Menu

Know How / Beef / Husbandry

Careful youngstock management in beef herds will help maximise heifer and bull calf performance, bring forward first-time breeding and increase margins. Find key advice on newborn calf care and protocols such as foot-trimming, dehorning and body condition scoring.

Must reads

Case studies

See all

CALVING

How to achieve the best results with outdoor calving

Calving suckler cows outside successfully needs the right body condition, good shelter, and a plan B for extreme weather events and emergencies. Although outdoor calving immediately lowers housing and bedding…

BEEF

How pelvic scoring has helped improve suckler herd health

A decision to keep a heifer that looked “the best of the bunch”, despite her borderline pelvic score, taught Stuart Gowling a valuable lesson. The heifer went on to need…

LIVESTOCK

Calving detection technology: 3 options compared

From smart boluses to cameras and tail-mounted devices, the evolution of technology means unnecessary late-night trips to the calving shed can be a thing of the past. Three farmers share…

CALVING

Why portable milkers can ease stress at calving

Using a portable milking machine in the calving pen is the easiest and fastest way to harvest a cow’s first colostrum and avoid having to move a newly calved cow.…

CALVING

How two herds have reduced incidence of stillbirth

Selective breeding, addressing mineral status and transition management are just some of the ways beef and dairy farmers can minimise costly stillbirths. Perinatal mortality (stillbirth) is defined as the death…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

How selection pressure is building a resilient beef herd

New farming entrants Nikki and James Yoxall take a tough line when selecting replacements for their steadily growing herd of beef cattle. Faced with more frequent extremes in weather brought…

Practical advice

See all

CALVING

Assisted calving: Advice on how and when to help

Some calving cows and heifers may just need more time to go through the different stages of labour, rather than have immediate assistance to get the calf out quickly. Yet…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Benefits of magnesium for suckler cows ahead of calving

If beef farmers are assisting a high proportion of cows at calving, or if stillbirth rate is higher than wanted, then cow magnesium status could be to blame. Magnesium is…

CALVING

Why portable milkers can ease stress at calving

Using a portable milking machine in the calving pen is the easiest and fastest way to harvest a cow’s first colostrum and avoid having to move a newly calved cow.…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

5 ways to ensure a safe and successful beef calving

Understanding basic principles of animal behaviour and physiology can help farmers develop a functional and safe calving system. Rarely a year goes by without Health and Safety Executive records showing…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

How to stop calf pneumonia reducing heifer longevity

Calf pneumonia has stayed in the top 10 of the most frequent diagnoses from carcass submissions* in Great Britain for almost a decade. And while heifers can recover and eventually…

CALVING

4 essential checks to improve suckler herd efficiency

Measuring and monitoring herd performance is vital for improving the health, efficiency and profitability of a suckler herd. The aim of a suckler system is to produce as many kilos…

Insights

CALVING

Causes of calving caesareans and how to reduce interventions

A vet audit of more than 600 caesarean sections performed on cattle showed that the majority – 77% – took place in suckler herds. And in 62% of all cases,…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

How scanning can detect early pneumonia in calves

Subclinical pneumonia, where there are no obvious signs of the disease, in young calves is going undetected on farms, a Scottish study has found. Calves are more likely to succumb…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Study shows financial impact of crypto in beef herd

Cryptosporidiosis in young calves causes significant long-term weight loss and incurs huge economic costs, according to a study carried out in Scotland. The study, at Moredun Research Institute and The…

FEED AND NUTRITION

Trial shows high iodine cow diet can hinder colostrum uptake

A survey of iodine supplementation in beef herds has revealed that over supplementation pre-calving can negatively affect calves’ ability to absorb colostrum. A collaborative research project between Moredun Research Institute,…