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COW COMFORT
This 350-cow milking herd is run as three
groups; heifers and high yielders which are
kept housed, and low yielders which go
out (along with the dry cows) to graze in
the summer.
Twelve months ago, the herd had been
yielding 7,400 litres per cow. But then a new
target of 9,000 litres per cow was set by the
Estate. Andy set about making changes to
achieve this, and at the same time set his own
personal goal of 10,000 litres per cow.
Improving cubicle comfort
Jim explains: ‘Good cow comfort is the
cornerstone to production. So Andy re-jigged
the cow groups to give the high yielders the
best accommodation, and set about improving
the cubicles.’ Jim advised Andy on increasing
cubicle dimensions in the sheds where the
cows were kept, to better accommodate
their size; the neck rail has been raised
and brisket board moved forward, as shown
in Figure 1.
Improvements to cow
comfort boost yield...
and investments in calf housing
boost heifer numbers
Veterinary surgeon
Jim Willshire
XLVets practice
Endell Veterinary Group
JIM WILLSHIRE,
ENDELL VETERINARY GROUP
Over the past 18 months, XLVets’ Jim Willshire from Endell Veterinary Group
has been helping herd manager Andy Mathews make some significant
improvements to cow comfort and calf management on the dairy unit of
Shaftesbury Estate’s St Giles Farms Ltd, near Blandford Forum, in Dorset.
The net result is a boost in milk production, reduced lameness, and healthier
calves with higher growth rates.
AUTUMN 2013 ISSUE
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
6
Figure 1:
Revised cubicle design
Jim Willshire and Andy Mathews