A national housing order will be introduced across England on Monday 7 November making it a legal requirement to house flocks
Mandatory housing measures for all poultry and captive birds are to be introduced to all areas of England from 00:01 on Monday 7 November, following a decision by the United Kingdom’s Chief Veterinary Officer.
Read more online at the Gov.uk website.
visit gov.uk website
Following an increase in the number of detections of avian influenza (bird flu) in wild birds and on commercial premises, the Chief Veterinary Officers from England, Scotland and Wales have declared an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) across Great Britain to mitigate the risk of the disease spreading amongst poultry and captive birds.
Avian influenza Prevention Zone has been declared across Great Britain making it a legal requirement for all bird keepers to follow strict biosecurity measures.
Read more online at the Gov.uk website.
visit gov.uk website
Fly strike in sheep is predicted to cost the farming industry £2.2m a year1, with almost all farmers suffering some financial loss from the condition2. As we head into prime fly strike season, we outline what you can be doing to prevent the condition in your flock this summer.
Blowfly strike is a serious and costly disease of sheep that affects more than 80% of farms in the UK each summer.
It’s caused primarily by the green bottle fly, Lucilia sericata, which lays its eggs in decomposing matter such as dirty backends, footrot lesions and open wounds. The physical damage is then caused by the larvae (maggots). Other flies can also cause strike, including blue bottles and black bottles.
Once fly populations take hold, they can be hard to manage due to the speed of the blowfly lifecycle, which can be completed in as little as two weeks (figure 1, NADIS).
On-farm losses from Blowfly strike are incurred from:
Figure 1: Blowfly lifecycle (Source, NADIS)
Blowfly strike can occur rapidly, often taking sheep farmers by surprise. If an infestation is missed, it can cause intense suffering and even death and is a major welfare and economic concern.
The main signs of a blowfly infestation include:
The severity of a Blowfly strike infestation can vary, starting with lesions on a small area of skin with just a few maggots, spreading to extensive areas of skin. However, a small infestation can rapidly increase due to the short lifecycle of the Blowfly.
The most common areas affected are the backends of sheep. However, the withers, head, back and shoulders can also be affected.
It is a legal requirement for all sheep keepers to check their stock daily when sheep are at risk of strike (NADIS). This is due to the rapid nature in which symptoms can develop.
Sheep affected by Blowfly strike will need immediate attention by removing the maggots, cleaning the wound and, depending on the severity, using non-steroidal anti-inflammatories and antibiotics. It’s essential to involve your vet in the treatment.
Plunge dipping using organophosphates can also be conducted, although the correct administration and disposal of the product are necessary.
Prevention of Blowfly strike should be included in every farm health plan.
Most fly-related diseases can be prevented by good hygiene and early use of fly control products. Each product has different active ingredients, control periods and withdrawal times. It’s important producers discuss insect control options with their vet or qualified on-farm adviser to find the product most suited to their flock.
The Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep (SCOPS) has produced a list of available preventative treatments. This can be downloaded here.
There are additional management practices producers can implement to help prevent Blowfly strike. These include (NADIS):
At Carr’s Billington, we have dedicated in-store Responsible Animal Medicines Advisers (RAMAs) knowledgeable in fly prevention and treatment. Come and speak to a member of the team today and find out how we can help prevent this costly disease in your flock this summer.
We stock a wide range of products for the prevention and treatment of blowfly strike, including:
Heat stress in dairy cattle and youngstock is a severe issue affecting productivity, health, fertility, and welfare. And with temperature and humidity levels continuing to rise in the UK, it’s a problem more farmers will already be facing or likely to face in their herds. In this blog, we look at how it can affect stock, symptoms to look out for, and how to prevent it to stay a step ahead.
Cattle are sensitive to factors which impact their thermal exchange with the environment. These factors include:
Heat stress occurs when cows and calves generate and absorb more heat than they can get rid of by respiration, sweating, and air blowing by them. This leads to increased respiration rates, body temperatures, sweating, and time standing and is a significant welfare concern.
Air and radiant temperature directly influence the heat exchange ability of the animal. Air velocity increases the amount of heat transfer from the surface of the cow whilst air movement can also improve evaporation, which assists in heat loss. However, humidity can decrease the heat exchange and have debilitating effects on the cow.
Dairy cows are most comfortable (thermoneutral zone) when temperatures are between -15°C (Lower Critical Temperature (LCT)) to +25°C (Upper Critical Temperature (UCT)). However, humidity plays a significant part because, as the relative humidity increases, the temperature at which a dairy cow exhibits signs of heat stress falls.
