WORKING
TOGETHER
FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE...
11
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
Veterinary surgeon
Roddy Dunse
XLVets practice
Dunmuir Veterinary
Group
RODDY DUNSE,
DUNMUIR VETERINARY GROUP
Always
looking
to
improve and to keep
monitoring progress;
key success factors at Drum Farm.
Margaret Harvey and her sons John and Stuart,
were amongst the finalists in the NMR-RABDF
Gold Cup this year with their 315-cow herd at
Drum Farm, Beeswing near Dumfries.
The Harveys receive fortnightly visits from
Dunmuir Veterinary Group’s vet Roddy Dunse.
In recent years, the main focus has been on
improving herd fertility. However the Harveys
are always looking to improve all aspects of
herd health and take an evidence-based
approach by monitoring aspects of herd
performance and the impact of any changes
that are made.
The family team
The Harveys work as a team but with each
person having their own responsibilities;
Stuart looks after the fieldwork and feeding,
Margaret cares for the calves, whilst John
does the AI and oversees the general
health of the herd, and is the main contact
for Roddy.
The high yielding cows in the herd are milked
three times a day with each family member
taking on one of the milkings. The sessions
are carefully spaced so that high yielders are
milked every eight hours. The low yielders are
milked first in the morning session and last in
the evening one, just leaving the high yielders
in the 11pm milking.
John explains: ‘We’ve been on this system
for about two years. We’re getting more
milk, and there are other benefits too; we
get to see the high yielders more often, and
they aren’t having to carry around so much
milk. This is good for udder health and
also it reduces leakage of milk into their
bedding - so there’s less substrate for the
mastitis bugs.’
Monitoring energy levels
This high yielding herd is fed a DCAB diet
during the transition period. Cows are body
condition scored, and metabolic profiling is
carried out in close-up dry cows to monitor
energy levels.
In newly calved cows, a ketone stick is
used to assess the scale of negative energy
balance. If ketone levels are high then
cows are given propylene glycol to boost
their energy reserves.
John adds: ‘We also check the ration is
working by testing urinary pH every four to
six weeks as well as ensuring the expected
amount of ration is being consumed.’
HERD HEALTH
Dunmuir
Veterinary Group
CASTLE DOUGLAS
Team Harvey (L-R) John, Margaret and Stuart
Each family member does one milking a day
