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GO L D C U P F I NA L I S T
WINTER 2010 ISSUE
BVD control
The herd at Folly Farm had been BVD-free.
However, bulk tank checks revealed rising
levels of BVD antibodies signalling that active
infection was present in the herd. Further
individual milk sampling and blood tests finally
identified two PI (persistently infected animals):
a calf and a yearling heifer. BVD infection
is thought to have entered the herd when
young heifers broke out and mixed with a
neighbour's cattle.
The herd is now vaccinated and the BVD status
of calves is being routinely tested. In the long
term, a few animals will be left unvaccinated to
act as 'sentinels' - if they remain BVD antibody
negative it will show there is no active infection
in the herd.
Breeding
Cows are tail painted to help detect heats, and
the state of the chalking is watched constantly
by staff. David says: ‘This method makes you
spend the time and look at every animal - it's a
good discipline to have.’
Fresh calved cows are kept 18 cows in a 24
cubicle shed and checked three times a week.
Chris has established a protocol and trained
staff to check and record rectal temperatures,
gut fill, and degree of metritis - for which cows
are scored 1 to 5 on how 'dirty' they are. If,
one week after calving, cows are still dirty they
will be washed out.
A number of measures are taken to help
encourage intakes: the feed is always
presented fresh, and pushed up four times a
day; a propylene glycol solution is poured over
it; and haylage is fed at the end of each day.
David says: ‘By looking after the freshly calved
cow properly, you can avoid metabolic
diseases and help return the cow to cycling
again. There is evidence that metabolic stress
around calving predisposes cows to having
twins. The herd used to have a 25% twinning
rate, but with attention to fresh cow care, it's
now fallen to about 5%.’
Two years ago, the calving index at Folly Farm
was heading for 430 days, so Chris has taken
a very targeted and proactive approach to get
fertility back on track.
Cows that have not come bulling by 45 days
post-calving are given prostaglandin. This gets
75% of them into oestrus and they are then
AI-ed. Cows that fail to come bulling are
checked by David on one of his fortnightly
visits, before entering a synchronisation
programme, and later being served blind.
Semen is paid for on a per pregnancy basis,
so this approach is economically justifiable.
The aim is that by 60 days after calving, all
cows have been served. The pregnancy rate
of eligible cows in any three week period is
now a very good 18%, and the calving index
is 403 days and dropping.
Chris says: ‘It's important to stay focused on
fertility and cow health, all the time, not just
when the vet turns up.’ David adds: ‘Chris likes
to investigate new ways of improving herd
health and productivity. I've been making
routine visits to the farm for over a decade,
and so I know it really well. This means we
can have some really good open discussions
and evaluate how best to go forward to keep
his bulk tank filled to the max.’
DAV I D P R E ECE
By looking after the freshly calved cow
properly, you can avoid metabolic diseases
and help return the cow to cycling again.
Tailpainting is used to detect heats.
This calf is awaiting tests to confirm that it is a PI
(persistently infected with BVD) animal. Then it
will be culled.
Chris is very focused on getting litres into the
tank - the herd is milked three times a day.
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
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