The combined approach of foot bathing after every milking and the inclusion of Provita’s Hoofsure Endurance in the foot bathing solution has allowed Ballymoney dairy farmer Brian Knipe and his father Alfie to reduce the levels of lameness within his 100 strong cow dairy herd by almost 50%.”
admin
Calf Scour Prevented
Stephen Glenn milks 200 cows with his brother Philip and father Leslie near Carryduff in Co Down. Calving takes the place the year around, apart from the months of June and July. Up to three years ago the family would have had trouble with young calves and, in particular, an issue with scours when they were put on to powdered milk, after having received colostrum.
“We were advised to dose the calves with the probiotic product Provita Protect, Stephen explained.
Hoofsure for a healthier herd, farm and farmer
Research in America has found that copper has reached toxic levels in soils due to copper sulphate being used in footbaths. It was reported at the recent International Lameness Conference that fields which have gone toxic can no longer grow alfalfa.
Stop scour bug build up before it starts
Recent, independent research has confirmed just how exposed newborn calves are to picking up disease. For example, on average, it will take a young calf up to three and a half hours to get its first suck. And before it even finds its mother’s teat, it may well have already sucked her tail, leg and other body parts. As a result, the young calf will ingest large number of bugs – Salmonella, E Coli etc – before it receives one drop of colostrum.
Provita’s Tommy Armstrong takes up the story:
“It is crucially important for a young calf to get colostrum as soon as possible after birth,” he explained
Red Tractor Assurance (RTA) Dairy Scheme
The RTA Dairy Scheme requires dairy farmers to seek veterinary involvement in annual reviews of herd health and performance since October 2013.
The RTA Dairy Board recognises the benefits to dairy farmers of working with a vet to identify underlying health issues and using the vet’s expertise to identify ways to improve. Because of this, the Board decided to change the minimum scheme requirements for vets to review the following on an annual basis:
Tremendous turnout for cattle lameness workshop
Veterinarian Roger Blowey has highlighted the increasing importance of digital dermatitis (DD) related infections that appear to be affecting the skin and hoof. Speaking at a Cattle Lameness Workshop, hosted by Jubilee Veterinary Practice on David and Stephen Jackson’s farm in Bangor, he added:
“The first of these conditions, commonly referred to as toe necrosis or seedy toe, is seen as a non-healing, stinking open sore at the toe.
Highlights from the International Conference on Lameness in Ruminants 2013
The University of Bristol hosted the 17th International Symposium and 9th International Conference on Lameness in Ruminants in August 2013 where researchers and veterinarians from the world of lameness shared the latest research and knowledge about lameness.
Roger Blowey, the highly respected veterinarian, described how the Digital Dermatitis (DD) associated treponeme bacteria can alter gene transcription to assist their own survival. As Nick Evans, University of Liverpool, explained “these bacteria can then fly under the immune radar”.
Regular footbathing reduces lameness levels by up to 70%
DairyCo research has shown that 35 cows out of 100 will have lameness problems if footbathing is not carried out. “This is a median figure,” added Provita’s Tommy Armstrong.
“In comparison, figures drop down to 20 cows out of 100 on farms footbathing during housing. Even better results are achieved on farms that are footbathing all year round, with the figure dropping down to 10 cows per 100. This represents a 70% reduction in the overall scale of the problem, one that is costing the dairy sector millions of pounds in terms of lost production.”
Maximising the Value of Wholecrop Silages Next Winter
According to Provita’s Tommy Armstrong, cereal crops grown for the purpose of making wholecrop silages will be ready for harvest over the coming weeks. “The good spell of weather in July, followed by the rain of recent days, has led to tremendous crop growth rates. As a consequence many crops will soon be at the ‘soft cheesy’ stage and ready for ensiling.”
The World of Lameness Comes to Bristol
Bristol University’s School of Veterinary Sciences will host the 17th International Symposium and 9th International Conference on Lameness in Ruminants. The event commences on Sunday August 11th and continues through until the following Wednesday. The overall theme for this significant symposium is: ‘Lameness in Ruminants: Past, Present and Future’. The programme will review what has been learnt about lameness so far.
“It will also bring together the most current information about lameness control methods with particular emphasis on evidence based treatment, and look to the future where Knowledge Exchange and On-farm Extension are going to play an important role in helping farmers to control this problem,” confirmed Provita’s Tommy Armstrong. “Provita are silver sponsor of the event and will have a stand profiling their Hoofsure range. Our products have been involved in or tested in three separate research papers at the conference.