Veterinary surgeon
Will Sheppard
XLVets practice
Endell Veterinary Group
Good transition
management includes
proactive care for twin-bearing cows
NUTRI T ION FOR TWINS
Endell Vet Group’s
Will Sheppard has helped improve
fertility and cow health for a high yielding herd by ensuring
that cows transition well into milking, and by identifying
twin-bearing cows so they can be managed accordingly.
WILL SHEPPARD, ENDELL VETERINARY GROUP
At Darfield Dairy, near Salisbury, dairyman
Steve Lee manages Gerald Lambert’s 160
cow pedigree Holstein herd; yields average
11,700 litres/cow (including heifers), on
twice-a-day milking. Production levels have
been built up through focused efforts in
breeding, together with excellent management
which enhances longevity; some cows are
giving 14,000 litres and are in their fourth
or fifth lactations.
Will has been making fortnightly fertility visits
and has instigated a number of changes over
the past year.
Will explains: ‘Steve now starts serving cows
at 38-40 days post-calved, and non-bullers
are treated at 40 days. We are also now
PD-ing at 32-42 days instead of 42 and
over, so we are identifying non-pregnant
cows sooner. Since the herd is managed as
a single group, this means we have fewer
fat cows in late lactation.’
Changes have also been made in the
management of twin-bearing cows and
through carrying out metabolic profiling
and monitoring DCAB transition ration, the
issues of ketosis and milk fever have
been controlled.
(Left) Gerald Lambert, (Right) Steve Lee
WINTER 2014/2015 ISSUE
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
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