Red mite is a common disease of both commercial and backyard chickens and turkeys. The mites live in crevices and corners of poultry houses, emerging at night to feed on the birds. This means they can be hard to detect, especially when numbers are low. However, red mites can cause feather pecking, loss of body […]
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Tupping time may still feel like months away, but there are some important things to consider in advance: Ram power – have you got enough rams, and equally importantly are they fertile? It is important to set realistic expectations of how much ram power you need. As a general rule, 1 ram per 40 ewes
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The exact time of weaning will be different for each flock. Factors to consider when deciding when to wean include Ewe body condition score (BCS) – you should aim to wean ewes at a BCS of 2.5. If the BCS is lower than this, weaning early (~10 weeks post lambing) can give the ewes more
The sun’s out, and so are the flies! Far from just being a nuisance, flies can have a surprisingly large impact on growth, production and welfare. Research suggests flies can cause a decrease in cattle growth rates of up to 0.3kg/day, and a reduction in milk yield of up to 0.5l/day. In addition, flies also
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Plan ahead to make sure you have enough teaser power ready for the Autumn! Vasectomised rams (teasers) are a really useful tool for ensuring a successful sheep breeding season. Teasers are particularly useful for: • Early lambing flocks, to encourage ewes to start cycling early in the season • Ewe lambs, to encourage them to
This can be a high risk time for mastitis in cows and ewes. Warmer temperatures, dirtier pastures, more flies about and calves and lambs starting to eat a more varied diet can all contribute to the risk. Keep a close eye on stock for signs of mastitis, including changes to the udder (redness, hardness, uneven
One of the main problems we see over the summer in cattle at grass is lameness. Most commonly this is due to an infection caused by bacteria that live in the soil – commonly known as foul in the foot. Foul can be treated very effectively with antibiotics, but it is also important to check
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