the cheapest food I grow, and live a long and productive life. She will have lots of heifer calves, because we’ve never had lots of heifer calves (but that will be down to sexed semen).

My perfect cow will also have a low cell count, rarely have mastitis and have such a placid temperament that you might suspect she’s been grazing cannabis. Looking further ahead it will eat thistles and nettles and docks all summer, of which we have an abundance, and plastic bags and string in the winter.

I could live with a cow like that, but there’s a bit of me that says that perhaps I won’t keep any cows at all and that I will grow grass and silage and take it to the local power station where they will turn it in to electricity. And I only have to take it there five days a week.

If I don’t get a milk price soon with a three in front of it, maybe that’s what I’ll do.

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O c t o b er / N ovem b er

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CM07_p29.indd 2

12-10-2011 11:22:10

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A N I M A L

H E A LT H

Control plans for this costly disease spread south and gain momentum

BVD control moves on a pace Industry experts believe that the move in Scotland to eradicate BVD from dairy and beef herds could well spread south of the border. And at very least it is likely to create a barrier to the trade of cattle with the rest of Britain. But aside from legislation, the health, welfare and economic implications of BVD should be enough to make producers want to jump off the fence and eradicate BVD from their herds. text Karen Wright

F

rom December 2011 all Scottish cattle herds will be required to have an annual screening test with results from an approved laboratory passed on to the Government. In addition, it is proposed that the sale of all known persistently infected (PI) animals be banned from December 2012. About 40% of Scottish herds are affected by BVD. Financial incentives offered to Scottish livestock producers resulted in 4,000 herds screened for BVD in the six months from September 2010 with follow up tests for those with positive results. This cost the Scottish Government £180,000.

“This put vets on more than 4,000 farms to talk about BVD and produced excellent data on disease prevalence,” said the

32

Scottish Government’s Gordon Struth, speaking at the NML BVD seminar, held at Larkhall in Lanarkshire, earlier this month. “It gave us a sound basis to launch mandatory annual screening.”

Work carried out by the Scottish Agricultural College, supported by the Moredun Research Institute, illustrated the viability of an eradication programme.

Moving south “Industry then came up with a plan that the Scottish Government has taken forward and it has proved popular with a wide range of stakeholders in the industry,” added Mr Struth.

In 2006, the Royal Veterinary College

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Gordon Struth and Emma Patterson-Taylor, Animal Health and Welfare Division, Scottish Government

(RVC) began a pilot BVDV eradication programme for farms in south-west England. “We only have preliminary results, but emerging trends indicate that the 59% of study farms that were infected at the start of the project were not performing as well those that were BVD free,” said seminar speaker and project coordinator Richard Booth, from the RVC. Herds recruited onto this study, through Synergy Farm Health and Shepton Veterinary Group, underwent screening and control measures and now only 15% of the herds remain infected and should

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be free of the disease within a year.

“We are particularly interested in the production and health improvements in BVD-free cattle,” added Dr Booth. “We are anticipating improvements in calving interval and calf health where herds have moved to BVD-free status.”

The south-west project showed that farms removing PI cattle in combination with biosecurity enhancements and vaccination were able to reach BVDV freedom. “It is possible to maintain this status,” added Dr Booth.

“Control measures should include routine surveillance on BVD-free farms and PI identification and removal on infected units.”

“We are confident that we will have significant data early next year to show the benefits of BVD control, which will be even more convincing when we pool results from similar trials carried out by George Gunn’s SAC team in Scotland.”

Swiss success Proof that an eradication programme is successful came from speaker Christoph Goetz, European sales manager for livestock and poultry diagnostics company IDEXX. “The Swiss BVD eradication programme was launched in February 2008 and in three years the disease is almost eliminated,” said Dr Goetz. “They took a straightforward strategy to detect and eliminate PI animals and all dairy cattle – 1.6 million – were tested for the presence of PI animals using mainly ear notch samples. Different PCR tests and an ELISA (IDEXX) test were also approved for use.”

In phase two of the Swiss programme,

Jonathan Statham (right): “We give participating producers practical advice to help them make improvements in BVD control”

new-born calves had to be tested within five days of age. Again ear notches were collected and tested. “About 600,000 calves are tested each year and this will continue until the middle of 2012 when phase three will kick in with routine testing to ensure the absence of BVD,” he added. Diagnostics for the detection of BVD antibodies in blood and bulk tank milk will be used.”

