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DISPLACED ABOMASUM
7
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
WORKING
TOGETHER
FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE...
Beware over-conditioned cows
At
Barrow Vale Farm
in Farmborough, near Bath, dairy farmer Philip
Langley milks 180 cows, averaging yields of around 9,800 litres/cow.
Cows go out to graze in the day during summer. It is an all-year
round calving herd and is managed as one group.
Sotirios says: ‘DAs are not a major problem
here, as there is good transition cow
management. We meet together with Phil’s
nutritionist every few months to discuss herd
nutrition and health matters.
‘The few cases that do occur tend to be in
the over-conditioned cows. This is a common
problem on farms which don’t have the
facilities to manage the high and low yielding
cows separately. In late lactation, some cows
can become fat as they are eating more than
they need to support milk production.
‘When this happens, the cow’s metabolism
tells her she doesn’t need to eat, and this
leads to a looser rumen and more space
for an abomasum to displace.
‘Fat cows are also prone to difficult calvings,
and afterwards can take longer to recover their
appetite. This further creates the conditions in
which a DA is more likely to occur.’
Philip explains: ‘I always keep an eye out for
any signs of a DA after cows have calved. If
I notice a cow’s yield has dropped or she’s
not eating then I’ll put her into a crush and
examine her.’
Philip has his own stethoscope and uses this
to listen for the tell-tale ‘ping’ of a DA. He
will also ‘slosh’ her with his fist.
‘Sotirios has been using the endoscopic
technique to sort out the DA cases that we’ve
had. I’ve been impressed with the speed of
recovery, cows can be back out grazing in
the field in 12 hours.’
Farmer Phil Langley
Sotirios explains: ‘To a large extent,
DAs can be prevented with attention to
transition cow management. So on some
farms, a DA case is exceptionally rare.
The aim is always to have none, but a
tolerable level would be one of less than
3% per year. If it’s higher, then farmers
should be concerned.
‘The solution will almost always be
both dietary and management. So it’s
important to discuss the issue together
with both the vet and the nutritionist.
A team approach is best,’ he advises.
Taking action on DAs
Phil Langley and Sotirios
Checking over the dry cows
The endoscopy kit