Critical time for animal health

I remember being on a large dairy farm in the US a few years ago when the farmer said that having a calf was the biggest risk to any of his cows’ lives.

For that reason, he was putting his herd on long lactations of over 400 days.

Of course, this was possible because he wasn’t farming the seasons like Irish farmers do.

The cows in that US farm were indoors all year round, whether it was March or May and having two calves every three years was good enough for him.

For Irish livestock farmers, the system is very different and whether a sheep, suckler or dairy farmer, the majority of the cows or ewes give birth over a six-week period each spring.

For such a high-risk time in an animal’s life to be multiplied across a herd just shows how important this period is in terms of maintaining good animal health.

On pages 50 and 51 I take a look at some of the key risks and defences against disease when it comes to rearing dairy calves.

Unlike suckler cows or sheep, dairy beef or dairy replacement stock don’t have their mothers to look after them, so animal husbandry is particularly important for that group of stock.

On page 52 and 53 Adam Woods gives a timely reminder on the three Ps of calving a cow.

He says preparation, patience and ensure progress.

Adam says that the vast majority of cows and heifers will calve by themselves. However, many will require assistance to avoid loss of the calf, and potentially the cow themselves.

It is important to understand the stages of calving, what the normal signs are for each stage, and when intervention or veterinary assistance is required.

Meanwhile Darren Carty presents details of a new disease, ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA) found on the Irish Farmers Journal’s Tullamore Farm in Co Offaly.

Darren has all the details including the next steps on pages 54 and 55.