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Know How / Youngstock management

Case studies

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BEEF

3 weaning strategies explored for suckler farms

Many different strategies are employed by suckler herds across the UK to minimise stress, growth check and hassle when weaning suckler calves. Scotland’s Rural College beef specialist Basil Lowman stresses…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

How cow minerals unlocked calf health for Somerset farm

The Creeds are meticulous when it comes to calf rearing, so when animals suddenly started to get sick, it was a mystery as to why – until they discovered their…

WHATS IN YOUR LIVESTOCK SHED

WIYLS? New calf-rearing unit eases pressure

Rearing calves has historically been one of the toughest jobs for the Williams family, but a new purpose-designed shed has made the whole process healthier for youngstock and more enjoyable…

HOUSING AND HANDLING

How to train heifers in robotic milking systems

Investing time in training heifers to milk through a robot is paying dividends for a Somerset dairy. Introducing heifers to robots pre-calving has reduced stress and ensured a smooth transition…

WHATS IN YOUR LIVESTOCK SHED

WIYLS visits a purpose-built calf building

Investing in a purpose-built calf-rearing shed with capacity for 250 animals has accelerated expansion at Seimon and Eleanor Thomas’ Pembrokeshire dairy farm. At 750 cows, the herd at Drysgolgoch, Llwyndrain,…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

How parasitic wasps cut calf unit chemical control by 30%

A contract calf-rearing business has cut its use of chemical fly treatments by nearly one-third since introducing parasitic wasp controls at a cost of 50p an animal. The wasps are…

Practical advice

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YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

What is holding back improvements in youngstock management?

An exclusive Farmers Weekly survey has revealed that poor farmer to vet engagement and monitoring could be preventing beef and dairy farms from lowering disease and improving performance in calf…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

How to stop losses when grazing youngstock on herbal leys

A fundamental misunderstanding of how to manage stock grazing herbal leys has caused heartache on some farms this summer, as more yearling cattle and weaned lambs have died from twisted…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

Advice on supportive care of scouring calves

Calf scour poses a significant problem in youngstock rearing, contributing to an estimated 50% of calf mortality in the UK dairy industry. While there are many infectious causes of calf…

DAIRY

12 tips on rearing heifers to last longer

More than 90% of the heifers born at Alford Fields, Somerset, have reached their second lactation in recent years. This means they can start paying back the cost invested into…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Advice on vaccinating heifers to ensure robust herd health

There is no single template for vaccinating youngstock, since every farm will have different priorities. Each farm, with assistance from their vet, should have a bespoke plan for vaccination that…

FEED AND NUTRITION

Advice on feeding calves for good rumen development

A cow spends 10-12 hours a day ruminating, so it is essential that her rumen is optimised early in life to convert feed into energy for growth and subsequent milk…

Insights

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

Calf monitoring and health plans key to future performance

Some 90% of farmers want to make changes to improve the future sustainability of their youngstock management in the next 12 months, according to a Farmers Weekly exclusive survey. Yet…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Coccidiosis project raises hope for new treatment

Coccidiosis is a perennial parasitic problem in growing lambs. It presents some difficulties in diagnosis, treatment and prevention – but good news could be around the corner.  Lambs and calves…

LIVESTOCK

Calf bottles and tube feeders on test

It is unsurprising many farmers are switching from bottles to buckets with teats for feeding milk to older calves. Our test, carried out over a four-month period at my family…

LIVESTOCK DISEASES

7 risk factors of pneumonia in calves and how to avoid them

Buying calves from multiple sources and feeding calves only once a day could be putting animals at risk of getting pneumonia, a study has found. AHDB assessed data from eight…

FEED AND NUTRITION

What are the benefits of milk replacer for calf rearers?

More than half of all dairy and beef farmers in Great Britain now rear their youngstock on calf milk replacer (CMR) instead of whole milk, with potential disease risks a…

LIVESTOCK

Why textbook heifer growth rates may not be good enough

Dairying experts at home and abroad are questioning whether units are achieving heifer growth targets of 0.7-0.8kg/day and if this gain is sufficient for the modern Holstein. Concerted efforts to…

LIVESTOCK

Weaning lambs early could offer big benefits, trial shows

Early weaned lambs can grow as fast – if not – faster than their unweaned equivalents when fed legume-based forages. Research by New Zealand’s Massey University has found with the right…

BEEF

Is bigger better when it comes to cow size?

Finding the right sized cow to suit the system is key to suckler productivity. Farmers Weekly analyses whether bigger or smaller cows are best. A growing number of farms are…

LIVESTOCK

Pneumonia in calves: Pin down the cause and prevent it

Bacteria that cause pneumonia are fairly widespread and can live in a calf’s respiratory tract without causing disease. In the final part of this series, Caroline Stocks looks at what…

LIVESTOCK

Pneumonia in calves: How farmers can cut the risk

The aim of Farmers Weekly’s new series is to help farmers reduce the costs of pneumonia
in calves. Caroline Stocks sets the scene with 
a look at the results of an…