Lameness: Winter housing and livestock health
WINTER housing can be an incredibly stressful time for cattle. Elevated cortisone levels in stressed animals can have numerous potential harmful effects on the animal’s immune system.
The animal experiences a range of stress factors at housing such as moving to new housing, temperature changes, crowding, confinement, feed quality issues and other new environmental challenges which may easily result in a reduction in the functioning of the animal’s immune system, and hence an increase in the spread of diseases, especially as the cattle may be in a confined space which can hasten the spread of infections.
Simple things like access to fresh water, enough space to lie down comfortably, good flooring, slurry removal, and equal feeding space can be the difference between health and sickness.
On many farms, winter housing will be the first time that groups of animals are mixed, and as a result the chances of a disease outbreak occurring increase.
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Lameness is a costly gateway disease which makes cows more likely to suffer from mastitis, milk fever, reduced milk yield and infertility
Lameness is amongst the major disease problems in housed cattle.
Lameness usually shows a steep increase in incidence over the winter period. Hard concrete floors, slats, wetness, lying areas, and slurry underfoot can all predispose to hoof problems.
Hoof health problems are serious issues in cattle that can cause tremendous economic losses.
Factors such as overcrowding, flooring type, nutrition and trace element status all play a role here.
Lameness is one of the three main challenges facing dairy farmers all year, but at housing the risk is heightened.
Reported lameness prevalence has been higher in housed systems and lower in pasturebased systems because pasture provides an optimal walking surface for improved mobility.
Published reports have shown that that cows housed on concrete were five times more likely to be diagnosed as lame as those housed on rubber mats over concrete.
Lameness is a costly gateway disease which makes cows more likely to suffer from mastitis, milk fever, reduced milk yield and infertility.
A regular foot bathing protocol with a proven non-toxic foot bath is an effective way to tackle foot disorders, especially digital dermatitis, which can result from lack of underfoot hygiene, bacterial infection, and failure to remove slurry.
Hoofsure Endurance range
Dr. Nick Bell states that Hoofsure Endurance is “the only product I’ve ever trialled that has performed as well as formalin at preventing new lesions, and I’ve trialled a lot of products”.
Hoofsure Endurance is a proprietary footbath solution with over 40 trials across three continents.
Notable research on cattle shows it is up to 44 per cent more effective than formalin and copper sulfate, with proven antibacterial activity.
With innovation at the heart of Provita, our dedicated Research and Development team have now developed a new improved formula.
Utilising proprietary technology, the new formula is 33 per cent faster acting and provides more contact time on the hoof.
It is also cost-effective, with 20 litres being effective for up to 5,000 cows.
CORRECT dry cow nutrition, especially during the close-up period, is essential for optimum performance in the next lactation, both in terms of milk yield and fertility, and to reduce the incidence of metabolic disease during the fresh period, says Laura Mcconnell, Ruminant Nutritionist, Fane Valley Feeds.
There are many aspects of dry cow nutrition that need to be considered; however, calcium metabolism is one of the key components to ensure a successful transition into early lactation.
Calcium plays a vital role in muscle and immune function and is most commonly associated with milk fever incidence.
However, for every case of clinical milk fever, i.e., a ‘downer cow’, there may be more than eight cases of sub-clinical milk fever.
The consequences of sub-clinical milk fever:
• Calving dystocia and increased risk of retained placenta
• Reduced rumen motility – increased risk of displaced abomasum and lower DMI, post-calving
• Increased outbreaks of mastitis in early lactation
What is DCAB?
The dietary balance of cations (Na+ + K+) to anions (Cl- + S--) is referred to as Dietary Cation Anion Balance (DCAB) and its level affects blood ph, which in turn affects calcium availability.
Acidifying the blood ph increases calcium mobilisation from the bones and intestinal tract, therefore allowing the cow to react much more efficiently to the sudden increase in calcium demand at the onset of lactation, which will help to reduce the incidence of clinical and sub-clinical milk fever.
