INew Conversions

Our practice is well placed to help and advise with farm conversions to dairy. The main areas we can help are in:

 

Herd Purchase

• Helping provide an understanding of herd BW and PW

• Scrutiny of herd records to highlight potential risks with high Somatic Cell Count Herds

• Ensuring that purchase contract does not allow more than 4% late calving cows. You want to purchase a herd that has a compact calving period.

• Suggested request for dated pregnancy testing

• Discussion around acceptable herd Body Condition Score at date of takeover.

• Awareness of other diseases which should be questioned – i.e. Johnes, BVD, Liver Fluke, TB, Leptospirosis.

• Dry cow therapy advice to ensure the herd you purchase arrives in top udder health.

 

Farm Factors

• We offer free pasture analysis on new conversions to identify farm unique potential trace element deficiencies or macro element deficiencies which may predispose to metabolic disease or bloat.

• Liver fluke risk or Aquatic poa (cyanide poisoning) risk due to the farm environment.

• Seasonal geographic risk factors.

 

Milking Plant and Staff Training

• Most milking plants now days are well set up and so limit the risk of the machine causing damage to the milking machine. Occasionally however we see one that is increasing the risk of mastitis development. Having one of our Advanced Mastitis accredited vets on farm in the first few weeks of calving to assess the milking machine and staff management can seriously reduce the costs associated with mastitis over the first season and for seasons to come. 

• We can offer tailored staff training packages to ensure everyone is ready to hit the ground running in the first spring.

 

Herd Takeover

• Most herds are taken into possession on the 1st of June. It is a good idea to get them body condition scored as soon as you receive them to help calculate feed requirements for the winter. You may wish to carryon going this over the winter.

• It is also good to blood test cows at this time to ensure no trace element deficiencies have taken place.

• Most contracts will stipulate a right of return on any cows pregnancy tested not pregnant found within 7 days of receipt.

 

Yard and Lane Design

There are a number of set recommendations around track and yard design that you should be aware of before actioning your final design plans. Getting these wrong can result in costly long term lameness issues. We have a comprehensive list of these general principals.

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