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Know How / Husbandry

Animal husbandry covers a broad range of topics around livestock management throughout its lifetime. Including video guides on best practice, these articles look at the elements key to optimising stockmanship at the various stages of livestock production.

Case studies

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SHEEP

Highs and lows of lambing season for award-winning farmer

Annie Carr is counting the cost of a dog attack on her ewe lambs just days before their due date. Out of 50 ewe lambs tupped, 10 had dead lambs…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

How spring block calver uses nurse cows to rear replacements

Ease of management is the driver for a family farm in east Devon to leave the job of rearing heifer replacements to the cows themselves. Tim Wall, who runs a…

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…

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…

LAMBING

20 tips for lambing from award-winning sheep farmers

Each year, the UK sheep industry lambs 15m breeding ewes in a huge variety of systems and locations. From sea level to hill top, they lamb in every month of…

CALVING

Video: How 2024 autumn block-calving is getting on

This is autumn-calver Ben Wade’s sixth season on his arable conversion in Leicestershire. Having sold 50 cows at the end of the block he should finish calving in seven weeks.…

Practical advice

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HEALTH AND WELFARE

What farmers can gain from a vet discussion group

With both farming and veterinary industries constantly evolving, discussion groups are a great way to keep in touch with current recommendations. Oakhill Farm Vets have been running the Red Rose…

CALVING

Benefits of giving heifers pain relief at calving

Giving all heifers a pain relief injection after calving will help them through the transition process of joining the milking herd and thereby prevent metabolic issues and lameness. In the…

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…

LAMBING

Why iodine alternative brings four benefits to lambing shed

A fast-drying navel protection solution has impressed in lambing sheds under trial conditions, providing an effective alternative to iodine. Interest in substitute desiccants for navels has grown since the cost…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

Benefits of a calf cart for moving newborn calves

Investing in a calf cart (or trolley) may be the key to keeping staff happy and healthy. The aim of calf transport is to move calves hygienically and safely between…

DAIRY

Advice for managing a split block-calving herd

Historically, savings made from efficient block-calving outweighed seasonality penalties. Yet many contracts have tempted farms into going split block.  Herds that move to split block-calving to satisfy milk buyer requirements…

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,…

LAMBING

Poor colostrum handling risks lamb survival, research shows

Poor standards of hygiene when handling supplementary colostrum are leaving many lambs susceptible to disease and death. Scottish research has shown that instead of giving them a better start, farmers…

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.…

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,…

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…

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

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…

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,…

LIVESTOCK

4 sheep recording methods compared: which one is best?

Carmarthenshire sheep farmer and Aberystwyth University graduate Huw Williams completed a HCC scholarship in 2015 looking at how extensive systems in New Zealand and Australia were recording parentage. Talking about…

SHEEP

Research shows value of monitoring ewe body condition

New research has shown just how valuable it is to record and monitor body condition in commercial ewe flocks and keep it consistent year-round.   Independent sheep consultant Lesley Stubbings…