When the Swiss BVD eradication programme started PI prevalence was at 1.5%. By July 2011 this had dropped to 0.07%. BVD has practically disappeared from many Swiss cattle herds.

The Swiss programme is paid for by state funds and producers who pay about one third of the total costs through an additional fee when purchasing ear tags.

A £225-per-animal subsidy is paid for eliminating PI animals.

“We now have a programme in Germany to identify and eliminate PI animals. Newborn calves and sale animals must be tested using either blood or ear-notch samples but whole herds are not tested for the presence of PI animals, as in Switzerland,” said Dr Goetz. “And BVD vaccination is allowed in Germany, unlike Switzerland, and it is used in densely populated cattle areas.”

Beef cattle that are not moved from one farm to another and are being shipped directly to abattoirs have not been included into the German programme.

“As PI prevalence is beginning to decrease in many areas, producers in Germany are starting to see positive impacts of the BVD eradication programme and herds are becoming healthier.”

Pilot projects BVD control programmes are being piloted in North Yorkshire and Northumberland. “The restrictions in Scotland may lead to barriers to trade for England’s beef and dairy herds if steps

Richard Booth: “BVD-free status can be achieved”

are not taken to manage the problem south of the border,” says Ripon-based Bishopton vet Jonathan Statham, who is leading the project.

The projects involve 10 beef and 10 dairy herds in Nidderdale and 18 beef and two dairy herds in the Coquet Valley, Northumberland. They have three phases – disease mapping, measuring BVD impact on herd reproductive and youngstock performance, and developing herd specific BVD control plans.

“Each herd will have its baseline BVD status identified through testing and this information, combined with the farm’s management records such as calving intervals, fertility information and calf performance, will be used to prepare a herd health improvement plan,” says Mr Statham. “Working with the vet, the producer will be advised of the practical steps that need to be taken to implement improvements and progress will be recorded.”

The projects will run for one year and it is hoped that other cattle units in the region and further afield can benefit from the results. l Booth & Brownlie ‘Establishing a Pilot Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus Eradication Scheme in Somerset’ will appear in Veterinary Record

COW MAN AG CO E M W EMN AT N O AC G TE O M BE EN RT / N S EOPVTEEM MBBEERR 22001019

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F R O M

T H E

V E T E R I N A RY J O N

P R A C T I C E

R E A D E R

Vet Jon Reader from Synergy Farm Health in Dorset, which is part of the XL Vet Group, takes a timely look at a condition that’s all too common in calves when they’re housed in the autumn – and throughout the winter.

And he offers some pointers on how to control and prevent it.

Faecal sampling is a must to identify the true cause of scours

Follow the three ‘Qs’ A

utumn calving and housing sees the usual annual spike in cases of calf scour and two of the most usual suspects – seen in neonatal calves up until about 10 days old – are Rotavirus and Coronavirus.

Calves will pick these viruses up in their first few days of life from their environment and some won’t show clinical signs, but will still shed the virus. So it’s important to diagnose the cause of calf scours accurately, via faecal sampling, and, better still, keep calving pens and calf housing as clean as possible.

Making sure that calves are fed enough good quality colostrum immediately after calving will go some way to protecting them, as will following the three ‘Qs’ – quick, quality and quantity.

Vaccinating dry cows, on units where there’s a known and significant problem, can boost antibody levels in colostrum and help to reduce the incidence of scour caused by these viruses. But it can prove costly and still requires producer intervention as far as colostrum feeding goes. At least three litres in the first six hours are vital. Remember that pooling colostrum is a no no, due to the possible risk of spreading Johne’s disease.

A compromise is to only vaccinate cows three weeks prior to calving during periods of high risk. Cases are more prevalent in the autumn as animals are rehoused for the winter and also as the winter progresses, due to the pressure on housing and the build up of pathogens in the environment.

The encyclopaedia Calf scours Cause

Treatment

Viral causes include Rotavirus and Coronavirus. Another common cause is Cryptosporidium. E. coli and Salmonella can also be to blame. It’s vital that producers and vets work together to find out what is causing calf scour so prevention and treatment strategies can be tailored accordingly.

A viral cause means there’s no treatment, but supportive therapy must be given while the infection runs its course.

Milk should be withdrawn and replaced with electrolyte rehydration therapy. There are also some gel products available that can be given without withdrawing milk feeds to aid rehydration and recovery.

