Ensuring a smooth transition from the dry period to lactation is key to setting cows up for successful performance and reproduction for the entire lactation. Correct nutrition, optimised rumen function, maintaining a consistent diet and cow comfort are essential to maximising herd health and performance...
When Teresa Basher bought Bess, she was unaware that the gentle black and white gypsy cob was in fact 6 months pregnant. She came to Teresa with a large worm burden, which often manifests as a large “wormy” belly, thus her pregnancy remained undetected....
Paul and Angie Proudley keep eight show jumping horses and ponies on Hall Farm in the North York Moors National Park, all of which are ridden by their daughters Sarah, aged 10, and Rachel, 13, as they compete successfully across Great-Britain....
Extensive commercial testing of Actisaf® Sc 47 HR+ new generation under highly demanding conditions has confirmed the product’s top-level and consistent performance....
Today’s livestock are fed complete or complementary feed given mainly in the form of pellets. This form gives better animal performance (average daily gain and feed conversion ratio) than feed in the form of meal (Royer et al., 2015). In addition, the macro-ingredients (the main...
Heat stress in broilers can be defined as the result of metabolic, hormonal, and immune system changes suffered by the birds when they are unable to dissipate sufficient body heat to the environment due to unsuitable conditions. Increases in environmental temperature and relative humidity are...
Transitioning dairy herds to grass in the spring means a change in diet and environment for cows, which can often impact rumen function whilst gut microbes adjust to the change in levels of nutrients....
Colin Murphy, farms together with parents Brian & Mary, near Knockbridge, Dundalk and currently milks 350 cows on their 400-acre farm....
The transition between winter and spring grazing, and the reverse in the autumn as cows are housed again, can cause dietary upset in even the best managed and well-bred dairy herds. But with the right management, and with careful ration management, milking cows can make...
The benefits of adding Actisaf to dairy herd feed rations have been well documented, specifically related to improvements in rumen performance and function. But one dairy farmer in Co Monaghan, Ireland, is convinced that it has also delivered other benefits, as his herd’s fertility has...
David Walker milks a herd of 100 dairy cows at High Woodifield Farm in County Durham. His all-year-round calving herd averages 10,500 litres with 3.35% protein and 4.12% butterfats, and they are fed a TMR ration of grass silage, wholecrop, soya meal and barley....
The autumn transition from grazed grass to silage can result in digestive upset, as cows get used to a new diet, but this can be mitigated by careful ration formulation and management through the period....