Winter health advice for dairy and beef farmers

Winter health is a critical time for both beef and dairy herds and taking steps to ensure a smooth, stress free transition from outdoors to indoors is vital.

To tackle this, Farmers Weekly has teamed up with Zoetis to launch the Winter Health Academy.

We cover the following five key topics which all factor in successful winter housing; pneumonia, scours, worms, nutrition and housing.

You can also brush up your skills and test your knowledge by taking our winter health free online course in our Farmers Academy.

Pneumonia

This case study of a farm in Peterhead sets out how farmers Ian and Michael Cruikshank made a dramatic impact on pneumonia outbreaks in their Charolais-cross cattle.

Practical ways to combat calf pneumonia 

Calf scours

Find out how overhauling his approach to tackling scours helped Scottish dairy farm manager Andrew Taylor tackle calf mortality and improve herd health for the long term.

Worms and liver fluke

How a strategic approach to worming brought worms under control in Gloucester farmer Paul Westaway’s Angus-cross heifer herd.

Nutrition

Analysing silage to calculate the exact nutritional value of cattle feed has enabled Perthshire farmer David Houstoun to ensure steady weight gain across his herd and help limit disease during winter.

Housing

Farmer Dave Horton on a housing design to address key concerns: stress, airlow and hygiene.

For more on this topic

Take the Winter Health Academy course online and learn for free from independent experts about how to house a healthier herd.

Take the course

Products and solutions – a message from Zoetis

Good cattle husbandry recognises that animals don’t respond well to sudden changes, including the switch from outdoor to indoor feeding.

Even though Zoetis has no direct involvement in this area, it aims to highlight the importance of nutrition and its impact on calf health, growth and ultimately productivity.