Symptoms Diarrhoea/scouring is the first symptom.

As the condition progresses, calves refuse feeds and be reluctant to drink. In severe cases, calves become dehydrated and collapse, and it can be fatal.

Prevention Colostrum and cleanliness are key. At least three litres of good quality colostrum should be given in the first six hours after birth, to provide the calf with antibodies to protect it. Calving pens and calf housing should be cleaned, disinfected and preferably rested between batches.

Cows can be vaccinated three weeks before calving to boost their colostrum antibody levels and help to protect their calves. This costs around £9 per shot and still relies on producers following the three ‘Qs’.

COW MAN AG E ME N T

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s i r e

r e p o rt

The cow family behind G-Force is growing from obscurity into a dynasty

Made in Holland D e lta G - F o r c e

( M a n -O - M a n x J o rda n x Jo ck o )

The Wiza family does not perhaps have the sexy character or

Production: genomic data 59% reliability, UK conversion (source: DairyCo, GES August 2011)

an international image of a thoroughbred cow family that can

Kg M +552

% fat % prot. Kg fat Kg prot. PLI +0.06 +0.02 +23.1 +25.3 £204

Longevity: SCC: Calving ease: Temperament: Milking speed: Fertility:

text Tijmen van Zessen

Conformation traits: GES August 2011, rel. 60% 88

107

dairy strength

100

udder

107

feet and legs

107

total score

109

stature

110

chest width

101

body depth

104

angularity

107

condition score

100

rump width

104

rear legs rear view

102

rear legs side view

100

112

95

rump angle

98

foot angle

106

locomotion

104

fore udder attachment

104

front teat placement

105

teat length

103

udder depth

107

rear udder height

105

central ligament

105

rear teat placement

105

the Wiza line is a Dutch source of genes with bulls and cows that have proved themselves on Dutch soil.

+556 days –16 110 100 99 102

frame

dash off pedigrees with six or more excellent generations. But

H

is straws were sold out within 12 hours in The Netherlands. Producers who ordered G-Force via the Internet were flocking to get hold of the top genomic bull of the Netherlands.

With an NVI of 302 and a type score of 109, G-Force is a very promising bull.

Even if he should drop 100 points of NVI when he gets his daughter proof he will still hold his own with the current crop of bulls.

The story behind the cow family behind G-Force starts at the moment that Henk Buijs visited the farm of Johan and Els Brouwers. CRV’s breeding expert looked at daughters of Hidden Future (sire: Newhouse Ronald) that had been selected for a daughter progeny group. In Wiza 192 he saw a second calved Future daughter that was just starting her lactation and was exactly right. “She was a cow worth 85 points, but had never

High lifetime production

C OWM ANAGEMENT

CM07_avoncroft sirereport 38

Wiza 197 to CRV test barn Wiza 192 produced more than 80,000kg of milk in total and left the Brouwers farm in 2010 year. “At the beginning of the 90s I bought a couple of young cows from a herd who were giving up milking.

With that purchase the Wizas arrived on our farm,” Johan Brouwers says. “Wiza 192 was one of the best cows that I have ever had. She had excellent legs, moved easily through the barn and was productive enough to achieve 100,000kg of milk but eventually her udder let her down.”

The 145 cows the family milk produce a rolling annual average of 9,476kg of milk with 4.34% butterfat and 3.57%

Wiza 187 (Sunny Boy)

Delta G-Force entered the Dutch blackand-white genomics list in April 2011 as the absolute number-one bull and he retained this position firmly in August with +302 NVI. He ensures extreme high lifetime production by combining a high milk yield (+552 kg of milk) and protein inheritance (+25 kg) with +556 days longevity. To top it off he transmits a very complete conformation (109 total conformation).

For further information on all CRV InSire bulls, contact Avoncroft on 0800 7831880.

38

been classified. She was too fresh to fit in the daughter group, but was certainly the best developed Future daughter and gave the impression of being sturdy.”

Wiza 188 (Marconi) Wiza 192 (Future) Wiza 197 (Jocko) Delta Malaga (Jordan)

Delta Gem (Jordan)

Delta Speech (Cricket)

Delta G-Force (Man-O-Man)

O c t o b e r / N o v e mb e r

Delta Wanda (Mascol) Delta Giant (Man-O-Man)

Delta Wies (Mascol) Delta Bocelli (Legend)

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protein. The Brouwers family are not used to cows with a lifetime production like Wiza. Wiza 192 not only qualified for the daughter progeny group, she also appeared to do well with her production index. “When I saw that she had a heifer from Jocko Besne I made a deal with Johan to buy the calf,” Henk Buijs says.