A partial DCAB diet is the safest and most commonly implemented on farm.
How to implement a partial DCAB diet on farm:
• The majority of grass silages, particularly first cuts, in Northern Ireland contain elevated levels of potassium, which increases the overall DCAB value.
Average Mineral Profile for Grass Silage in Northern Ireland from May – August, 2022:
• Conducting a mineral analysis will be able to identify which forages are best suited to the close-up dry cow period. Ideally the dry cow forage will have a potassium level of less than 1.5 per cent and a DCAB of less than 150.
• Specific dry cow forage can be made by selecting fields with a low K index, applying no slurry or K in fertiliser, and cutting two to three weeks after heading.
• The inclusion of chopped straw can help dilute potassium levels in the grass silage; wheat straw is preferrable as it will typically have a lower DCAB value compared to barley straw.
• Maize or whole crop silage are also ideal dry cow forages as they will naturally have a lower DCAB value and stimulate dry matter intake.
• In cases where a low DCAB forage is not available, feeding Fane Valley Dry Cow Primer Nuts will help to reduce the overall dietary DCAB.
• Ensure the close-up dry cow diet is implemented for a minimum of four weeks prior to calving.
For further information, contact your Fane Valley Feeds Sales Representative, or telephone 028 8224 3221.
Martin Reel,
By Senior Business Technologist, CAFRE.
INPUT costs have risen sharply over the past year, pushing gas, fuel and grain prices to record highs.
Indeed, there is no immediate indication of any significant reductions. Energy prices remain high, with uncertainty over supplies of natural gas in the coming months.
There is also some concern regarding European grain yields as a result of drought conditions.
In general, output prices have been good for ruminant and arable sectors, which may be helping to offset higher input costs. However, not all sectors are in this position, notably pigs and poultry.
There is a real risk if input costs are not kept under control that farmers that may see profit margins shrink over the coming year.
Feed and forage accounts for approximately 70 per cent of total input costs on a typical livestock farm. Most farms will now have the majority of their winter forage saved. It is essential that farmers get their forage analysed now to enable a winter feed plan to be formulated.
Silage quality can be categorised as good, average or poor feed
Feed –
value, depending on analysis results.
The concentrate level required to feed an 8,500 litre dairy cow fed average silage this winter is 12.5kg/ day, but if good silage is fed, this reduces to 9kg/day. Over a 180-day winter period, this is a difference of 630Kg of concentrates, at £400/ tonne, which is £252 per cow.
Electricity is another input which has increased significantly in cost and has the potential to impact profit margins on farms.
Farmers should consider all options to reduce electricity costs; for example, installing plate coolers, timer switches, heating water using cheaper off-peak tariffs, comparing different energy suppliers, using LED lights and investing in variable speed vacuum pumps for milking.
Cash flow projections should be carried out for the next 12 months to determine whether action is needed to ensure adequate funds are available to cover higher input costs.
Cash is essential for farms to operate and meet monthly running costs. Speak to your accountant to discuss the options available.
CAFRE has a cash flow template available at: www.cafre.ac.uk/
Energy –
Cash flow –
Cafrecashflow.
When it comes to purchasing inputs, have a plan for how you will pay for it. If you need to borrow money for a short period until cash flow improves, you can make use of any slack in your existing overdraft facility.
In many cases, merchant credit may not be available, with payment required on delivery.
Be careful to check if interest will be added to your bill. If the interest rate is quoted as a monthly rate, e.g. 2 per cent, this equates to an annual interest rate of 24 per cent.
Banks may not extend your overdraft to finance inputs like concentrates, but are well aware of the rising costs and potential cash flow difficulties faced by farmers.
Speak to your bank or credit union to arrange a short-term loan, if required. Borrowing £10,000 for one year at an annual interest rate of 5% will cost approximately £250, and at 10 per cent, approximately £500.
If the loan is only for six months, then these costs will be halved.
If you feel your personal circumstances require additional help, contact Rural Support at 0800 138 1678, where farm business and finance advice is available.