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Autumn can offer many challenges for dairy cattle, especially following a humid summer with calving and housing on the horizon. These factors can often contribute pressure on cell counts, an increase in mastitis, and ultimately more cost for you.
The cost of antibiotic tubes, discarded milk and potential penalties from your milk buyer are all avoidable through investing time in a thorough teat preparation routine pre milking and biosecurity routine for housing.
The use of a good pre dip will ensure the spread of problem causing bacteria is minimised. Plus, the application of a high quality barrier or film foaming dip post milking will offer the teat milking to milking protection to ensure bacteria cannot enter the udder and potentially cause issues.
In addition, once the cattle are housed and ready for calving, by planning and then following a set biosecurity cleaning programme designed around the movement of animals through the Dry Cow/Calving pen system, you will ensure the cow goes into each stage in a clean disease free environment.
Thankfully the Hamilton Bros Animal Health Division and the team at Kersia have prepared some top tips and recommendations for an effective routine with various different products to suit all requirements. from iodine, lactic, dips and sprays.
Powder Blue Mix is a powerful Chlorine Dioxide based Barrier Teat Dip.
The superb skin conditioning and colouring of this product sets it apart from anything else in its field.
Applying this product post milking will give you the secure knowledge that the teat has the strongest biocide and protection available between milking.
The Lactic Acid/Chlorhexidine blend in the Kersia Novo range has been phenomenal success as the two biocides work very well together to deliver exceptional kill rates.
The latest addition of silicone to the Novo Spray product offers skin conditioning properties as the silicone flows through the sprayer and over the teat superbly. The feedback from farms using the new formulation across Ireland and the UK has been fantastic.
Benefits of Novo Spray include:
During housing, the cubicle shed and dry cow/calving pens can harbour a vast number of harmful bacteria that can lead to problems. A good biosecurity routine will ensure disease challenges are minimised.
Once the cow has calved and entered the general population, your focus should move to the cubicle bed. Leaking udders, muck and urine will all tend to accumulate in the back end of the cubicle bed where the cow lies leading to a perfect breeding ground for bad bacteria.
A good design and regular replenishment of quality, clean bedding material will help maintain the environment. A common rule-of-thumb is to kneel in the cubicle beds and if the knees of your trousers aren’t dry when you get up, the beds aren’t clean enough.
In addition to good bedding management, the use of a highly absorbent, hygienic bedding powder that contains a powerful disinfectant will ensure the disease challenges are minimised.
The Kersia Envirex product contains a unique combination of 2% w/w of the proven biocidal product, Virex, in a base powder formulation comprised of mineral desiccants and essential oils specifically designed to maintain a dry, healthy environment for all types of livestock animals.
The Base Powder formulation is comprised of ingredients provide many benefits including:
Virex, the biocidal product included in Envirex, is a peroxygen based, powdered, broad-spectrum disinfectant, which independent laboratory testing has shown to be effective against major viral, bacterial and fungal pathogens. Independent laboratory testing has proven Virex to be effective against:
In independent laboratory testing, Envirex outperformed six major competitors in terms of absorbency. Envirex has been shown to absorb more than 130% of its own weight, which is double that of many competitor products, and nearly three times more absorbent that lime.
Application rates:
For General use: Apply at 50g/m2
Dairy cubicle: Apply 100g/cubicle at least twice a week
Autumn is just around the corner and with prior preparation you can ensure the health of your diary herd is protected for a profitable calving season.
Call our Animal Health team today for advice on creating teat preparation and biosecurity routines and to find out more about the Kersia product range.
You can contact our team by calling our Tarbolton depot or Ayr Livestock Auction Market Shop on 01292 284424 Plus remember, our Animal Health Sales staff are on the road and can visit you on farm.
