Animal Health
James reviewed his animal health plan for the farm this month. He started vaccinating against leptospirosis last year with some cows receiving vaccinations in the autumn and others getting it in December. It is recommended that these are given at least 4 weeks pre-calving so James could adjust the timing so that all cows are given it at the same time, around November/December to save on workload.
He gives a vaccination to cows 3 to 12 weeks pre-calving to prevent rotavirus and coronavirus scours in calves and as this has been working exceptionally well in the herd he will continue to do so.
The calves are given a vaccination to prevent against RSV, Pi3 and Mannheimia haemolytica (which cause respiratory disease) in the autumn. The final shot for this is given on the day that the calves are weaned. However this could be adjusted so that they receive the final dose 2 weeks before weaning so that they have adequate immunity before the stress period at weaning. He will also consider vaccinating these against IBR. As James buys in weanlings at the end of the year, it is important to reduce disease pressure on these cattle and they are all vaccinated against the main causes of respiratory disease within 48 hours of arrival on to the farm.
A mineral bolus is given to the cows pre-calving but as there is no research behind the longevity or reliability of it, he can change the bolus to a different brand which has research behind it and is proven to give a steady release of minerals to last 6 months. James also started giving minerals to cows 4 to 6 weeks pre-calving this year by dusting them over the silage, to ensure that they receive an adequate supply of the major mineral elements of Calcium, Phosphorous, Sodium and Magnesium.
Last winter James discovered through a combination of regular weighing and faecal egg sampling that there is an issue with rumen fluke on the farm. Therefore all cattle will be treated for this immediately at housing to reduce the effects of this, particularly on young stock.
Overall James has an excellent vaccination programme in place for the herd which has addressed any major health concerns on the farm. For dosing and parasites he uses a combination of faecal egg samples and visual observation for symptoms when deciding to treat stock. As he has a heavy farm there is an increased risk for picking up worms and rumen/liver fluke so this is important. Typically cows are only dosed once in the year at housing and the calves are dosed two/three times throughout the grazing season and once at housing. The bought in weanlings are dosed on arrival to the farm. James rotates between Benzimidazole and Macrocyclic Lactone dosing products to reduce the risk of anthelminthic resistance on the farm.