Cows 365 Blog

Visited a dairy farmer outside, Listowel, Co. Kerry, today. Dawn had just broken and we started to scan a herd of cows baled up in self-locking barriers. Half of the cows were baled up outdoors, where a harsh cutting wind swept in over our bodies. I made a comment 'This is a harsh November morning'and the client replied 'This is going to be a long winter'. Dr Dan @ www.cows365.ie

Farm visits today entailed a series of dairy farmers throughout the Dingle peninsula in Co. Kerry. A range of reproductive problems were encountered and targets were set for dairy farmers to maximise submission rate over the following three week period. Breeding programmes are just about to begin on these farms with a preference for calving from the 15th of February 2013 onwards. Dr Dan @ www.cows365.ie

Calls today centered around the Golden Vale in Co. Limerick. Both dairy and suckler cows are back indoors on alot of farms, grazing conditions have become very difficult and grass growth rate diminishing rapidly resulting in feed shortages. This combined with a milk price drop has left moral very low. Dr Dan @ www.cows365.ie

On a farm visit in Co Kerry visited a Pedigree Holstein breeder who informed me that he had 6 calves born this year with blocked anal passages. The calves died within days after birth. I contacted a friend in the veterinary profession, who informed me that the incidence of the condition has increased with no explanation, as to the occurrence of the problem. At present their is a large post mortem study of calves being undertaken in Moorepark, Fermoy, co. Cork. A significant number have presented dead calf. Dr Dan @ www.cows365.ie

Visited a client in Co. Limerick. The client informed me that he had set up a trial on his farm last year whereby he had 31 Jersey Freisian and 31 Holstein Freisian bull calves. The average cost of Jersey cross calves is €40, while it is €140 for Holstein Freisian bull calves. At 12 months of age there was a 70 kg liveweight difference in favour of the Holstein Freisian calves. This more than compensates for the extra costs of the Holstein Freisian cross. However, a major management issue arose when the calves were turned out to grass last April. Jersey crosses started fighting which was exacerbated with inclement weather. Pastures were destroyed and the Jersey crosses had to be brought back indoors. Electric wires had to have been installed overhead, to prevent bulling. Grassland management is also difficult. He now has excess grass and he will need to purchase extra cattle in order to improve grassland management. In conclusion the negative value of the Jersey bull calf is not fully Bourne out as well as the beef value associated with E.B.I. Dr Dan

A client in Co Laois informed us that he was zerograzing his dairy herd by night time. Grass was brought in from an outside farm, as the grazing platform was too small on the home location. He remarked that a load of grass weighted 2 tonnes during the recent dry spell, whereas that increased to 4 tonnes during wet weather last week. This has to impact negatively on dry matter intakes. Dr Dan

At this time of year a common feature observed in relation to a number of cows presented which have been induced to calf, prior to their due date, to enhance milk production from grazed grass. This is not without complications, as uterine infections are a common feature, which is compounded by early ovulation post calving. Dr Dan

This time of year, a major focus of breeding programmes entails estrus synchronization in maiden heifers. Diagnostic ultrasonagraphy is an excellent tool, to identify the stage of the estrus cycle, group heifers for estrus synchronization, identify heifers unsuitable for breeding, such as freemartins, and those in pre-puberty. The approach of blind synchronization, using hormones, creates both welfare issues and wasteful use of hormones. Dr Dan

Scanned over 250 dairy cows outside, Mallow, co. Cork. Whereby cows were divided into several reproductive classifications, to maximize the opportunity for high selection rate during the first half of the breeding season. I identified 25 cows for A.I. The following 48 hour period. Many of these would have gone undetected, it costs €250 with missed heats. The overall cost of scanning the herd was only a fraction of the opportune costs. Dr Dan

Visited a client outside Ennis, co. Clare today. He told me that I had previously scanned a cow with an abnormal fetus. The calf was born with a clef palate and twisted front legs. The calf is alive today but requires continuous management to supply it with milk. Dr Dan

Early April with the advent of a new quota year. Milk supplies far exceeded quota available in the Glanbia and Dairygold regions. This will result in a superlevy being imposed on many dairy farms. At farm level, many cows were nutritionally compromised, which will have an adverse effect on the calving to pregnancy interval. An immenient breeding programme where calves that were overfed old milk are now facing the sudden shock of milk withdrawal. Dr Dan

Visited a client in Co. Kerry today. This client had a serious fertility problem with his dairy herd, he questioned vitamins, and minerals. When we discussed the stock bull he announced that the stock bull was 10 years old. Considering the problems he had, I advised the client to remove the stock bull as he was infertile. The client looked at me and said 'Sure we will chance him anyway'. Dr Dan

On a farm visit in Co. Derry this morning. I was scanning a cow, when I saw the client empty a cup of coffee into a litre jug of water. He then drenched the animal with same. He told me he was doing this to avoid surgery for same. There is a scientific explanation supporting this procedure, however another client visited in the area dismissed this procedure as unsuccessful on his farm.