Cows begin to experience heat stress at much lower temperatures than humans. This will depend on the animal’s age, production, and humidity. Generally, mild heat stress in cows starts around 22°C with 50% humidity, though high-yielding cows are more susceptible to heat stress as they eat more and generate more heat. They can begin to experience heat stress in well-ventilated sheds at air temperatures as low as 18°C.
Calves will likely start to feel the effects of heat stress at 21⁰C. Above this, they will have to use additional energy to maintain a normal body temperature of 38 – 39°C.
Using the Temperature Humidity Index (THI), it’s possible to determine whether your cows/ calves are at risk of heat stress. THI considers both temperature and humidity to estimate the level of heat stress cows will experience based on environmental conditions.
Cow Plan has developed a nifty calculator to generate real-time THI https://www.cowplan.com/thi .
Table 1 highlights when cows may be heat stressed based on THI.
| Heat stress level | Temperature humidity index (THI) | Respiration (breaths per minute) | Body temperature (centigrade) |
| No heat stress | Less than 68 | 40-60 | 38.6-39.1 |
| Mild | 68-71 | 60-75 | 39.1-39.4 |
| Mild to moderate | 72-79 | 75-85 | 39.4-40 |
| Moderate to severe | 80-90 | 85-100 | 40-40.5 |
| Severe | 90-99 | 100-104 | Over 40.5 |
When a cow’s temperature exceeds the UCT, they have two main ways to maintain their thermal balance:
Cows that are heat stressed will have reduced production, fertility, and health issues. Research suggests mild to moderate heat stress can reduce yields by 2.6L a cow a day and moderate to severe by almost 4L a day.
Heat stress can also affect fertility and embryo development. For example, according to one study in the Journal of Dairy Science1, cows subjected to heat stress were 63% less likely to get pregnant than those not.
Early growing embryos are also likely to die within the first three days of fertilisation from prolonged periods of heat stress. Heat detection also becomes more difficult due to a cow’s or heifer’s lack of activity or movement.
Calf production can also be severely impacted by heat stress. Youngstock can experience poor growth rates from reduced feed intakes and lethargy, which can cause strain on metabolic processes in the body and increase the risk of disease/illness.
Signs of heat stress in cows and calves include:
Heat stress can be managed by simple system changes, including:
References
Nematodirus is a disease caused by gastrointestinal worms which young lambs ingest through grazing, particularly on pasture grazed by young lambs the previous year. It can cause a high number of deaths within a matter of hours and poor growth rates.
This Q&A guide offers answers to common questions surrounding this disease including how to prevent it, how to quickly spot affected lambs, and how to treat them effectively.
Six to twelve week old lambs are most likely to be affected as they are likely to be eating enough grass that could be infected with the worm larvae to put them at risk.
Younger lambs can also be affected if they’re not receiving enough milk which causes them to start grazing earlier, for example, triplets. Those with a weakened immune system, or already presented with other challenges such as coccidiosis, are also more at risk of succumbing to the disease.
From three months-old, lambs are less likely to be affected when they ingest significant numbers of larvae.
A sudden cold snap that’s followed by a period of warm weather (10°C or higher) can trigger a mass hatch of eggs into larvae that are ingested by the lambs, causing their likelihood of exposure to significantly increase. Lambs are therefore most at risk of becoming infected between April and June due to the colder nights and warmer days that typically occur.
Although generally more of an issue in spring, unpredictable weather patterns experienced in recent years have caused nematodirus challenges to occur as early as February.
Knowing the symptoms of affected lambs will ensure prompt treatment can be administered quickly. These signs include:
Prevention is better than cure because nematodirus strikes quickly. Faecal egg counts aren’t an effective preventative method because the damage is caused by larvae that don’t produce eggs, however, knowing the signs and taking the following steps will help to reduce the impact of nematodirus:
An effective parasite treatment strategy should be part of a flock health plan that should be put in place by a vet as a priority, and will help to make sure nematodirus is treated at the right time, using the right product.
Taking the following steps when managing nematodirus will also help to prevent wormer resistance, one of the biggest health risks to UK sheep farming at the moment[1]:
It’s essential that spring calving suckler cows are fed balanced diets to maintain tight calving patterns and improve the chances of calving success, which in turn impact herd profitability.
Working out daily feed requirements will help ensure target body condition scores (BCS) are met to optimise cow health and fertility, as well as improve feed efficiency.
Read on to learn what these target BCS are and how to ensure herd energy and mineral requirements are met.
