In this Focus on animal health, Darren Carty outlines some of the common ailments affecting the eyes of sheep. Darren says that bad weather is a huge factor in a spike in eye-related issues in sheep.

The recent storms and continuing inclement weather are likely to be responsible for a reported increase in ewes succumbing to eye problems and temporary blindness. The thorough article here outlines the different types of ailments and how they can be prevented and cured.

I outline some of the causes, treatments and prevention methods of two common problems with young calves – pneumonia and scour. Both of these account for the bulk of the problems in calf sheds around the country. There is no silver bullet to prevent either disease, but getting the calf off to a good start with plenty of high-quality colostrum is a key step towards building up immunity.

Having said that, many calves that get plenty of good-quality colostrum still succumb to both diseases, so it’s not the only solution.

Dealing with sick calves is a difficult task, not just physically but also mentally. It’s difficult and stressful for anyone to see a young calf suffering and farmers take this very personally. It’s important that farmers mind themselves as well as minding the calves during a disease outbreak.

Preventative vaccines, excellent hygiene, good ventilation and a good dry bed are some of the key steps towards preventing a disease outbreak in the calf shed. It’s so important to keep reminding ourselves of this when things are going well, because often we can take the foot off the pedal when things are going in our favour, only to regret it when things start going against us.

Adam Woods has more on this here, he outlines some top tips for calf care this spring, aimed at dairy calf-to-beef specialist rearers.