Our first call this morning was to a pedigree Simmental breeder in North Cork. He had previously flushed a Simmental cow, which had given 16 embryos, 4 were superfertilized and 4 were frozen. In the meantime, he purchased 11 embryos for an embryo transfer programme. 11recipients were scanned, 2 were diagnosed as freemartins and 1 had abnormal uterine tone. Scanning also revealed the ipsilateral horn had matched the stage of development of the embryo the size of the CL measured today. Therefore late morla's and blastocyst's are to be transferred to recipients with larger cl's and early morla's to those with smaller cl's.

The EBI System in Ireland places a large emphasis on the sires delivering short gestation period. How useful is this?. The majority of AI with proven sires is used in conjunction with cows that calf early in the calving season or is used within the first 6 weeks of a breeding programme, whereby a short gestation is of little benefit to subsequent reproductive performance. Shorten gestations would definitely be beneficial towards the end of a breeding programming. Dr Dan

Visited a dairy herd in Co. Limerick today where we scanned a herd of cows on an autumn calving programme. 16 of the cows presented had succumbed to redwater prior to calving last September. 10 of this group of 16 were not pregnant today, 3 had dead embryos present in the uterus and a further 4 animals had inflammation of the uterus. All of these cows had a 90 day opportunity to establish pregnancy to a minimum of 90 days gestation. Dr Dan

On a farm visit today in the hills of co. Antrim. We visited a large dairy unit where stock bulls were used as the general tool or rearing replacements and getting cows in calf. This system avoids the issue of heat detection. However it unmasks herd health problems associated with poor heat detection and pregnancy rates. Dr Dan

Visited a large dairy farm outside Derry city where we had the pleasure of seeing a cattledog gently rising the cattle, from their cubicles, to muster them for their early morning milking. The dog gently manouvered along the cubicles to coax the animals from their resting. He followed this procedure for each cow house once the restraining gate was unleashed. Dr Dan

On a farm visit on the Kenmare side of molls gap today revealed poor eostrus synchronization following cows being AI'd. The visit revealed that by scanning cows as they were not suitable for synchronization. Further investigation revealed that silage quality was poor and no mineral supplementation was in place. Pre-breed scanning would have avoided the 270 euro financial outcome, for the unsuccessful use of oestrus synchronization. The message here is that cows must be fit prior to oestrus synchronization. Dr Dan

On a farm visit outside Co. Tipperary. A client presented a group of maiden heifers housed in slatts, these Crossbred Limousine heifers were between 14 and 20 months old. 40% of the group were not in calf and 30% of the remaining group where in calf. These results are associated with housing environment and genetics. Dr Dan

Visited a large dairy herd in Co Westmeath where we scanned a herd where the bull was running. This client is very dependent on accurate ultrasonography to identify problem breeders to establish dry off dates and due calving dates. Dr Dan Ryan

On a farm visit today, in co Westmeath. This visit revealed extremely poor reproductive performance with anoestrus animals. Lameness and mange problems compounded this clients fertility results, as alot of non-cycling cows were diagnosed. Lameness was a major issue as the cows were being housed on concrete slatts. Dr Dan

On our first call this morning to co wicklow. It was a joy to wake up to beautiful sunshine outside. The farming season seems to be in full swing as plenty of slurry tankers are busy going from collecting yards to spreading areas. Taking advantage of both the lovely weather, reducing storage capacity and complying with nitrate directives. Dr Dan

On a farm visit in County Limerick today body condition score was below .5 for all the cows in the herd. The client was facing a superlevy and had reduced concentrate supplementation. He was informed by kerry co-op last week there was no superlevy risk. He could continue with milk production and feed his cows. This was a major relief for him, but he fears that farmers could disregard any future superlevy warnings in the next three years. Dr Dan

Visited a dairy farmer in co. Clare. The cows were in a poor body condition score and showed many classical visual symptoms for IBR. There was no vaccination programme in place. Scanning revealed reproductive classifications were unsatisfactory at all stages of pregnancy diagnosis. Dr Dan