Livestock Matters - Spring 2018

XLVets member practices 608 Farm and Equine Veterinary Surgeons Allen and Partners Armour Veterinary Group Belmont Farm and Equine Vets Bishopton Veterinary Group Black Sheep Farm Health Cain Farm Vets Calweton Veterinary Group Capontree Veterinary Centre Cliffe Veterinary Group Clyde Vets Donald S McGregor & Partners Drove Farm Vets Dunmuir Veterinary Group Endell Veterinary Group Farm First Veterinary Services Farm Vet Solutions Fenton Vets Friars Moor Veterinary Clinic Glenthorne Veterinary Group Hook Norton Veterinary Group Kernow Veterinary Group Kingsway Veterinary Group Lambert, Leonard & May Larkmead Veterinary Group Midshire Veterinary Group Millcroft Veterinary Group Mount Vets Ltd Northvet Veterinary Group Paragon Veterinary Group Parklands Veterinary Group Penbode Veterinary Group ProStock Vets Rosevean Veterinary Practice Scarsdale Veterinary Group Scott Mitchell Associates Shepton Veterinary Group Shropshire Farm Vets St Boniface Veterinary Clinic Synergy Farm Health Thrums Veterinary Group Torch Farms Vets Tyndale Vets Westmorland Veterinary Group Willows Veterinary Group Wright & Morten XLVets is a novel and exciting initiative conceived from within the veterinary profession. We are all independently owned, progressive veterinary practices located throughout the United Kingdom committed to working together for the benefit of our clients. SPRING EDITION C O N T E N T S Livestock Matters is published by: XLVet UK Ltd, Carlisle House Townhead Road, Dalston Carlisle CA5 7JF Tel: (01228) 711788 *This publication is supplied free of charge to farm clients of XLVets member practices. © XLVet UK Ltd No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission of the publisher. Disclaimer: XLVets does not necessarily share the views of contributors. No responsibility can be accepted for opinions expressed by contributors, or claims made by advertisers within this publication. THE ED I TOR ANIMAL HEALTH 05 Best practice: feeding milk to calves Kirsty Ranson, Westmorland Veterinary Group provides a comprehensive ‘best practice’ guide on feeding milk to calves, and explains ‘why’ as well as ‘how’. 07 Is bull selection geared to better finished cattle ? Or better breeding dams ? Vet Ben Barber of Synergy Farm Health believes that when selecting new bulls for the suckler herd, attention can be so focused on terminal traits that the maternal traits often get overlooked. 09 Forward thinking strategies have given flying herd a flying start Farmer Jimmy Pritt explains how he set about creating a spring block-calving dairy herd, from scratch with the advice and veterinary support of vet Mike Thorne of Farm Vet Solutions. 11 Investigation into poor fertility prompts two new vaccination programmes Vet Sam Potter of Hook Norton Veterinary Group explains how a routine PD visit to Richard Spencer’s suckler herd, which found several “empty” cows led to the adoption of vaccination programmes for leptospirosis and BVD. 13 Teamwork and a clear focus ensure excellent herd mobility Farmers Steve Cox and son Tom, their farm staff, and the Lambert Leonard CONTENTS and May team prove teamwork is a fundamental factor in maintaining good mobility in their high yielding herd. FARMSKILLS 15 Greater flexibility, lower costs and better control through DIY AI Matthew Pugh of Belmont Farm & Equine Vets outlines the benefits of taking AI in-house, and how delegates who attend a FarmSkills DIY AI course will learn not just how to inseminate, but also how to ensure good herd fertility. FEATURE 17 Faecal egg counts fundamental to successful worm control in sheep Mark Pass, one of the SQPs (Suitably Qualified Persons) at Beeston Animal Health, part of the Willows Veterinary Group, explains why monitoring faecal worm egg counts is so crucial for successful cost-effective worm control. GRADUATE DIARY 22 Plenty of calf work: from calvings to Calf Tracker Find out what our new graduate writer has been up to in her role in an XLVets practice since completing the XLVets farm graduate programme. Welcome to the ‘Spring’ issue of Livestock Matters In this issue we look at “feeding the calf” with vet Kirsty Ranson, Westmorland Veterinary Group. Kirsty explains that good management in the first three months of life is essential if calves are to achieve the required growth rates. We also discuss strategies for managing a flying herd. Farmer Jimmy Pritt and vet Mike Thorne, Farm Vet Solutions explain how they work together to assure the health and performance of the herd. This issue also contains a feature on worms. SQP, Mark Pass, Beeston Animal Health explains why monitoring faecal worm egg counts is so crucial for successful worm control. Mark explains the classifications of anthelmintics, how to test the efficacy of the drench, refugia and the importance of having a plan! Finally we meet graduate Vicki Rhodes, Scarsdale Veterinary Group. We hope you enjoy this issue of Livestock Matters. Gemma Ayre Editor