All things Dairy

Location
East Mids
After the horrendous rain and wind on Mon/Tues, and lack of any buffer to keep the cows in on, we did split a few bales of straw and let them warm up and nibble for an hour or so when they came in for milking on Tuesday eve. We'd managed to put them in a paddock which was sheltered from the north, but one had been shivering and off her food on Tues morning. Perhaps we should have opened the first cut in the clamp.

Anyway, the straw seems to have the desired effect - just look at the constituents! I'm surprised it shows up that quickly. At least it's filling their bellies, they are very vocal at present which is always a sign they are not happy. There's still a bit of straw left in the barrier and hopefully the worst weather is now behind us, although another 30 mm last night. Milk volume dropped 10% though! No doubt tomorrow's pick up will reveal more. The shivering cow (2nd calver 7 months in milk) is a lot happier having been kept in all day Tues and Weds. She's still not eating properly though and milk has plummeted, vet couldn't find anything wrong with her and suspects Johnes.


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Location
cumbria
From one extreme to the other here.
Only common factor is the low temperatures.
At least it is June, so better weather will hopefully be nearer.

Positives here are at least grazing is back on track.
Only needed a 55day round, 1 bay of clamp and 20% of my second cut.
 
Copper and od week formalin
Our vets are recommending washing all feet off in the parlour and blitz treat all cows with visible lesions until cured. This has the effect of reducing the amount of pathogen in the environment making prevention much easier going forward.
We did this a few weeks ago after having a few. Admittedly it was only 6 cows but that is a lot for us. So we used Linco powder rubbed in 2 days running and haven’t had any since. We formalin dip 4 nights a week. Plus we now scrape up in front of the parlour after evening milking now.

I imagine if you have a lot this could be a very time consuming job. But in the long run very worth while.
 

vantage

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Pembs
Our vets are recommending washing all feet off in the parlour and blitz treat all cows with visible lesions until cured. This has the effect of reducing the amount of pathogen in the environment making prevention much easier going forward.
We did this a few weeks ago after having a few. Admittedly it was only 6 cows but that is a lot for us. So we used Linco powder rubbed in 2 days running and haven’t had any since. We formalin dip 4 nights a week. Plus we now scrape up in front of the parlour after evening milking now.

I imagine if you have a lot this could be a very time consuming job. But in the long run very worth while.
Go and sit on the naughty step,linco is now a big no,no!
 

vantage

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Pembs
I am allowed to use it on individual cows not in a footbath. A pot lasts me normally 4-5 months. It was a struggle to get this pot so really focusing on prevention.
I’m surprised. Years ago footbath was ok,no more. Pretty sure your situation is off label so a weeks milk withhold. At an Arla workshop I attended apparently any product to be used should end in “ycin”,eg Terramycin,alamycin.
 
I’m surprised. Years ago footbath was ok,no more. Pretty sure your situation is off label so a weeks milk withhold. At an Arla workshop I attended apparently any product to be used should end in “ycin”,eg Terramycin,alamycin.
Agreed that will be the future. To me my way of doing it is far less stressful on the cow and uses far less antibiotic. But what do I know. I will be trying Terramycin spray over a few days on one or two before I run out of powder later in the yr. but have found it infective. In the past. Bluntly the cost of going from linco to something like a 3-4 day course of alamycin is alarming.
Like I say efforts over prevention are paramount even if it is adding 10 mins onto my day.
 
Location
East Mids
@Princess Pooper your shivering cow, give her a bottle of mag and a bottle of calcium. We get these in rough weather, cold wet cow disease I call it, they scour out their calcium and mag because of all the cold wet grass they're eating. But rule out Johnes too!!
thanks, we did wonder about both minerals for exactly the reason you said, but didn't give her anything as she had no classic milk fever or staggers symptoms. However, the first day we kept her in she did eat a bit of decent hay that we found at the back of the barn, before a mix of molassed straw and cut grass, was hoping to slow the passage down through the rumen to get everything working properly. Vet took some bloods and was going to test back at surgery, didn't phone back so assume OK. She was a fair bit better by then, as a morning non-urgent call we didn't get vet until 4pm. He did give her a rumen boost and pump some fluid into her as she was a bit dehydrated. She's always come back low on Johnes but then her mother also did before she miscarried at 7 months and then faded away within 2 weeks so suspect she was a Johnes.
 
thanks, we did wonder about both minerals for exactly the reason you said, but didn't give her anything as she had no classic milk fever or staggers symptoms. However, the first day we kept her in she did eat a bit of decent hay that we found at the back of the barn, before a mix of molassed straw and cut grass, was hoping to slow the passage down through the rumen to get everything working properly. Vet took some bloods and was going to test back at surgery, didn't phone back so assume OK. She was a fair bit better by then, as a morning non-urgent call we didn't get vet until 4pm. He did give her a rumen boost and pump some fluid into her as she was a bit dehydrated. She's always come back low on Johnes but then her mother also did before she miscarried at 7 months and then faded away within 2 weeks so suspect she was a Johnes.
Johnes is a right pig ,hiding away till stress comes a calling !! One of my favorites with 3 daughters and a granddaughter has just come back high for the first time (she was going dry , I think I read that as they dry up theres more chance of a milk test coming back high ?!!)
I hope your cow improves . We are lucky having round bales left and this year we have carried on bufferfeeding that, in a TMR , with blend and molasses, so the cold wet day or 2 , hasnt knocked them too bad !
 

vantage

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Pembs
Agreed that will be the future. To me my way of doing it is far less stressful on the cow and uses far less antibiotic. But what do I know. I will be trying Terramycin spray over a few days on one or two before I run out of powder later in the yr. but have found it infective. In the past. Bluntly the cost of going from linco to something like a 3-4 day course of alamycin is alarming.
Like I say efforts over prevention are paramount even if it is adding 10 mins onto my day.
I’ve only used Terramycin topically,alamycin never,so wouldn’t know cost or usage protocol. I’ve found if you clean and dry the lesion, then spray with Terramycin,it usually dries up after about two or three treatments,but is never cured so agree wholeheartedly with the prevention route.
 

pappuller

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
M6 Hard shoulder
I’m surprised. Years ago footbath was ok,no more. Pretty sure your situation is off label so a weeks milk withhold. At an Arla workshop I attended apparently any product to be used should end in “ycin”,eg Terramycin,alamycin.
The active ingredient in Lincospectin powder is lincomycin so lazys good to go [emoji23]
 

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