The wet weather is certainly taking its toll on stock. Fields are inevitably heavily poached even at low stocking rates. The cold wet weather along with the soil contamination of grass makes it particularly risky for diseases such as coccidiosis and clostridial disease in baby lambs. It may well be worth considering vaccination for clostridial disease in lambs where they are at high risk. Dirty bottoms in lambs might be due to cocci rather than worms; so, a dung sample to be sure is sensible. There has been a confirmed case of Nematodirus in new season lambs in Cornwall. This is earlier than would normally be expected. We usually see a rise later in the spring following a cold snap, but the wet and mild weather has given an earlier hatch. Lambs from 6 weeks are most at risk, it can cause significant mortalities in addition to stunted lambs. We would recommend where possible moving susceptible lambs to pastures not grazed by lambs last year and be vigilant for any signs of scour, weight loss or poor condition. A white drench should be used for treatment, egg counts are not always a good indicator of nematodirus infection as one egg is significant and justifies treatment, if you are worried, please drop us in a sample so we can advise of the most effective treatment.
If you run a bull with your cows or heifers, then you should consider having a bull ‘Breeding Soundness Examination’ (BSE). The BSE is completed on farm and the results are given straight away. The examination should be repeated annually, usually 1 -2 months before each breeding season. This will allow time to replace any unsuitable bulls before the season begins. It is much better to find out about any fertility issues at this stage, rather than when you PD your cows months later! The examination consists of several parts:
• Physical examination including body condition, eyes, feet, legs.
• Scrotal circumference – a larger scrotal circumference is correlated with higher fertility.
• Examination of the reproductive tract, including assessment of internal accessory glands.
• Use of electro-ejaculator to assess reproductive function.
• Collection of a semen sample, and examination under a microscope for quality.
The results will give an assessment of the bull’s fertility at the time of the examination. It cannot assess libido so passing the breeding soundness examination does not guarantee success. It is not valid for the life of the bull because many factors could affect future sperm production, so we advise repeating the test annually. We commonly see sub-fertile bulls that lead to a protracted calving period, this has a huge effect on weaning weights, disease and thus profitability.
Checking suckler heifers before service is a useful tool to reduce calving difficulties and calf losses. A calculation based on each heifer’s weight, age and pelvic measurement will identify any high-risk animals that should not be served; but diverted to fattening instead. It is also an opportunity to find free-martins and heifers not at puberty.
We are currently working on our programme of spring meetings so if there is a subject you would like covered please let us know and we will endeavour to get the topic covered.