News & Advice

Weaning can be a stressful time for young cattle. It is important that we minimise the stress of transition, focus on keeping daily growth rates on track, and ensure animal health is a priority. Weaning is also a convenient time to administer preventative animal health treatments going into winter. We are talking about worms, trace elements, and […]

In ruminants, cobalt is needed for rumen microbes to make vitamin B12, which is required for the formation of glucose and amino acids. Cobalt or B12 deficiency impacts energy and protein metabolism, causing a starvation of sorts. Clinical signs of deficiency include anorexia, poor growth rates and ill-thrift. These signs could easily go unnoticed or […]

The farming calendar never stops, but certain times of year are a good opportunity to measure and reset. Lamb weaning is one of these events. For a ewe, the breeding season starts again when her lambs are removed. A Body Condition Score (BCS) of less than three means she may struggle to mate well and […]

As mating is nearly upon us, making sure your bulls are in peak condition is vitally important for successful mating outcomes. Body condition and bull power Coming into mating, bulls should be fit, but not fat – around a BCS 6-7. Bull power should be adequate to ensure all cows are able to be serviced. […]

As Autumn is in full swing and we head towards winter, the opportunity to put weight on ewes with pasture alone is declining – if it was there at all recently. Off the back of drought conditions and a subsequent lack of feed, there are some lighter ewes around the countryside, but, if managed correctly, […]

The New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) has as its goal that, by 2030, New Zealand will not need antibiotics for the maintenance of animal health and wellness. One may ask just how will this be achievable? Antibiotics have revolutionised the health and well-being of both humans and animals during the 20th century. But 96 years […]

When my 10-year-old finished watching BBC’s ‘Newsround’ last week, I asked him “what was in the news today?”.  I was surprised, expecting to hear about the Gaza conflict, when he answered “oh, they were talking about NZ sheep and how they cause global warming”.    The role sustainability plays Perhaps I should not have been surprised, […]

While care is taken to avoid shearing nicks and cuts, it’s not possible to completely prevent them. Thankfully, you can ensure animals don’t suffer as much as a result. Modern pain relief and wound care can easily be incorporated into good flock management practices. There are several products available now that can help reduce inflammation […]

The old adage ‘prevention is better than cure’ rings very true when it comes to scabby mouth. Scabby mouth (or orf, contagious pustular dermatitis, contagious ecthyma) is a highly contagious poxvirus affecting sheep and goats, and it is also transmissible to humans and dogs. The virus can survive in the environment for over a year […]

A critical component of cattle production is fertility as it is a driver of production cost and return on investment. Female fertility receives a large amount of attention, and it is enhanced by many different programmes, interventions and genetic selection. However, improving bull fertility is often largely ignored, despite it playing an important role in […]

Theileria orientalis is a parasite which lives in the red blood cells of affected cattle after they have been bitten by a tick carrying the disease. It affects both beef and dairy cattle, and it can affect cattle of any age. Fortunately, there is no human health risk associated with the disease. Theileria has historically […]

Facial eczema (FE) is caused by a fungus called Pithomyces chartarum that resides at the base of pasture in the dead litter. Moderate levels of moisture, warmth and sunlight trigger this fungus to produce spores, and when these spores are ingested, a toxin called sporidesmin is released and absorbed into the bloodstream. Due to the […]