Wiza 197 moved to the CRV test barn. “It was during the period that the daughters of Jocko Besne first came into milk and their popularity was growing. We were deliberately looking for Jocko calves from good dams. In the same way, for example, that Goolstar Diamond came into the picture.”

Donor station In the Delta herd Wiza 197 produced 8,313kg of milk, with 4.08% butterfat and 3.56% protein, in her first lactation and classified 85 points for total score with 86 points for udder and feet and legs. Due to her intensive use as donor cow, she has never produced a second lactation.

Wiza 197 was flushed with bulls including Mascol and Delta Novalis and Swamo Delta Jordan. The popular Delta Malaga came from the combination with Jordan. In his first proof Malaga realised +1,084kg of milk and now, with 32 second-crop daughters, he has a Dutch breeding value of +1,517kg of milk.

Looking at the image of his mother it is clear to see the inheritance in his daughters with udder (107) and legs (107) being Malagas’ strongest characteristics.

Delta Malaga will, however, never

Mascol daughter Delta Wanda, half sister to Delta Gem

become as influential as his full sister.

There are currently five Delta Gem sons being tested and there are still two or three that could make breeding bull status. One of the sons is now the famous Man-O-Man son G-Force, but there are also sons from Cricket, Goli, Legend, Bogart and Gerard. Gem was inseminated as a yearling and flushed via the IVF technique. After her first lactation at one of the CRV Delta herds she was brought back to the donor station to work as a bull mother.

Only 10% of the CVR donors are able to go so far. Why the popularity? “She isn’t the super donor with 88 points for type

Jocko daughter Wiza 197, grand dam of Delta G-Force

and big production lists. The quality of the cow lies in her all-round aptitude.

She has few faults and is free from Goldwyn, O Man and Shottle and therefore has an out-cross pedigree. At the same time with Jordan, Jocko, Future, Marconi and Sunny Boy in her pedigree there isn’t a failure”, explains Delta coordinator Jaap Veldhuisen.

At the Delta herd she achieved a 305-day lactation of 9,124kg of milk with 3.89% butterfat and 3.30% protein. She has been classified with 84 points and has an index of 106 for total type with an NVI of 221. Jaap says: “That is +87 NVI on the breeding value without genomics – a positive deviation that doesn’t often occur.”

Massia comparison Gem and G-Force are not the end of the story for the Wizas. From Gem herself more young daughters have been designated as donor cows: a half sister from Mascol for example. Delta Wanda has 86 points and in the test came out at 9,910kg of milk with 4.60% butterfat and 3.60% protein in 305 days. She scores 240 NVI and will be used as a bull dam.

A full sister of Wanda has a natural pregnancy under contract. Delta Wies began her second lactation at the CRV Delta herd with daily productions of 54 and 58kg of milk.

And so will, until recently, an obscure but Dutch pure-bred cow family reveal itself as a dynasty the size of the famous Massia family? Jaap thinks about it and then says, diplomatically: “It certainly could.” l

COW MAN AG E ME N T

CM07_avoncroft sirereport 39

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11-10-2011 14:06:34

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DAIRY MANAGEMENT NEWS

‘Hotter’ heat detection Increased sensitivity highlighting cows on heat even more clearly is a key new feature in the latest version of NMR’s electronic heat detection system Silent Herdsman. The latest version, out this autumn and currently upgrading all current systems out on farm, also groups cows and this again makes it even easier for operators to spot bulling cows.

“The improvement in sensitivity selection and the ability to group animals on the system means that

users can customise Silent Herdsman to suit their set-up,” says NMR’s Jonathan Davies. “It allows cows to be grouped in stages of lactation or lactation number for example. And if a group of, say, heifers is very active then the sensitivity can be ‘turned down’ so bulling heifers show up more clearly. Likewise the sensitivity for groups of older cows can be turned up so that small changes show up very blatantly. This makes it easier to spot variations and improves the interpretation and accuracy of data.”

Developed by Embedded Technology Solutions, Silent Herdsman uses advanced motion technology to monitor and record individual cow behaviour 24/7.

Data passes from an intelligent processor situated on a robust cow collar to a farm base station and then on to a touch screen monitor typically located in the dairy.

