Farm Newsletter Mar 2004
What’s new in mastitis
Thank you to all you who came to the meeting a couple of weeks ago. Martin Green gave a superb presentation. A few of you have asked me to find out one or two key points.
Transition cow diet minerals:
The transition cow diet should be fed in the last THREE weeks of the dry period. Vitamin E and Selenium have been shown to help prevent mastitis in early lactation. The new recommended levels are:-
- Vitamin E – 12,000 IU per cow per day
- Selenium – 4 mg per cow per day (or the density of Selinium in the diet should be 0.3 ppm or 0.3 mg/kg)
A quick reminder on mastitis rates
For the average sized 100 – 130 cow herd you should be having no more than ONE CASE PER WEEK.
Whilst on the subject of mastitis we all know how difficult Strep uberis cases can be to clear up. These are often those cases which persistently recur in the same quarter despite all your efforts.
Cephaguard LC cow tubes used together with Cephaguard 2.5% injectable have recently been shown to be highly effective in dealing with this recalcitrant bug. Cure rates will be better in younger cows that have only had one or two recurrences of mastitis. Old cows with high cell counts that have had repeated bouts of mastitis will respond poorly. Try drying the quarter off if all else has failed.
Calf scour
Infection has been building up in buildings and at this time of year the quality of colostrum can be poor. Calves may not be worth a fortune, but they are certainly worth keeping and there is plenty of milk available on many farms for feeding!
Causes
- 0-3 days old: It is most likely bacterial e.g. E.coli or Salmonella. Affected calves can be very sick.
- 7-21 days old: Often viral e.g. Rotavirus or Coronavirus.(You may see mucus in the scour). It could be Cryptosporidia – a protozoa (straining and abdominal pain).
- 7-10 weeks old: Often Coccidiosis. Calves will scour, strain, and often pass blood and mucus.
The most common type of scouring at this age is a ‘cakey’ brown scour, commonly seen around weaning. No one knows what causes this ‘Periweaning’ scour and treatment can be unrewarding.
Treatment
For milk fed calves WITHHOLD milk. If the gut is damaged the calf cannot digest milk so scouring will get worse. Only withhold milk for TWO DAYS because:
- Electrolytes have no energy providers and a longer period without milk would make the calf very weak.
- If milk is withheld for too long the enzymes in the gut ‘forget’ how to digest it and re introduction of milk then causes further scouring.
If the calf is still scouring consider feeding it four times daily – twice with electrolytes and twice with milk, about 1 litre per feed.
DO NOT MIX THE ELECTROLYTES WITH MILK. The milk cannot form a clot in the abomasum if mixed with electrolytes, so digestion will not occur.
Glutalyte electrolytes are the best product available at the moment.
Antibiotic boluses kill bacteria – both primary invaders and those that enjoy the viral party too.
Vaccination of cows is practised by quite a few of you especially if Rotavirus and Coronavirus are the main problem. Cows simply need one dose between 12 – 3 weeks before calving.
Halocur is effective only as a control against Cryptosporidia. It needs to be used before the disease occurs and is easily administered in the milk for dairy boys.
Colostrum intakes are vital. SIX LITRES IN THE FIRST SIX HOURS. Keep giving a cupful a day until weaning.
Two more tips
- Damp bedding is a killer. It chills the calf (reducing its immune response) and gives off noxious fumes (which predispose to pneumonia).
- Don’t overfeed. If calves get too much milk in their abomasum, the milk overflows into the small intestine which causes scouring. If you want to feed larger volumes of milk feed three times daily. A suckling calf would feed 7-10 times a day from mum.
Turnout
Doctor Green is not too far away. Don’t forget:-
- Leptospirosis vaccination with Leptavoid
- Lungworm vaccination with Huskvac
- Worm control with Autoworm boluses
DIY AI training
North Yorkshire (along with only South Yorkshire and Devon) has just been given grants to cover 40% of the cost of training. Make the most of it as with the forthcoming EU join ups it will soon disappear. The cost of the course will therefore be £210 – a real bargain.
Let Graham know ASAP if you want to join a course in the near future. The course is highly practical and run at convenient times.
Lambing tip
Do you ever feel there is not enough room and the ewe is constantly straining against you as you rummage around inside her? Put her on her side and get a mate to lift her back legs up. Pour in a load of lubricant. You will find that the lambs descend ‘downhill’ and you will have a lot more room for manoeuvre inside. Don’t hang about though as keeping her in this position is stressful and the weight of lambs on her diaphragm will reduce her ability to breathe easily.
