Visited a suckler herd outside Ennis, Co. Clare where I had to assess the fertility of a bull based on pregnancy rate. It transpired that the bull was positive for Johne’s. By the time the farmer had been informed of the results 2 months had elapsed. Furthermore it transpired that the maiden heifers were subfertile […]
Read MoreI scanned a group of Pedigree Simmental cows in West Limerick. We detected 2 sets of same sex twins. I scanned 1 cow diagnosed with a dead set of twins. It is noteworthy, that Cows DNA have discovered that the Simmental breed has the highest incidence of twins of both the dairy and beef breeds. […]
Read More1. Ensure cows within 6 weeks of calving have to be fed high DMD silage. 2. Colostrum management should entail individual feeding of calves with their own dams colostrum, presuming she does not have a high reading for Johnes disease. 3. Calving difficulty will reduce future reproductive potential. Starving beef […]
Read MoreOn a farm visit outside Tralee, Co. Kerry, we had to scan a herd of cows based on a pre-scan for autumn calving cows and a pregnancy scan for late calving spring cows. The pre-scan revealed that none of the cows calving from October to November were cycling. This concurred with the poor body condition […]
Read MoreWe scanned a herd of dairy cows and heifers outside Bushmills, Co. Antrim. The heifers were divided into 2 batches as they were running with 2 stock bulls. 1 of the batches were running with an oman bull. All heifers were fed the same diet. 1 batch had access to slatts with a lying area […]
Read MoreWe scanned a group of 75 heifers just outside Muff, Co. Donegal, to sex pregnancies after a synchronisation program in late November. The heifers were housed in a new shed, with cubicles and pasture mats as bedding. On seeing the shed I remarked that ‘All bar 3 of the 75 heifers were lying on the […]
Read MoreVisited a client in Co. Westmeath, who presented a herd of Limousin cross Friesian cows plus replacements. The farmer stated that ‘He was on the wrong side of 50 for handling these cattle’. He is now considering the option of introducing Simmental bloodlines, to improve docility and increase milk production. I suggested he evaluate the […]
Read MoreOn a farm visit outside Tulla, Co. Clare I scanned a suckler herd. The scan revealed a number of cows with embryonic death between 30 and 35 days pregnant. This group of cows were all first parity cows and had been bought prior to calving last summer. The client had no health screening or vaccination […]
Read MoreEmbryo transfer programs incorporate the use of recipients to act as surrogate mothers. Maiden heifers are normally used for this purpose. However, the costs associated with the following 1. The cost of buying the heifers. 2. The risks of the disease associated with biosecurity. 3. The cost of caesareans and the subsequent repair of the […]
Read MoreBreakdowns with TB have increased dramatically in the north of Ireland. This has resulted in herds being locked up with no opportunity to sell bull calves. Holstein Bull calves have very little monetary value with calves making between £5 to £10 each. It does not make any economic sense to feed these bull calves £2 […]
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