Terence Mc Laughlin runs a 330 ewe commercial flock near Dungiven. It consists of 150 crossbreed mules and 180 purebred Lanark type blackface ewes. All male lambs are finished mainly of grass from July onwards and some females are sold through the mart. The last of the crop were clipped and finished on slats in the house, recently making £100+ each.
Lambing is due to start on the farm on the 17th March. The crossbreed sheep are inside and get 1kg of meal plus good quality silage. This level of feeding will continue for twins after lambing starts but will stop for singles at this point.
In spring 2017 Cavan Johnson who is a dairy farmer in Co Down struggled to control calf scour. His veterinarian at Downe Veterinary Clinic contacted Provita to help investigate this case.
Provita recommended that Cavan only used fresh or instantly refrigerated colostrum and give every calf Provita Protect, the only medicinally licensed probiotic for the prevention of calf scour and Provita Calf Colostrum powder 300g. He began this protocol towards the end of calving with good results visible so he continued for this calving season to help suppress the build-up of pathogens. Cavan will give all calves Protect and Provita Calf Colostrum first, the cow’s own colostrum is given in the second feed, and this is especially convenient at night when around 50% of his cows calve. Provita products and protocols help to protect calves during this high-risk period, giving more protection, which enables it to overcome this risk period and develop a stronger active immunity.
Arthur Hanna, runs 130 Holstein Friesian cows in Armoy, Co Antrim, and recently availed of Provita Hoofsure HELP service. Arthur explained they had been using traditional footbathing products, but the lameness problem was still getting worse. However, since starting the Hoofsure HELP programme and following the more aggressive daily plan set out by Kieran Donnelly from Provita, his herd lameness levels have dropped significantly.
“Initially in November 2017 around 60% of my herd had active DD so footbathing with Hoofsure Endurance 5% was done every day for 3 weeks, we also spot-sprayed bad cases with Hoofsure Endurance 25% or Hoofsure Combat ready to use spray which forms a film for extra protection. I could soon see the DD healing with scabs going brown or black and falling off. The dilution rate was reduced every 3 weeks and the protocol is currently a daily footbath of Hoofsure Endurance 2%. The same mix lasts for 2 days so it’s economical to use. Hoofsure Endurance has helped me reduce the DD problem down to around 10% and I have less lame cows, but I will keep control measures in place. The cows are now milking better as they are not annoyed by sore feet. I can recommend it to other dairy farmers with confidence, but for it to work it must be used according to a tailored plan under the Hoofsure HELP service.”
Provita are inviting farmers to the below locations where a technical advisor will be in store to give advice on lameness in dairy cattle & sheep and how Provita’s Hoofsure HELP service and products can help reduce lameness problems on farm. Provita will also be offering advice on their calving and lambing ranges. Please … Read more
In spring 2017 Cavan Johnson who is a dairy farmer in Co Down struggled to control calf scour. His veterinarian at Downe Veterinary Clinic contacted Provita to help investigate this case.
Provita visited the farm and assessed all aspects of current calf health management finding that hygiene was good, cows were vaccinated and calves were getting plenty of colostrum soon after birth. Colostrum quality was assessed and found to be variable but acceptable in most cases.Provita’s Tommy Armstrong therefore concluded that the colostrum hygiene should be tested.Results showed that the colostrum itself was too high in bacteria and it represented a hygiene risk to the calves. At best, the colostrum antibodies were being used up fighting the bacteria it was introducing itself!Indeed a recent survey in Northern Ireland by AFBI reported that some colostrum contained up to 17,000,000 cfu/ml of bacteria.Provita in-house testing shows that both leaving colostrum at ambient temperature and thawing it out after freezing stimulates bacterial growth.
Provita Lameness Clinics Provita are inviting farmers to the below locations where a technical advisor will be in store to give advice on lameness in dairy cattle & sheep and how Provita’s Hoofsure HELP service and products can help reduce lameness problems on farm. Please see below for full details on locations: Tuesday 27th February … Read more
The Grant brothers Mike, John and Patrick run the successful Craigdoo Suffolk and Blackie flocks near Kilcoo in Co Down. John and Patrick are veterinarians involved as a partner and a pig specialist, and sheep specialist respectively within the Parklands Veterinary Group. Their farm is situated 600ft above sea level near the Mourne mountains. The enterprises consist of 130 pure breed Lanark Blackface ewes, 75 pedigree Suffolk ewes, 500 commercial ewes, 7,000 finishing pigs and a suckler herd. Recent successes include receiving £9,000 for a Blackie at Lanark in 2017. The brothers are driven to achieve even more success in the future. With an extensive embryo transfer program this year, they are set to continue the rapid genetic progression of their flocks.
Arthur Hanna, who runs 130 Holstein Friesian cows in Armoy, Co Antrim, recently availed of Provita Hoofsure HELP service. Lameness is a major challenge in dairy herds across the globe. Infectious conditions are the biggest contributor towards lameness, with Digital Dermatitis (DD) the most commonly seen condition which can spread quickly throughout the entire herd if left unmanaged. This painful infection affects the skin around the hoof mainly at the back of the cleft between the claws and due claw. Lameness reduces mobility, comfort, feed intake, milk yield, fertility and ultimately gross margin. Milk yield can be reduced by at least 1 litre per cow per day.
Provita will be attending this years New York Farm Show, Syracuse. Visit us at booth: HT 3312 from 22nd – 24th February 2017 The New York Farm Show is the leading farm show in the Northeast since 1985. The show hosts more than 400 exhibitors displaying the latest in farm equipment, tractors, combines and farm … Read more
Join us at Dairy Tech, Wednesday 7th February 2018at Stand P25. Dairy-Tech is a dairy event tailored for the new generation of dairy farmer, manager and technician. It will showcase ground-breaking technology, inspiring uptake of the latest science and field-based skills, introducing a fresh range of innovative products and services, and pioneering new global concepts … Read more