Johne’s tracker Reports from NML’s disease surveillance service, Herdwise, now include a historic assessment of Johne’s prevalence in the herd. “This allows producers and their vets to check trends over time and will be of great benefit to those in their second and third year of Johne’s surveillance testing through the service,” says NML manager Steve West.

“Johne’s control is generally a lengthy process so being able to view progress from one year to the next ensures that control plans are on track.”

To view this new report, click on the Historic summary button within the Herdwise section on the NMR Herd Companion website www.nmr.co.uk.

Tag approval

Tag & Test takes off The decision by large dairy herds to introduce NML’s Tag and Test service for all dairy calves, along with its use in more beef herds, are thought to be a major contributor to the increase in throughput of tissue samples at its testing laboratory.

“We’ve seen an increase of 82% in the number of tissue samples submitted for BVD antigen testing during the past six months,” says Nordic Star’s Rachael Ellis.

“Producers are recognising that Tag

and Test is a very easy and accurate way of picking up PI animals early in life.

“There’s no need for the vet to visit to take blood samples and the tissue sample test is 99.9% accurate.

“It can be carried out within 48 hours of birth, which means that identification requirements are met at the same time as testing for BVD. “In addition, it is a more effective test for BVD than a blood test in these first few days of life.”

Hot off the press is confirmation that Nordic Star’s Lab Tag, Buddy Button and EID Button tags, that are already approved for use in Britain, are now approved for use in Northern Ireland.

The Lab Tag has been approved as a primary tag for cattle while the Buddy Button and EID Button tags are approved as secondary tags for cattle.

Chart toppers Ranked on lifetime daily yield, here are the top three cows from August’s group of 100-tonne cows.

In top place is Thuborough Freda 377 who has given 107,699kg of milk in six lactations and has a LDY of 32.41kg. She is from Willie Ley’s Devon-based herd at Sutcombe.

In second place is Wings Bombay Topsy who has given 102,175kg of milk in five lactations and has a LDY of 31.47kg. She is from the Duckworth’s herd in Granborough, Buckinghamshire. Third this month is Chalclyffe Ruben Jane, who has produced 102,871kg of milk in seven lactations and has a LDY of 31.39kg.

She is from Nick Cobb’s Dorset-based herd in West Chaldon.

For more information on NMR products and services contact customer services, 0844 7255567, NMR web address: www.nmr.co.uk, NMR email address: customerservices@nmr.co.uk COW MAN AG E ME N T

CM07_NMR news 41

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BREEDING INFORMATION

CRV’s robot index The use of robotic milking systems is growing, as is the demand for sires that will produce the cows to suit this type of milking and management system.

So CRV has developed a special ‘robot’ index to highlight the most suitable sires to breed these cows. This ranking comprises milking speed, udder health and (rear) teat placement. Traits like feet and legs, front teat placement and teat length also have an important weighting in the formula.

The August 2011 Robot Dairy Guide is available from Avoncroft, so call 0800 7831880 for your free copy.

black & white sire Romeo Improver Atlantic* Cricket Nimbo Bluejay* Emerald* Surprise Nearby Malaga Nevada Logan

CRV’s robot ranking 110 110 109 109 109 109 109 108 105 106 104 104

red & white sire Arnold Camion* Fender Leola Kodak Kian Kylian Twister Fidelity Ideal

CRV’s robot ranking 108 108 107 106 106 106 105 104 103 103

Table 1: Suitable sires for the milking robot (*= InSire)

‘Juicy’ genes For centuries the MRI has been bred in the Netherlands as a dualpurpose cow – a source of both milk and beef.

Nowadays the breed is also used successfully for cross breeding across the world. The milk has a naturally high protein content, with high AB and BB casein. Their juicy, marbled meat provides a valuable carcass at slaughter.

These attributes are a welcome additional selling point – and income – for dairy producers. And the breed also offers excellent body condition score, great longevity, excellent daughter fertility, very strong feet and legs, and it’s easy calving.

Jolanda 168, cross-bred daughter of the MRI sire Dorus

Fleckvieh promises cross-breeding success Fleckvieh cows are healthy, hardy and are very adaptable. Easy calving, good fertility and a long productive life are, besides the high performance potential for milk and beef, the basis

for efficient production. Very good udder conformation and feet and legs, together with the medium body size of animals is ideal with respect to longevity and feed efficiency. The

COW MAN AG E ME N T

CM07_avoncroft news 45

Fleckvieh-Simmental breed has proved very successful in cross breeding.

