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Know How / Health and welfare

Animal health is critical to all producers of dairy and beef cattle, sheep and pigs. Get advice on dealing with livestock diseases such as, bovine TB and mastitis, and conditions such as heat stress, lameness and ewe prolapse. See best practice on vaccination, medicines and reducing antibiotics.

Case studies

SHEEP

How a fine-wool flock is selecting for blowfly tolerance

A sheep bred for high-quality wool naturally has thin skin. The bonus is that this sheep is also naturally resistant to blowfly strike. The connection between skin thickness and strike…

DAIRY

'Little wins' improve milk and protein yield on Cornish farm

Milk quality has not been compromised as yields have increased on a 550-cow dairy farm near Bodmin, Cornwall. In fact, while yields at Treveglos Farm are up by 1,200 litres…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

How passive transfer testing gives calves a good start

On-farm blood testing to check dairy calves for successful passive transfer from colostrum has helped a 780-cow herd validate its protocols. Within six months, correlating the outcomes with calf health,…

POULTRY

How a free-range egg producer is achieving an 86-week lay

Extending lay to 90 weeks is remarkable in any system, and all the more so when it is achieved in just the fifth flock cycle. Arable farmer Michael Wilson diversified…

DAIRY

How video monitoring helped halve a dairy’s antibiotics use

A Pembrokeshire dairy farming family have made significant strides in reducing their antibiotics use on-farm by using technology and working closely with their vet. Stephen and Daniel James, who farm…

SHEEP

Lack of colostrum increases lamb losses tenfold, study shows

Lamb mortalities on a Welsh sheep farm were 10 times more likely when the animals had not received adequate colostrum in the crucial first 24 hours of life, a study…

Practical advice

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LIVESTOCK

How homeopathy can prevent and reduce livestock disease

Integrating homeopathic and preventative protocols into livestock systems can avoid up to 80% of common health problems, according to veterinary surgeon and homeopathic vet Chris Aukland. “Disease doesn't just happen,” he says. “It…

SHEEP

How a flock health plan can help improve performance

Use of flock health plans and KPIs can be invaluable for any sheep farmer to monitor output, reduce costs and improve flock health. They are also a positive way to…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Advice on how to make the most of your farm vet

We are all familiar with the traditional and “proper” work of the farm animal veterinary surgeon: the long glove, the calving jack, the cups of coffee at an annual review.…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Advice on managing mobile water troughs for flocks

As temperatures rise and rotational grazing becomes more widespread, getting water to livestock efficiently is a must. Mobile water systems can help sheep farmers overcome the challenge of providing a…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

5 tips to help ensure dairy cows drink enough water

Since a cow’s milk yield is directly linked to the volume of water in her body, keeping intakes at an optimum drives herd productivity. Yet many dairy farms fall short…

DAIRY

How advance planning for drying off protects herd health

Thinking ahead and being organised to plan drying off the whole herd is an opportunity to do a superb job and set the business up well for the following season.…

Insights

LIVESTOCK DISEASES

Low vaccination rate leaves livestock exposed to bluetongue

With bluetongue disease knocking on the door, and with less than 3% of the nation’s ruminant livestock vaccinated, government and private vets are urging a much more rapid uptake of…

MEDICINES

Why don’t more farmers use pain relief for sick calves?

Concern over managing the use of antimicrobials on-farm and a lack of understanding around the effectiveness of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) are preventing use of these drugs as standard in treating…

BROILERS

Benefits of increasing water oxygen content for broilers

Technology to intensify water’s dissolved oxygen content has been shown to reduce mortality and improve performance in broiler systems. A Ross 308 broiler trial, which involved 840 birds, showed 37.3%…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

How herd's mastitis rate dropped 37% after water treatment

Improving water hygiene on a 260-cow herd led to a 37% drop in the mastitis rate. Bulk tank cell count and Bactoscan numbers also fell below thresholds that trigger financial…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Dairy winter housing upgrade helps cut new infection rates

Taking time to evaluate low mastitis rates but high spring cell counts in their 250-cow spring-calving herd prompted Emmie Bland and her husband Johnny to reconsider winter housing arrangements. The…

SHEEP

Sheep vaccination protocols prove their worth in farm trial

A structured approach to preventative vaccination in sheep has driven significant improvements in flock health, antibiotics use and cost efficiency – cutting lameness levels by 66%, among other benefits. This…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

Benefits of lung scanning for respiratory disease in calves

A study involving eight commercial dairy farms has flagged up the value of scanning calf lungs for respiratory disease damage. Some two-thirds of the animals found with lesions had never…

LAYERS

What new RSPCA Assured layer standards mean for farmers

Providing a minimum of 3% natural daylight in housing could cost free-range and barn-egg producers at least £1 a bird. Other requirements within the new RSPCA Assured welfare standards require…

DAIRY

Lungworm vaccine cuts wormer use by nearly 90%, study shows

Vaccinating youngstock for lungworm has resulted in an 87% reduction in the use of macrocyclic lactone wormers among dairy farmers who took part in a Welsh study. The trial was…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

How data analysis helped dairy herds cut mastitis cases

A project involving multiple dairy farms across Wales has demonstrated why collecting data to establish the mastitis “red flags” specific to an individual herd can be key to reducing disease…

LIVESTOCK

Feed efficiency research reveals importance of cow grouping

Breeding dairy herds for feed efficiency can be negatively impacted on-farm by managing lactating cows in mixed parity groups. This is because of competition at the feed bunk and a…

DAIRY

Cow health strategy rethink needed after bolus loss

Dairy farms need to review their strategies for preventing metabolic disease in transition cows as monensin boluses are no longer on the market, said independent veterinary consultant Dr David Charles.…

Online resources

Nadis livestock disease A-Z - Cattle

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Nadis livestock disease A-Z - Sheep

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Nadis livestock disease A-Z - Pigs

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Nadis livestock disease A-Z - Poultry

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