Condition score for spring calvers (QMS 2020)
Ideally, suckler cows should be calving and bulling at a target BCS of 2.5 to help reduce the incidence of calving difficulties while promoting positive calving intervals. If cows are overweight at calving the assisted calving rate is more likely to increase. There is evidence to suggest that cows with a BCS of 3.5 typically have an assisted calving rate around double that of cows with a BCS of 2.5.
Aim to get pre-calving suckler cows to the correct condition score during mid-pregnancy by grouping cows with a similar BCS and feeding accordingly. Be aware that increasing the amount of energy in late pregnancy to achieve the target BCS can reduce calf vigour at birth.
Heifers and second time calvers are often the leanest cows on-farm so they, along with shy feeders, will need to be monitored more closely to make sure they reach the target pre-calving condition score.
Autumn calvers require significantly more energy than spring calving beef cattle to maintain body condition while lactating throughout the colder winter months.
The energy requirements for a spring calver per day are 10% of their body weight plus 10MJ. In addition, dry matter requirements are 2% of total body weight. For example, a 600kg suckler cow would require 70MJ/energy and 12kg of dry matter per day.
It’s worth noting that genetics impact the amount of energy required to achieve target pre-calving condition scores. For example, cows put to a Charolais are likely to require more energy than those put to an Aberdeen Angus because larger breeds typically produce larger calves, meaning the cow will require more energy during pregnancy to sustain calf growth.
Generally, suckler cow energy requirements will be met through feeding forage alone and, unless cows are fed straw or have straw mixed into their diets, it’s advised to avoid feeding large amounts of concentrates.
If cows are fed a straw-based diet, aim to feed a good quality concentrate that contains 18% protein such as Lifetime Rearer or Unigold nuts. Bespoke blends can also be created by your local on-farm specialist, and also consider adding molasses to straw to encourage intakes.
Freshly calved cows will require double the energy needed by a dry cow for milk production and to promote recovery after birth. Energy is the key to ovulation and keeping a tight calving pattern, so ensuring the correct energy levels are fed during early lactation will also promote optimum fertility.
The mineral requirements of pre-and post-calving suckler cows are often overlooked, yet it is crucial the correct levels are fed to promote cow and calf health.
Consider conducting forage mineral analysis and then taking blood tests at least six weeks before calving to pinpoint any deficiencies in the following minerals:
| Mineral | Impact | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Iodine | Cows that are deficient in iodine in the last four to five weeks pre-calving are more likely to have weaker calves. | Consider bolusing six weeks pre-calving with a high iodine bolus to be sure requirements are met. For pregnant and lactating stock this is 0.5Mg/kg DM. |
| Selenium | A lack of selenium can cause white muscle disease in calves and retained cleansing in cows. | Selenium can be administered via a bolus. For pregnant and lactating stock, the recommended level is 0.1Mg/kg DM. |
| Magnesium | Magnesium deficiencies can increase the risk of staggers or hypomagnesaemia post-calving. | Pregnant cows require 0.12% of total ration DM while lactating cows require 0.20% of total ration DM. Consider feeding magnesium rolls to achieve this. |
Providing supplementary pre-and post-calving mineral blocks such as Vitalyx super suckler or Megastart pre-calver is another option to make sure suckler cow mineral requirements are met. Megastart contains Safmannan® which will help to increase the immunoglobulins in the colostrum by around 25% which will help to improve calf health.
If you require further advice, consider discussing historical issues with cow health around calving with a local on-farm specialist.
[1] How to manage minerals in suckler cows pre-calving – Farmers Weekly (fwi.co.uk)
As every bite is precious, make the most of it by feeding a balanced diet, tailored to high levels of performance and an optimum rumen environment to get lambs away quickly.
Rising prices of feed, fertiliser and energy are putting pressure on margins. As production costs at farm level continue to rise, growing concerns over raw material availability are putting an even greater focus on maximising the use of homegrown resources, especially forage.
Moving lambs as quick as possible will help save on grass in late summer when fertiliser is too expensive to use in some beef and sheep enterprises.
For producers targeting early markets, it is even more important to achieve high levels of performance to ensure lambs can be drafted as soon as possible, freeing up available resources for other stock.
Feed efficiency is highest in the early stages of life and declines with age. As such, it is vital that lambs are fed a diet to maximise early life growth.
Creep feed provides the energy, DUP and starch needed to efficiently increase growth and promote rumen development.
Other benefits include:
It is important to remember that lambs may not eat enough forage and are at risk of sub-acute ruminal acidosis (SARA) and other diseases due to close contact.
