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Know How / Dairy / Husbandry

Good animal husbandry is a crucial part of dairy herd management and profitability. In this section, you can find extensive guides and best practice advice on the care of animals when it comes to techniques such as dehorning calves, calving, drying off cows, foot-trimming and much more.

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Case studies

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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…

FEED AND NUTRITION

How low-K silage has improved cow health at transition

Feeding low-potassium silage to autumn-calving cows during the transition period has helped a Carmarthenshire dairy farmer cut the incidence of milk fever to 5% from a peak of 20%. Iwan…

LIVESTOCK

Collaborative calf-rearing venture brings multiple benefits

A joint calf-rearing enterprise between two neighbouring farms in the Midlands is bringing benefits to both parties. The new profit-sharing agreement has brought extra income to beef and sheep farming…

HOUSING AND HANDLING

How one dairy farm installed robots to cut down milking time

Since robots were installed at Argoed Farm, average milk yield in the Holstein herd has increased by 2,000 litres a year, to 9,000 litres, an immediate payback from investing in…

HOUSING AND HANDLING

Two autumn calvers compare calf housing options

Block-calving dairy farmers need sufficient accommodation to house large number of calves in a short number of weeks, with their options ranging from temporary structures such as polytunnels to purpose-built…

Practical advice

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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…

FOOT HEALTH

Why it is important to optimise dairy cow lying times

Dairy cows’ lying behaviour is considered a sign of their wellbeing and comfort, with 12 hours a day often used as the benchmark. Yet lying times vary between individual cows…

LIVESTOCK

Ways to reduce heat gain and promote heat loss

Monitoring cows for heat stress needs to start before the temperature humidity index kicks in, because this is a late-stage indicator, according to Dr Jennifer Van Os, assistant professor in…

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…

DAIRY

How to help heifers join the milking herd and reduce stress

Training heifers to the parlour, keeping them with their peers, or managing them as a separate milking group can help reduce stress levels when replacements join the milking herd. But…

Insights

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…

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…

FEED AND NUTRITION

Study shows how calcium can affect dry cow fertility

Increasing calcium in pre-calving diets can improve postpartum uterine health and fertility, a recent study has revealed. The study, which took place at the University of Illinois, examined feeding dry…