The Fleckvieh breed is one of Europe’s oldest breeds and, with its total population numbering approximately 41 million, it is the second largest breed in the world. It was developed to be highly productive on mostly grassbased diets and to produce higher amounts of fat and protein for cheese making.

The most important Fleckvieh populations are in Germany and Austria, and the Czech Republic. CRV’s Fleckvieh breeding programme uses all these populations to ensure that it sources the best available bulls.

For a full list of CRV Fleckvieh sires free phone Avoncroft 0800 7831880.

O CT O B E R /N O VE M B E R

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FEED

EFFICIENCY

SERIES

There’s more to ration formulation than simply balancing the chemical content

Let’s get physical The right feed in the right form is vital if feed conversion Improving feed conversion efficiency Here, in the final article of our series looking at feed conversion efficiency, we explain why the parameter is set to become increasingly important for UK dairy businesses and how it can be improved.

efficiency is to be maximised. In this, the final article in our

Topic 1: What is FCE and why is it so important?

Topic 2: Breeding for FCE Topic 3: Health and FCE – a holistic approach Topic 4: Non-feed and management factors Topic 5: ‘Chemical’ and ‘physical’ ration factors

and physical make up, to produce more milk.

N

utrition can be divided into two parts – chemical and physical. Chemical nutrition looks at the contribution of nutrients, which are energy, protein, oil, fibre, vitamins, minerals and trace elements, and matching them to the cow’s requirements.

“Getting nutrition wrong will have a huge impact on profitability,” says BOCM PAULS’ Nick Berni. “To offset rising feed costs and milk price volatility, herds need to produce high levels of milk efficiently without compromising cow health and fertility.”

Rumen fermentation “Nutrition should focus on the rumen not the cow, as it is the end products of rumen fermentation that actually feed the cow and are responsible for driving milk production and milk quality while at the same time being closely linked to cow health and fertility.”

The aim is to supply adequate levels of energy and protein within a realistic dry matter intake while correctly balancing the sources of energy and protein. Feeds are broken down at different rates in the rumen so a chemically balanced ration will take into consideration different fermentation and degradation rates of energy and protein sources. “Sometimes it is also important to supply nutrients that by-pass the rumen and are utilised in the intestines, particularly with higher yielding cows,” he adds.

Ration formulation systems, such as BOCM’s Dietplan DairyPro, accompanied by accurate forage and feed analysis

48

series on improving FCE, we take a closer look at the importance of feeding a good ration, both in terms of its chemical content

text Rachael Porter

allow nutritionists to develop diets that provide the correct supply and balance of nutrients.

“By taking account of how different nutrients interact in the rumen we can maximise rumen output, health and overall feed efficiency.”

Correctly implemented Mr Berni stresses that good chemical nutrition does not begin and end at the laptop. Once a diet has been formulated it needs to be correctly implemented and monitored as there is a risk that any one of four different diets could be fed – not just the one on paper. The other three could be the ration that the mixer wagon operator is told to feed, the ration that the operator actually puts in front of the cows, or the ration that the cow decides to eat.

“There’s a great deal that can go ‘wrong’ between the laptop and the rumen and the real skill is in reducing the variation between the diet formulated and the diet actually utilised by the cow,” he says.

According to Keenan nutritionist Mark Voss the way the diet is physically presented to the cow is as important as the chemical make-up of the diet.

“Present the diet in the wrong way and all the benefits of a precise chemical formulation will be lost because the rumen will struggle to digest the ration, intakes will fall and FCE and margins will be reduced.”

Physical nutrition considers the structure of the ration. The rumen requires a mix of different particle sizes to work effectively and if the diet contains too much long material then the rumen

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Mark Voss: “Nutrition should focus on optimising rumen function”

becomes congested and actually slows down. Cows have problems digesting the diet and nutrients pass through the rumen without being utilised.

Conversely, too many small particles lead to an over-vigorous fermentation and problems with acidosis.

Craves consistency The rumen also craves consistency and ideally each mouthful should be virtually the same in terms of the particle size and chemical breakdown. “Delivering the correct balance of particles to optimise rumen function will improve utilisation of the diet. Physical nutrition sets out to optimise the form of the ration so the maximum amounts of nutrients can be utilised in the rumen.”

