- Location
- Cheshire
2 consecutive clear tests
Confessions of the Sheep/Beef Cattle/Pig Addicts
- Thread starter Anymulewilldo
- Start date
livestock 1
Member
Ok how far apart and is that hard to achieve down there l?
- Location
- Cheshire
Depends if you have TB or not. Testing interval begins 60 days following the removal of the reactors
- Location
- Cheshire
If everything goes right from now it will be August before I’m clear. Hopefully go clear in time to hit the autumn trade with these 3/4 bred lim heifers
livestock 1
Member
We’ve been on restriction a good few times not anything like what you have to deal with.
18 months we were shut up, every sixty days testing, two crops of calves left round me which wouldn’t of been here, was a f**king nightmare, testing next Friday, I’m dreading it as usual
- Location
- Fife
That would have been my preferred option. Could have sold out the oldest 60 sim X cows, bought 60 in calf Angus and put money in the kitty. Or sold 60 sims and bought 72 Angus.
I doubt fluke is too much of a problem where you are, but if there’s any chance of it make sure they’re clear of it before a test, I’ve heard it from ministry vets that it is suspected of possibly causing false positives.
livestock 1
Member
That’s useful information
I had a test 5 year ago and had a reactor, was in the winter and had been meaning to treat everything but was late in doing it, they got done as they went through on the second day, kept her isolated 60 days and retested clear. Was talking about it with them and asked if it was a possibility, since they likely had a bit of fluke in them, proper fluke country here, and basically they wouldn’t rule it out, speaking later with one of the higher up vets on the phone and the story was the same, so it stuck with me.
Doesn’t seem very good business to be culling cows for the sake of it instead of selling the lot and buying what you want.
- Location
- Fife
I'm not culling for the sake of it. I would apply the same criteria to whatever breed was here.
It is what it is. Ultimately, they're not my cows. And I have only limited decision making authority. So just have to do what I can within the parameters set for me.
But if you sold them all they would be breeders not culls, others wouldn’t cull a cow be they had to pull it out or do it’s foot. Maybe management might not be so keen on the system and are hedging there bets.
livestock 1
Member
We have fluke really bad but we get away with doing the cattle with ivomec super (bimectin) do them when they come in or a week or two after then again 12 weeks after when the date they have come in when the immatures develop enough for the injection to catch. Triclabendizole doesn’t work very well with the sheep so I’m reluctant to use it. Haven’t used Trodax much. I’m guessing you use Trodax? My system might have to change as it would suggest there’s some fluke hanging about for a while or what I mean is while they are tested. The cattle aren’t really effected by it as long as I stick to that regime, sheep are dosed every five weeks
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livestock 1
Member
When I was a youngster I bought a lot of draft cows off a farm each year. Good strong cattle usually drafted out for a reason mental or other unpopular traits. I managed to get a calf out of almost all of them as a rule and they reared a calf all bought incalf. Heifers and calves were £1500 plus these were usually £500 it was what I could afford, the way I looked at it was I could get 3 calves reared for the price of one
Sheep are dosed twice in the back end with closantel, end jan with fascionix (trodax) and a house measure of white drench prelambing, but it’s the winter fascionix jag that I really like, in my mind it clears any closantel resistant fluke that survived the back end and that’s important to me here as triclabendazole is useless.
Cows get done with ivomec super in the back end and a jag of fascionix and a pour on about now, outwintered.
livestock 1
Member
We have found resistance in the fluke with Triclabendizole in the sheep so I’ve decided to pack in with it. In theory that’s why the cattle don’t get any either. The cattle come in so they aren’t getting a steady intake of fluke. I don’t think it’s easy farming any stock when there’s high fluke intakes
Rich_ard
Member
Are you turning sentimental? Cull price and what you get trying to sell older cows wouldn't be much different.
I’m not sentimental about anything, i just would have though a dispersal of 60 sim cows would be better been sold and what you want bought rather than putting them into a unsuitable system and killing over the next 3 years.
livestock 1
Member
It depends what system people aspire to want. I often see cows sold that are ‘out of sinc’ with peoples calving patterns or cows that might be incalf or not these things can all be bought to buyers advantage if you are flexible and willing to work with them.