Limiting setbacks in performance pre-weaning
Digestion in the rumen
The rumen is a large fermentation chamber packed full of microbes, which:
For optimal growth and digestion, the rumen microbes require a balanced source of effective fibre, digestible fibre, starch, sugars, proteins and trace elements
Rumen function
Choosing a concentrate for creep feeding:
Managing Stress in weaned lambs
Stress is known to suppress the immune system in lambs, and weaning is arguably the most stressful period in the lamb’s life. Additional stressors from a multitude of sources can also compound this problem further.
Feeding and management of lambs post-weaning
There are several options available when fattening lambs post-weaning, depending on farm resources and time of year (e.g. grass finishing, grass plus concentrates, brassicas / root crops or ad lib concentrate feeding).
Independent of system there are several universal factors to consider:
Actisaf® in lambs – overall trial results
Summary:
Carr’s Billington’s EARLYBITE LAMB PELLETS are a top-quality lamb creep feed containing Actisaf® live yeast to stabilise rumen pH, increase feed conversion ratio, promote fibre digestion and ease transition to concentrate feed.
EARLYBITE high-energy lamb pellets also offer a balanced source of starch and digestible fibre, and contains EarlyBite® to improve palatability and intakes for faster rumen development and better growth efficiency.
To offer EARLYBITE as a creep feed for lambs up to 12 weeks of age, contact 01228 518860 or speak to your local store or advisor.
Parasites in finishing cattle can cause up to 10% body condition loss, increasing the time it takes to reach slaughter weight[1].
Quarantining and treating any new cattle brought on-farm for parasites, as a priority, will help to prevent new outbreaks within existing herds.
In addition, it’s important to remember that lice, mites and liver fluke can affect finishing beef cattle during winter housing so make sure you know what to look for, and how to prevent and treat infestations, by reading our guide below:
[1] Beef Parasites – Westpoint Farm Vets
The closeness of housed cattle can make mites and lice easily transmissible between animals. Thick winter coats also provide optimal conditions for lice to breed.
There are two types of lice that affect cattle in the UK: chewing and sucking lice, alongside two types of common mites: burrowing (sarcoptic mange) and non-burrowing (chorioptic mange).
Ideally, cattle should be proactively treated for lice and mites at housing to prevent outbreaks over winter. However, if infestations are present on one or more cows, it’s important to remember:
Pour-on and spot-on synthetic pyrethroids and pour-on and injectable macrocyclic lactones (MLs) are available for the treatment of lice. The injectable treatment is only effective against sucking lice.
These treatments will not be effective against lice eggs and a second course of treatment is recommended if the product residual efficiency is less than two weeks.
Lice infestations can be a sign that cattle may have underlying health issues. Therefore, making sure your cattle are kept in optimal condition through correct feeding will ensure they have a healthier immune system, reducing their susceptibility to infestations and diseases. Read more about feeding finishing cattle here: Time 4 Finishing.
The pyrethroid permethrin, ivermectin, doramectin, eprinomectin and moxidectin pour-on treatments can be used to treat non-burrowing mites. Burrowing mites should be treated with systemic macrocyclic lactones (MLs).
Treated animals should be moved to new housing that has not been used for cattle in the previous three weeks.
Speak to your in-store or on-farm specialist for advice on the best products to use to prevent or treat lice and mites in your herd.
Finishing cattle grazed in the autumn will be at risk of ingesting liver fluke larvae which, if left untreated, could turn into adult fluke during late winter and early spring. Juvenile fluke migrate through the liver, where they cause liver damage and haemorrhage, to the bile ducts where they mature. Once in the bile ducts, the fluke cause chronic disease which can result in a reduction in feed conversion efficiency and poor growth rates.
Liver fluke risk is farm-specific, and if present can either cause chronic or acute disease. Flukicides can be used to prevent liver fluke larvae from developing into adults or to treat those that have already developed over winter.
To help determine whether your cattle are at risk of liver fluke consider the following environmental factors:
Your vet can also conduct:
Make sure you seek advice from an on-farm or in-store specialist, or a vet, to determine the risk level of liver fluke on your farm. If your herd is found to be at risk, they will also be able to ensure the right flukicide is used at the right time and in the right way as part of your herd health management plan.
Different products will treat the fluke at different stages. Some treat larvae, while others are effective against adult fluke. Additionally, withdrawal periods following treatment may be applicable.
Remember:
Ewe condition will be more important than ever this year to prevent watery mouth as sheep farmers battle antibiotic shortage.