Mr Voss says that there is a misconception that a well-mixed diet is one that is heavily processed so all the ingredients become largely indeterminable. “This could not be further from the truth.

Many systems of mixing diets actually work against rumen function by mixing

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11-10-2011 13:58:06

Feed out: a lot can go wrong between the laptop and the rumen

too aggressively and producing an overprocessed ration with a lack of adequate structure. This forms a diet that is too dense.

“An effective physically presented diet leaves a clearly distinguishable range of particle sizes in a low-density mix.

Effective physical nutrition delivers the optimum distribution of particle size

and fibre while ensuring the optimum bulk density.”

He says that the Keenan Mech-Fiber approach employs a gentle paddle mixing action that thoroughly chops and mixes the ingredients using a nondestructive tumbling action. The result is a homogenous mix that allows the rumen microflora to work to their

potential and release the maximum quantity of nutrients from the diet. And the unique Pace system helps reduce daily variations in mixing.

“Focussing on getting the chemical and physical nutrition right is the foundation of improving feed efficiency and is something all producers can benefit from this winter,” Mr Voss adds. l

Feed efficiency is a useful benchmark Diet consistency is high on the list of priorities for Yorkshire-based producer Ed Goodall, who runs a 240-strong herd of Holsteins, with all milk processed on farm and distributed around Leeds.

“We want to avoid making too many changes to the ration and base our feeding on buying consistent feeds, formulating the diet carefully and then making sure it is delivered to the cows in a consistent way,” he explains.

High yielders are housed all year round while mid-lactation cows are turned out for a few hours in the summer. Low yielders graze full time in the summer, but will get some mixed ration.

All feed is fed in the trough and the rations are formulated by BOCM’s Keith Colley. The diet comprises grass silage, two protein blends, rolled wheat, Lintec, Megalac, Levucell and straw. The high yielders’ ration is formulated to give

maintenance plus 45 litres, while the mid-lactation diet supplies maintenance plus 35 litres.

Ed has used Keenan feeders for the past 16 years and has been impressed with the control that the new Pace system has given him.

“With Pace we know exactly what has been fed and it’s also easy to increase the total fed while keeping the proportions the same, rather than just adding more silage. The latter changes the chemical and physical ration and disrupts the cows.

“We are feeding a well presented diet and I can quickly check the accuracy of inclusion and mixing times to make sure we are feeding what we expect. Being able to download the feed data enables me to discuss any discrepancies that have arisen with the rest of the team.”

The system also allows Ed to monitor

COW MAN AG E ME N T

CM07-seriesFeedEfficiency4 49

Ed Goodall: “A consistent ration is vital”

feed efficiency, which has to average around 1.3kg of milk per kilogramme of dry matter fed, but this has increased to closer to 1.4 since the cows moved onto this year’s first-cut silage.

“Feed efficiency is a useful benchmark, particularly when we change the silage.

It allows us to monitor how cows are reacting.”

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11-10-2011 13:58:16

C O N TA C T S

SHOWS AND EVENTS October 18: October 22: November 4-13: November 16: December 6-11 December 8: December 9:

Welsh Dairy Show, Nantyci Showground, Carmarthen CRV Koe-Expo, Den Bosch (The Netherlands) Royal Winter Fair, Toronto (Canada) AgriScot, Edinburgh, Scotland Agribex, Brussels (Belgium) Northern Ireland Winter Fair, Balmoral Showground, Belfast (N. Ireland) HHH-show, Zwolle (The Netherlands)

2012 January 12-15: February 25- March 4:

Swiss Expo, Lausanne (Switzerland) SIA, Paris (France)

Next generation: tomorrow’s milkers have plenty of exciting potential.

Picture: Harrie van Leeuwen

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX C O N TA C T S CowManagement is published eight times per year by CRV Holding BV

Editorial team Chief Editor Jaap van der Knaap Editor Rachael Porter Phone 01394 270587 E-mail rachael.porter@virgin.net Editing, design and production Veeteelt Contributing writers Roger Evans, Allison Matthews, David Matthews, Karen Wright and Tijmen van Zessen Publisher Rochus Kingmans

Chief editor’s address P.O. Box 454, 6800 AL Arnhem, The Netherlands Phone 0031 26 38 98 821. Fax 0031 26 38 98 839 E-mail cm.office@crv4all.com internet www.cowmanagement.net

Subscriptions CowManagement is available free of charge to customers of NMR, Avoncroft and Thompsons.

