Cattle boluses

daveydiesel1 · Feb 19, 2024

Does many of you use cattle boluses on yoyr cows? Looking about doing it to help boost fertility. Red a few bit on the net there and some suggest using boluses containing beta carotene but cant find many products for sale that have it on a quick google search, find it odd that alk trace dont have it in any of thier range. Thoughts?

mixed farm · Feb 19, 2024

Tried bolus one year. Made zero difference. Apart from having to pay for them.

daveydiesel1 · Feb 19, 2024

mixed farm said:
Tried bolus one year. Made zero difference. Apart from having to pay for them.

Which ones

Grassman247 · Feb 19, 2024

Every farm is different, you need blood samples and liver samples before you do anything or as mixed farm says it might make zero difference. Boluses only work if there’s a deficiency

daveydiesel1 · Feb 19, 2024

Grassman247 said:
Every farm is different, you need blood samples and liver samples before you do anything or as mixed farm says it might make zero difference. Boluses only work if there’s a deficiency

How do you get a liver sample?

Grassman247 · Feb 19, 2024

Speak to vet, either do a biopsy or send some barons direct to slaughter and then ask them to take a chunk of liver for sampling, I prefer doing the barons at slaughter the biopsy isn’t the nicest thing for a cow

Conrod96 · Feb 19, 2024

Do ours with a coseicure bolus 1st year we tried it only did every other cow didn’t seem to make much difference to the cow but the calf’s that got bolus were a lot more lively just our take

mixed farm · Feb 19, 2024

daveydiesel1 said:
Which ones

I actually can't remember

bobajob · Feb 19, 2024

Cattle Tubby® - product range - UK farmers - Brinicombe

Tubby is a tried and tested advanced nutritional solution for cattle, that has been endorsed by farmers for over 30 years.

www.brinicombe.co.uk

We have had good results in our beef cows with the quick serve buckets from brinicombe.
Seen stronger heats and more cows in calf.
Not cheap but a cow not in calf is not a good thing financially.!

mixed farm · Feb 19, 2024

We had a big holstein cow who went 2 years between calving (obviously should have been culled but that's another story) so a rep was in the yard and saw her and I told him she was just after calving after 2 year break and he goes "try fish oil, (or something along those lines) it's expensive but it should help with her fertility " so I was going to try it but I didn't. But to cut a long story short, the cow went in calf 1st time and I thought after, that if I had used his magic fish oil I'd have sworn that it was great and used it on everything. My point is that some times, cows go in calf and sometimes they don't.

som farmer · Feb 19, 2024

mixed farm said:
We had a big holstein cow who went 2 years between calving (obviously should have been culled but that's another story) so a rep was in the yard and saw her and I told him she was just after calving after 2 year break and he goes "try fish oil, (or something along those lines) it's expensive but it should help with her fertility " so I was going to try it but I didn't. But to cut a long story short, the cow went in calf 1st time and I thought after, that if I had used his magic fish oil I'd have sworn that it was great and used it on everything. My point is that some times, cows go in calf and sometimes they don't.

when we used to feed fish meal, reckoned that was brilliant for fertility, sadly no longer allowed.

bolus all our cows at drying off, Brinecombe boluses, and again pre-service. We think it helps, statistics are good, so will keep on doing, until someone's proved different.

also bolus new stock when they arrive, may or may not be worth it, but keeps us happy.

Thompyd · Feb 19, 2024

That's the problem with all these things. Like an insurance package with just far too many add ons that you don't need but then can't live without. You use them, you think your results are maybe better or maybe no better but could have been worse. Are then scared to stop using incase things go tits up and the salesmans job is done.

som farmer · Feb 19, 2024

Thompyd said:
That's the problem with all these things. Like an insurance package with just far too many add ons that you don't need but then can't live without. You use them, you think your results are maybe better or maybe no better but could have been worse. Are then scared to stop using incase things go tits up and the salesmans job is done.

silage additive is another.

Flossie · Feb 19, 2024

How are your minerals? Get that right and everything follows.
Or chuck a known working bull in. He'll soon tell you if there's a problem 🫣

Stuart1 · Feb 19, 2024

I always think these company’s try to sell the magic potion for fertility along with other things. They’re super super hard to quantify and the difference made by these magic potion type things if any is almost next to no difference. I was caught up in that trap for a few years but soon caught myself on and wiped the yard of them. Vet and Nutritionist is the magic potion to increase fertility in my opinion. Nutrition done right will out perform any Bolus.

daveydiesel1 · Feb 20, 2024

Stuart1 said:
I always think these company’s try to sell the magic potion for fertility along with other things. They’re super super hard to quantify and the difference made by these magic potion type things if any is almost next to no difference. I was caught up in that trap for a few years but soon caught myself on and wiped the yard of them. Vet and Nutritionist is the magic potion to increase fertility in my opinion. Nutrition done right will out perform any Bolus.

Ok so if i go down this block calving route fertility is gonna be key, is there anything i should be feeding during dry and after calving to help this like sugar beet or something else? Plan will be feed second cut when they come in until they calve then onto first cut which is normally cut early june

Conrod96 · Feb 20, 2024

daveydiesel1 said:
Ok so if i go down this block calving route fertility is gonna be key, is there anything i should be feeding during dry and after calving to help this like sugar beet or something else? Plan will be feed second cut when they come in until they calve then onto first cut which is normally cut early june

Best thing you can do is move to an earlier cutting date

daveydiesel1 · Feb 20, 2024

Conrod96 said:
Best thing you can do is move to an earlier cutting date

Not really an option as too many mouths to feed and the aul boy lets her for sheep in winter so it takes it til then by time theres enough bulk to keep us going

Thompyd · Feb 20, 2024

daveydiesel1 said:
Not really an option as too many mouths to feed and the aul boy lets her for sheep in winter so it takes it til then by time theres enough bulk to keep us going

Take an early first and 4-5wk regrowth 2nd regardless then bulk the 3rd for dry cows (preferably with very little to no slurry). Dry cows love stem and dry. Round bale haylage is wonderful stuff

Stuart1 · Feb 20, 2024

daveydiesel1 said:
Ok so if i go down this block calving route fertility is gonna be key, is there anything i should be feeding during dry and after calving to help this like sugar beet or something else? Plan will be feed second cut when they come in until they calve then onto first cut which is normally cut early june

To be honest I’ve no idea how to feed spring calving cows on a grass based system. I’m sure some of the top performers on the “All things dairy” thread could point you in the right direction. As said already tho earlier cutting intervals will most certainly help & you’ll end up with more feed doing more cuts in a year.

Cattle boluses

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