Animal health updates and reminders

With calving 2021 complete for many herds here are some timely reminders of the main practices to keep in mind at this time of year to ensure your herd are in optimal form and condition for the up and coming breeding period.

• Disbudding calves – Use local anaesthetic and pain relief when disbudding calves to prevent a growth check.
• Bull castration – Using rubber rings before calves are older than 1 week is the most hassle free castration method.
• Mastitis – First milk recording of the year should have been done already and the second should be planned for the second half of April to have a SCC result for all cows within 60 days of calving.
• Lameness – Organise a foot trimming day to examine and treat the lame cows in the herd ahead of the breeding season to reduce the impact of lameness on fertility in your herd.
• BCS – Monitor cows’ body condition in early lactation. A significant drop in BCS now will have a severe impact on conception rates during the breeding season.
• Grass tetany – Beware of cows developing grass tetany when grazing lush spring grass.
• Johne’s Disease – Sign up for AHI’s Johne’s Control Programme to determine the Johne’s status of the herd and lower the risk of sustained infection in your herd.

For more information on any topics covered contact your local Glanbia Ireland representative.

First Published: 30 March 2021