If you think you are eligible, please contact: National Milk Records, Customer Services, Skipton Road, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG1 4LG. Phone 0870 1622547 E-mail customerservices@NMR.co.uk www.isubscribe.co.uk

Advertisements Julia Hughes, NMR. Phone 01249 467224 Willem Gemmink, Froukje Visser P.O. Box 454, 6800 AL Arnhem, The Netherlands, Fax 0031 26 38 98 824 E-mail willem.gemmink@crv4all.com

Illustrations/pictures Photographs by Veeteelt Photography and Geoff Pagotto (pages 14-15).

ADF............................................................13 Alta............................................................31 Ancotec......................................................30 Avoncroft...................................................51 Batchelor Enterprises...................................43 Bekina........................................................46 Biotal..........................................................47 Boehringer Ingelheim..................................52 Boer Housing Systems, De..........................36 Bolshaw......................................................44 BouMatic....................................................17 CBC..............................................................6 Ceva Animal Health....................................29 Cogent.......................................................37 Coolcowstuff..............................................36 Cow Comfort.............................................44 Cowcare Systems..........................................6 DP Nutrition.........................................30, 36

Elanco Animal Heatlh..................................18 EnviroSystems.............................................16 Farmacy......................................................42 Farmplus.....................................................36 Healthy Hooves..........................................44 JFC.............................................................26 Lallemand.....................................................7 Micron Bio-Systems....................................43 NMR............................................................2 Pfizer Animal Health...................................34 RE Buildings................................................30 Regent........................................................46 Robinsons...................................................46 Semex........................................................40 Skellerup.......................................................6 Spinder.......................................................46 Vetoquinol............................................11, 27 Wilson Agri.................................................42

COMING UP

C o w h ealt h sp ecial December (December 6) – In this year’s final issue we’ll take a look at the role of pectins in cows’ diets. We’ll also feature our annual cow health special and take a look at crossbreeding.

Disclaimer CowManagement does not necessarily share the views expressed by contributors. No responsibility is accepted for the claims made by advertisers. No responsibility can be accepted by CRV Holding BV for the opinions expressed by contributors. Whilst every effort is made to obtain reliable and accurate information, liability cannot be accepted for errors. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system without the express prior written consent of the publisher.

Printer Classic Printing Phone 01452 731539 ISSN 1570-5641

50

C OWM ANAGEMENT

CM07_contacts next issue 50

O ctober / N ovember

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13-10-2011 11:37:46

Many bulls have strong points but some multi-talented bulls have everything. They provide sustainable, healthy daughters with an immaculate type and milk production to match.

Cricket O Man x Durham

• • • •

Super healthy cows High production Strong type Very easy calving Cricket daughter, Amarins 64 2nd calver

Fidelity Kian x Lightning

• • • •

The profit maker High production Superb feet & legs Excellent locomotion Fidelity daughter, Jessica 20 2nd Calver

Avoncroft Freephone 0800 7831880 CM07_p51.indd 2

12-10-2011 12:06:39

UBRO YELLOW®

IS BACK. And there’s still work to do.

With bovine mastitis making a resurgence in recent years,1 and the disease now costing the UK dairy industry millions, the return of Ubro Yellow will be helpful to many dairy farmers working with their vets.

Given its broad spectrum of activity and considerable history of on-farm success, Ubro Yellow still has a contribution to make. When you’re next discussing mastitis diagnosis, treatment options and whole-herd management strategies, your vet may recommend incorporating Ubro Yellow into a treatment plan that’s right for you.

Reference: 1. www.dairyco.net/farming-info-centre/health-welfare/mastitis.aspx Advice on the use of Ubro Yellow or other therapies should be sought from your veterinary surgeon. Ubro Yellow contains penethamate hydriodide, dihydrostreptomycin sulphate, framycetin sulphate and prednisolone. Prescription only medicine. Withdraw milk from supply for human consumption for 132 hours after the last Ubro Yellow treatment. Further information available from Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 8YS, UK. Email: vetmedica.uk@boehringer-ingelheim.com.

Date of preparation: Jul 2011. AHD6809. The advertisement is brought to you by Boehringer Ingelheim, manufacturers of Ubro Yellow.

Use Medicines Responsibly (www.noah.co.uk/responsible)

www.mastitis.co.uk/ubroyellow

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