Farm Newsletter January 2025
The new year has started with a few lambings as the pedigree flocks get underway. Most of the routine work has now been tidied up with just a few herds remaining for routine Johne’s testing. Cattle scanning has been broadly positive but with the usual picture of a few units having an exceptionally good scan whilst a few others have had a disappointment. As ever a dodgy bull is usually to blame that could have been picked up before he did the damage…
There are a couple of farmers meetings coming up over the next couple of months that promise to be very valuable and interesting. Please see below for more info.
Cattle Farmers Meeting – Scour, Mycoplasma and more
We will be hosting an open meeting on Wednesday 5th of February commencing at 7pm at the Strathmore Golf Centre, near Alyth. Amongst other things there will be a presentation on the new ‘scour vaccine’ Bovilis Cryptium, which has recently been launched and looks as if it will be a useful product in the prevention of calf scours caused by Cryptosporidium.
The Keynote speaker will be Colin Mason from SRUC. Colin is the Scottish expert in Mycoplasma Bovis and has extensive experience of it through his position in SRUC Vet services. M. Bovis has emerged as a key respiratory pathogen in recent years and in farms where it is present can cause significant problems. There has recently been a new vaccine launched, Protivity, which we will get Colins views on as well.
If you would like to attend please let the surgery know as numbers will be capped at 50. Tea, coffee and cakes on the evening.
Providing placement for EMS students
The Royal College of Vet Surgeons is launching a national database to match vet students with farmers who are open to providing animal health placements whilst students are still in their pre-clinical years. By providing a placement you will be helping educate future vets and give them invaluable experience and in exchange you’ll receive help on farm at busy times of year such as lambing and calving.
The online platform is yet to be launched but for more info and to register interest please email ems@rcvs.org.uk
Feed Plans for Sheep
Whilst for some lambing has already started, for most the next couple of months provides an excellent opportunity for spring lambing flocks to set up for success. Getting body condition score and nutrition right is absolutely key to minimising losses in lambs, reducing disease and setting up ewes for a productive lactation.
Most folk will still feed sheep exactly the same amount every year, but forage quality can vary wildly year on year, and as such the feeding requirements vary also. We offer a Feed Plan service at Thrums, which takes the information of your silage analyses, what hard feed you use, expected lamb crop and preferred feeding strategy and tells you exactly what each type of ewe will require throughout her pregnancy.
In doing so we avoid under feeding which avoids issues such as watery mouth, joint ills, twin lamb disease and low birth weights and we avoid over feeding which avoids issues such as prolapse, hard lambings and an expensive feed bill!
A small spend on a tailored feed plan will almost certainly pay dividends in a bigger lamb crop and not overspending on hard feed. Please give us a shout to draw up a feed plan for you.
FAS Suckler Cow Nutrition Meeting
Farm Advisory Service are hosting what promises to be a very informative meeting with regards to sucker cow nutrition and setting up for success into calving and lactation. The meeting will be held on 9th January at 10.30am at the Strathmore Golf Centre, Alyth and lunch will be provided. Click on the link below for more information and booking.
IVF Embryo Collection
Our cattle advanced breeding service is gathering pace and we an in the process of organising our next IVF collection date. If anyone is interested in having embryos collected or just to discuss what the service can do for you please give Andrew or Jennifer at the surgery a shout.
