Know How / Dairy / Health and welfare

Good health and welfare is an essential feature of dairy herd management. Read up-to-date information on major welfare issues and diseases affecting dairy animals including infectious disease such as bovine TB and BVD, respiratory disease, mastitis, lameness and keep up to date with the latest welfare requirements.

Case studies

WHATS IN YOUR LIVESTOCK SHED

What’s in Your Livestock Shed? visits a converted calf shed

Historically, a high incidence of pneumonia had impacted calf health at The Brook, Tybroughton, near Whitchurch, Shropshire, and there were consequences for performance when animals joined the milking herd. In…

DAIRY

How milking protocol reset helped mastitis management

When mastitis levels peaked at 25 cases in every 100 cows and somatic cell count spiked in the second half of the lactation, Ifan Ifans knew action was needed. Ifan…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

Why vaccination is not a silver bullet for calf pneumonia

Calf pneumonia prevention relies on high standards of housing, nutrition and husbandry. Lara Robinson-Fletcher of Daleside Veterinary Group offers her expert advice. See also: How to make routine dairy tasks easier…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

Feeding transition milk to calves cuts mortality by 68%

Feeding transition milk to newborn calves in their first 10 days and enriching it according to their immunoglobulin G status have helped a Pembrokeshire dairy farm slash pre-weaning mortality rates…

LIVESTOCK DISEASES

How changes to ventilation and bedding cut mastitis

For dairy farmer Pete Charles, a key driver in tackling mastitis was the effect on staff morale of constantly treating clinical cases and keeping milk out of the tank. He…

LIVESTOCK

How a spring-block herd tackled heifer mastitis

Outwintering heifers to reduce pressure on housing led to a spike in clinical mastitis and herd cell counts peaking near 450,000 cells/ml for a spring block-calving herd in Cumbria. In…

Practical advice

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DAIRY

5 ways to improve biosecurity on dairy farms

As dairy herds get bigger, so can disease challenges. But instead of accepting higher infection levels as an inevitable consequence of expansion, farmers can minimise risk or remove it completely…

FOOT HEALTH

Benefits of a mentored team approach to lameness control

Lameness is estimated to cost the dairy industry £250m/year through impaired fertility, reduced production, premature culls, and treatment costs. The average cost a day of lameness for all lame cows…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Advice on how to avoid heat stress in calves

Although heat stress is more common in adult cows, calves can suffer in a hot summer too. Following a few simple rules will help protect health and performance. Calves have…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

What are the most common causes of mastitis in UK herds?

The easiest wins for improving udder health often come from changing milking machine settings – even though improvements may take some time to occur. The tougher ones are those aimed…

LIVESTOCK

How to prevent heat stress in grazing cows

Supplying grazing cows with a “siesta” during periods of high temperatures this summer could help alleviate heat stress and its consequent effects on intakes, lameness, milk yield and fertility. Vet…

LIVESTOCK DISEASES

What can be done to prevent bluetongue virus?

Insecticides and repellents will not prevent cattle and sheep from being infected with bluetongue virus, scientists are warning. Bluetongue virus (BTV) is an infectious, non-contagious virus spread by Culicoides biting…

Insights

LIVESTOCK

Why a congenital defect could cause calf losses

Ask a dairy or beef farmer if they have ever had a calf born with atresia, a condition commonly known as “waterbelly”, and the chances are they will say no.…

LIVESTOCK

Benefits of giving dairy calves toys on farm

Giving dairy calves plastic “toys” to play with helps them express their natural behaviour which, in turn, benefits their mental wellbeing. As a result, they are less likely to display…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Analysis: What farmers need to know about bluetongue

The current outbreak of bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3) is likely to get worse in the coming weeks before it improves, warn industry leaders. Since the first case in this…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

How a ‘big squeeze’ could help dummy calves to suck

Neonatal maladjustment syndrome in calves – also known as “dummy calf” syndrome – can be a challenge for dairy farmers to manage, often requiring extra labour to tube-feed youngstock. Typically,…

FEED AND NUTRITION

Excess copper found to impair liver function in heifers

Feeding excess copper to dairy heifer calves can compromise liver function, leading to poorer fertility and lower milk yields in first lactation. This is according to AHDB-funded research at Harper…

LIVESTOCK

Are milk fever and negative energy balance under control?

Milk fever and negative energy balance are issues for many dairy herds, despite most dairy farmers recognising the importance of the dry period to cow health and productivity. According to…

LIVESTOCK

Why simple, relevant data is focus of cow behaviour research

Business lore says that what gets measured can be managed or improved. Yet dairy farmers are at risk of being overloaded with information now that cow tracking technology can record…

LIVESTOCK

6 livestock tech developments to look out for

From driverless tractors to cameras for identifying diseases, several high-tech innovations are coming down the track. Farmers Weekly looks at six highlights. See also: NI farm transforms slurry and food…

LIVESTOCK DISEASES

How local TB programmes are ‘giving farmers back control’

Local TB programmes working in collaboration with farmers, vets and Animal and Plant Healthy Agency (Apha) staff are having a positive effect in helping farmers take control of the disease.…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

4 ways to improve on 60-day calf mortality rate

Healthy calves can achieve growth rates of 1,080g/day, but just one day of diarrhoea reduces this by 80g. A calf with respiratory disease will lose 180g/day off its growth rate…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

Calf monitoring and health plans key to future performance

Some 90% of farmers want to make changes to improve the future sustainability of their youngstock management in the next 12 months, according to a Farmers Weekly exclusive survey. Yet…

DAIRY

Wearable device for cattle aims to improve dairy health

A new device, which is claimed to be the first integrated health microchip and activity monitor for livestock, could enable early detection of pre-clinical conditions and disease prediction in real…

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