I have got too much good silage and not enough " roughage" left.
I am going to be short of dry cow roughage until I make some.
Being organic I can't feed conventional straw.
Only option i have is to buy hay, or do the TFF collective have any other ideas?
Written by Lydia Turner
Roboscientific, a Cambridgeshire based biotech firm, have developed a device that can immediately identify a disease or virus in an enclosed space.
Currently in development the device automatically ‘sniffs’ the air in the barn for the presence of the digital fingerprint...
Milk taint smell. We are organic and have had huge problems with tainted milk. Suspected ...TBC, teat dip, ketosis. Etc
eventually stopped feeding last seasons silage. Fed some 4 year old silage from the back end of the clamp. The milk is no longer tainted. Must be the charlock/dandelions or...
Written by Agriland Team
A transition cow can be identified as a cow three weeks’ pre-calving and three weeks’ post-calving. Dairy cows face many physiological challenges during this time.
This period is characterised by marked changes in the endocrine status of the animal. There is a...
Written by Agriland Team
Mastitis is the most economically challenging disease on a dairy farm, it causes the swelling of the cow’s udder tissue and mammary glands. Freshly-calved cows and heifers are the most susceptible to mastitis, due to a weakened immune system after calving.
Economic...
The true cost of ketosis lies in effect on cow health
Kate Heller MRCVS Elanco Ruminant Technical Consultant and Dairy Farmer
Approximately 75% of disease in dairy cows typically happens in the first month after calving (Ref 1), with around half of dairy cows experiencing some sort of...
Written by John Swire
A rapid onset, steady release, high calcium oral capsule for dairy cows to reduce the risk of post-calving milk fever and sub-clinical calcium deficiency has been developed by Animax. In carbonate form, Easycal® Capsules supply 60g of calcium, which the maker claims is 40%...
Written by William Kellett
The Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) wishes to bring to the attention of farmers the need to consider the risk of liver fluke infection in cattle and sheep this autumn and winter.
Using a forecasting system based on climate data, staff at the institute have...
I have a problem Arla have rejected our milk on the grounds that it has a sweet fruity smell to it . our cell count is 160 and bactoscan is around 10 . the cows eat swift kale /rape hybrid about 2 paces each day and add lib big bales 1st and 2nd cut rye grass they have been having some baled...
Im strictly spring calving but this year i have 20 high yielding pure jersey cows and xs not in calf giving 15 to 20 litres .some are first calvers some 6th.Will they milk for two years i usually just cull but am abit short of replacement this year and keeping them would be a cheap alternative.
Written by Agriland Team
A new farm management application, dubbed Lely Horizon, has been recently unveiled by Lely.
Revealed by the Dutch dairy robotics giant last week, the new application connects data from all relevant equipment and suppliers on the farm in one management system.
Horizon...
Written by Agriland Team
The pioneering Lakeland Agri / Premier Nutrition Transition Management System (TMS) saves Northern Ireland farmers thousands of pounds by ensuring the cow is well managed during the dry and early lactation period.
The TMS programme monitors cows and dairy herds across...
What’s the best of testing a cow if she is low in energy etc? I had a temp vet out one year and he sampled a drop of the cows blood on the spot with a little device and it told him if the cow was low in energy or if she had ketosis.
Just wondering what way other jersey herds manage their dry cow diets? Had quite a bit of bother with sub clincial milk fever and ketosis last year and looking ideas to sort it for incoming calving season. Had been feeding haylage and a dry cow nut. Thanks
Written by John Swire
VikingGenetics UK has announced it is marketing the revolutionary cow monitoring system, smaXtec, in the UK. The system is unique in the marketplace in measuring the three parameters – activity, temperature and rumen pH. The fact that these measurements are taken from...
Does anyone have someone that they would recommend? We calve seasonally through late Summer and Autumn and often find that cows don't do as well as they should. I think our main issues are poorly balanced buffer feeding when out at grass, poor protein/energy balance when housed usually resulting...
The last 3 charolais calves we had all wouldn't suck the cows at birth. 2 different bulls. The last one was cavelands fenian. Born now 14 hours and still wont suck the cow. Itll suck her if i hold its head and turn the tit into her mouth and risk getting my brains knocked out but i cant hold it...
Hi I had a cow abort a calf, about a month early. No reason why, vet has taken bloods from cow. I milked her the day she calved, all ok. Yesterday she was not great looking so vet tubed her with recovery drink and gylcol. I went to the yard this morning and she milked a small amount, but Is not...
Written by Agriland Team
Fluctuations in milk yield measured by milking robots can be used to breed cows that can cope well with problems, according to a new Dutch study.
Cows with less fluctuations are healthier, more resilient and live longer.
Researchers of Wageningen University & Research...
Written by Agriland Team
It has been well documented that a single missed heat on an Irish grazing farm can cost a dairy farmer €250. In today’s dairy economy, that’s a lot of money to use someplace else – especially if multiple heats are missed.
“When heats aren’t detected, it leads to more...