Energy demand for any dairy animal depends on their specific requirement for; maintenance, reproduction, milk production and body reserves. Whilst our mature cows are pregnant their energy demand is focussed on maintenance and foetal growth.
The management of calves is one of the industry’s main sources of criticism; both the treatment of dairy bull calves and the separation of cows and calves have been attacked by dairy sceptics. My 2021 Nuffield project “Can the UK improve the ethics of its dairy calf management whilst retaining profitability?” will try to find workable solutions to these issues
Red mite control options always rise to front of the mind as the weather warms up. Fiona Hunt, poultry specialist at Wynnstay, reviews the pros and cons of different control options for use in free range layers.
“Most flocks experience a level of red mite pressure, which can be expected to increase in late spring and summer as temperatures warm-up and conditions are more favourable for breeding,” says Fiona.
She explains that a multifaceted approach is required to control red mite, which should include a pre housing treatment and a planned control method to use once the birds are in, to keep the numbers as low as possible.
“A prescribed medicated treatment may also be appropriate should an infestation arise,” she adds.
With warm weather approaching, the risk of heat stress in calves increases. Everyone is well aware that heat stress in adult cattle reduces performance, increases stress and results in increased incidence of disease, and calves are no different. Calves have an upper critical limit of 25°C, however they will start to feel the effects of heat stress at 21°C.
Pretty much all farmers have heard of calf jackets, they have gained popularity in recent years as a way to control cold stress but do we know how to use them correctly?
Let’s take humans for example, when the temperature drops, we put more layers on, right? And vice versa when the temperature rises; should we consider this for our calves too? First, let’s understand why we use the calf jackets.
Rigorous and sustained adoption by farmers of an established disease management protocol is what’s needed to reduce the incidence of sheep lameness on many UK farms.
Over a decade ago, research at the Royal Veterinary College, London found that calving heifers at 23 to 25 months of age was optimum in terms of their subsequent fertility, milk yield and survivability through to the third calving (1). The recommendation to calve heifers close to 24 months of age is not new. But the message is just as valuable today – in fact, new data from recent studies have further reaffirmed this important practical advice.
We expect our calves to be able to cope and adapt to shifts in their nutrition throughout the pre-weaning phase, the first being from colostrum to whole milk/milk replacer and the last being from liquid to solid feed. Weaning is without doubt one of the biggest transformations the Gastrointestinal tract (GIT) will undergo and therefore understanding when and how we can best manage this juncture to avoid growth checks and impaired GIT health is important to the productivity of our calves.
Diarrhoea in the young calf is a commonly occurring challenge on many farms. Recent research by MSD Animal Health, completed as part of their Youngstock Survey in 2020, indicated that 90% of dairy farms had experienced scour in calves in the previous 12 months and that over 65% had experienced mortality due to scour. Diarrhoea is reported as a major cause of morbidity and mortality in early life, which can result in significant economic losses and potential welfare challenges.
Colostrum is a hot topic in calf rearing and rightly so. Feeding 10% of the calf’s bodyweight in high-quality colostrum as quickly as we can ensures the greatest level of Ig absorption. However, the biological role of colostrum extends far beyond the transfer of immunity.