“Particular attention should be paid to diets in the six weeks before lambing for two reasons: this is when ewes start to produce colostrum, and 70% of foetal growth takes place during this period. An optimised diet will reduce the incidence of lambs with low birth weights which in turn will reduce their susceptibility to diseases like watery mouth.”
Mr Mellor recommends sourcing high-quality nuts or cake, if supplementary feeding is required, to achieve recommended pre-lambing body condition scores (BCS). The target BCS for a 60-80kg lowland ewe at lambing is 3.0-3.5, and for a 40-60kg hill ewe, 2.5. The amount of feed ewes require depends on forage quality, breed, and the number of lambs carried.
“Feed that contains a premium yeast fraction such as Safmannan® will also help to maximise colostrum quality, which is crucial for boosting lamb immunity.
“Look for cake or nuts that contains between 16-19% protein, according to forage quality and number of lambs, as this will maximise birth weights and help with milk production and quality. Increase concentrate feeds gradually and divide into two feeds a day if possible, or include in a TMR, to prevent acidosis.”
“Selenium, cobalt and vitamin E help to promote lamb vigour. A nutritional supplement prior to lambing via a feed bucket can be used to provide this,” says Mr Mellor.
“Carefully assessing ewe condition and nutrition, along with other measures such as making sure the lambing environment is clean, could help to reduce the need for antibiotics that are in limited supply which would disrupt lambing this spring.”
It’s vital that ewe nutrition is optimised throughout pregnancy to aid lamb development, as well as maintain ewe health and condition. Particular attention should be paid to their diet in the last six weeks of gestation, as this is when ewes start to produce colostrum and 70% of foetal growth takes place.
Splitting ewes up according to the number lambs they’re carrying at scanning, will mean feed can be allocated correctly. This means target pre-lambing body condition scores (BCS) will be met, reducing the risk of problems either side of labour.
Aim for the following target body condition scores at lambing (AHDB):
|
Ewe type |
Lowland ewe (60-80kg) |
Hill ewe (40-60kg) |
Ewe lambs |
|
Target BCS at lambing |
3.0 – 3.5 |
2.5 |
3.0 |
If ewes are over-condition, they’re more prone to prolapse. Whereas under-conditioned ewes may have a reduced milk yield and produce lambs with a lower birthweight and/or survival rate.
Our experts recommend providing cake or nuts that contain 16-18% protein to ewes carrying multiple lambs. This will help to ensure ewes maintain the correct BCS. Providing a higher protein and energy diet will also help to prevent twin lamb disease.
It’s also important to ensure ewes have enough selenium and Vitamin E in their diet during late gestation. This will help support immune function, which is compromised just before the ewe lambs. These minerals and vitamins are also vital to help improve lamb vigour, survivability at birth and long-term growth rates.
Metabolic testing, to detect vitamin and mineral deficiencies, can be carried out by your vet and blocks or buckets can be used to supplement livestock. Alternatively, drenches and boluses can be used to ensure individual ewes are dosed.
Silage analysis should be considered to better understand the dry matter, nutrients and trace elements are available.
Our experts recommend vaccinating against clostridial diseases, such as lamb dysentery, and pasteurellosis, which can cause lamb deaths.
Breeding ewes will require a primary course of two pasurella injections four to six weeks apart followed by an annual booster four to six weeks before lambing. Clostridial diseases should be vaccinated against four weeks prior to lambing.
Also consider administering a footrot injection to sheep, at least four weeks before lambing if they’re housed. This will help to prevent it spreading.
Liver fluke poses a risk to in-lamb ewes as it can cause anaemia, rapid loss of condition and even death. It can also reduce lamb birth weight and cause abortion. Because of this, consider treating pregnant ewes with a flukicide at least six weeks prior to lambing.
Worms become active once they detect oxytocin in the blood – the hormone that signals the start of milk production in the ewe just before and after lambing. Treating ewes soon after lambing when milk production has begun will therefore be beneficial.
Lice and scab also pose a risk to livestock during the winter as the parasites tend to be more active when temperatures fall. It’s crucial ewes are treated prior to the lambing season, to reduce the risk of lice or scab being passed onto lambs, as treatment isn’t available for lambs under three weeks of age.
There’s nothing more frustrating than not having everything you need while you’re in the middle of lambing. Here’s our handy checklist to make sure you’re prepared:
Everything you need to get lambing done right this season
EWE PREPARATION
LAMBING ASSISTANCE
LAMB NUTRITION
