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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.

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Case studies

DAIRY

Why low-mastitis herd helps keeps tabs on medicines cabinet

The downside of a dairy herd with less than 5% mastitis is having to maintain a stock of in-date antibiotics. This is the case for the Hodginkson family, who run…

DAIRY

How a Somerset dairy cut mastitis cases by 40% in two years

A free monthly report summarising mastitis and somatic cell count patterns prompted changes to dry cow management and milking routine at Westford Park Farm, Chard. Together, these led to a…

DAIRY

How three dairy farmers maintain high-yielding herds

What is the secret to achieving high yields of more than 10,000 litres a cow a year? Asked how they maintain high levels of production in their dairy enterprises, three…

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…

Practical advice

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HEALTH AND WELFARE

Advice on maintaining a healthy rumen

The dairy cow’s rumen is a large bioreactor, home to a diverse and dense population of microbes. A single teaspoon of ruminal content contains 150bn micro-organisms, which act in co-ordination…

DAIRY

Five ways to achieve zero treatments and losses in calves

Getting the basics right – consistently – and putting calves first led to a four-year period of zero treatments and zero losses in calves for Canadian vet and dairy farmer…

DAIRY

5 heritable traits to improve mastitis and cell counts

Udder health traits can have a profound effect on milk price and herd profitability.  Genetics are among many factors that have helped improve udder health, such as better tools for…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

7 ways to lower the risk of 'rumen drinking'

How quickly calves consume milk and at what height they drink could be contributing to calf mortality on dairy farms and calf-rearing enterprises, according to Scottish data. Rumen drinking is…

LIVESTOCK

Advice on E coli toxic mastitis protocols

Prevention is always more rewarding than cure – and usually cheaper. This is particularly so in the case of an E coli toxic mastitis where (despite early detection and treatment)…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

How lung washing slashed antibiotics use in calf shed

A Welsh dairy farm has reduced its antibiotics use in calves by 90% and seen a big uplift in calf health since using “lung washing” to identify the pathogen responsible…

Insights

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.…

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…

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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