Flies can cause serious stress, disease, and productivity loss in young calves during the summer months. This guide covers effective fly control for calves using hygiene, traps, and natural solutions like garlic supplementation to help protect your youngstock and maintain animal health.

Cobalt deficiency in calves is a critical nutritional issue that affects vitamin B12 production (also known as cobalamin) in the rumen of growing calves at grass. Vitamin B12 is unique because it can be synthesised by the microorganisms, bacteria, and yeasts active in the calf’s rumen. However, this process only occurs if the diet contains […]

Suckler cow management post-calving is just as important as pre-calving care. A fresh calver needs the right nutrition to stay healthy, produce milk, and to resume her cycle to conceive again. Key considerations after calving Body condition score (BCS) in suckler cow management Monitor BCS to ensure the cow doesn’t lose too much condition soon […]

Summer scour syndrome presents itself in the form of diarrhoea, weight loss, weakness, and can unfortunately lead to death in some calves. These symptoms of course are common characteristics of other familiar calf diseases at grass to include coccidiosis, worms, BVD, Salmonella and copper toxicity. So, it is important to rule these out first with […]

Minerals are the basic components of all matter, being a component part of enzymes, hormones, all cells, bone, blood and body fluids. They function in all aspects of life, from hormone and energy production, digestion, muscle contraction, regulation of body fluid and pH levels, to digestion and reproduction [...]

Pica is a condition whereby cows at grass exhibit unusual behaviours, eating and licking items of no nutritional value such as stones, soil, plastic objects and cow track surfaces. Whilst these cows may initially appear healthy, the unusual behaviours can have detrimental consequences on the animal, with the potential to cause gut damage/blockage [...]

Summer heat calls for fly control. Flies are one of the greatest ectoparasites troubling livestock both out in the fields and indoors. Supplementing animals with garlic as a fly repellent is a natural, effective, and low labour method to reduce the effects of flies around livestock. [...]

Grass samples were collected across Ireland in mid-June 2020. During this period, we saw much more rainfall compared to the drought conditions in places during the month of May. We experienced average temperatures in the region of 12-15 °C. However, according to GrassCheck for the commencing 8th June, grass growth remained below average (see figure […]