Current stock health Feburary 2012
Dairy
Cull cows based on somatic cell count, empties, production, and temperament.
Pregnancy test - it's too late for a preg-test 13 week after-mating start date. To achieve the maximum from a herd PT, arrange it six weeks after mating ended. Book early!
Monitor facial eczema spores and administer zinc or spray pastures. Check out www.totallyvets.co.nz for the latest regional spore counts.
Check the mineral status of your calves. They will have run out of mum's supplies by now.
Weigh young stock - at 6 months their live should be 30% of what their mature weight will be.
Set yourself up for a successful mating this year. Have Totally Vets body-condition score your herd and develop some strategies to have the light cows in better condition at calving.
Sheep and beef
Lamb and calf growth rates on permanent pasture have plummeted with the decline in quality of the feed that grew and grew in late spring. We have been seeing a number of different animal health issues related to this.
In sheep, Barber's Pole worm cases have been seen on some properties already, just proving that it likes to defy conventional wisdom regarding the onset of its ‘season'! Those of you who subscribe to our new fortnightly alert service ‘In the Loop' will have heard about this in early January, when we also provided tips and advice for monitoring and deciding when to treat. To subscribe, give Pip a call at the clinic.
Finally this is a great year to perform a faecal egg count reduction test in both sheep and cattle. It is easy to get the egg counts we need to start the test, and on most properties we still have a good mixture of worm species present to ensure valid and useful results.
