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When it comes to preparing for the calf rearing season, it is easy to be bamboozled by a bevy of products, services and programmes. Let’s take a moment to step back, look at the bigger picture and touch on the fundamentals of nutrition after colostrum from birth to weaning. Phase one – Intensive...

Cows can go down at or around calving due to complex interactions of the individual cow’s metabolism and minerals. Milk fever (hypocalcaemia) This occurs at calving or the first 48 hours after. It usually happens with older, well-conditioned cows with a low blood calcium. In the early stages, cows...

Blanket use of long-acting drenches on sheep farms can hasten the development of drench resistance. Here are some considerations to help protect the effectiveness of these products. Primer drenching This is administering an effective drench which removes the resident susceptible worm population at...

With the current outbreak of Mycoplasma bovis (M.bovis) occurring in many districts throughout the country, an increased awareness of the impact of this disease and the potential changes required in calf rearing systems is important. M.bovis is a disease in cattle only, caused by a particular...

Centramax is a productivity tool for situations where an internal parasite challenge or mineral deficiencies of selenium and cobalt are limiting animal performance. Centramax is an intra-ruminal bolus containing 11 tablets, each with the anthelmintics abamectin and albendazole, mineralised with...

It is time to review your heifer management and determine whether your liveweight targets have been reached. Nine month old heifers should be 40 percent of adult weight, and pregnant rising two year old heifers should be at 90 percent. Achieving targets now ensures that they reach puberty and cycle...

Feeding molasses to dairy cows through lactation is beneficial for many reasons, says Contract Milker Josh Lavender. He notes increased feed consumption, better energy levels and maintaining condition score as the primary drivers for feeding the supplement every year. Josh winters approximately 820...

If the cow and calf are competing for high quality feed, then it’s time to wean. There are several factors to think about when that time comes. Vaccination Calves should have been given a clostridial vaccination at calf marking to protect against tetanus and black leg in particular. As this would...