Suckler herds are calving and most of our sheep flocks are preparing for lambing (except for those keen ones that have finished already!). While a high percentage of our dairies calve all year round, this can often be a challenging time for youngstock. With the ever-increasing pressure to reduce antibiotic use - whether that be from legislation, red tractor, us vets or your milk/meat buyer - ensuring good colostrum management is key.

For lambs, poor colostrum is often linked to watery mouth outbreaks. Previously oral antibiotics would be prescribed as a preventative; however, resistance is now common to the regularly used antibiotics. In the beef and dairy herd, poor colostrum is often linked to scour. Rota and Corona virus (yes, a totally different corona virus!) are on all farms and the key is to give the calves the best chance of fighting them with good hygiene and colostrum. 

I'm back from maternity leave and, in this my first newsletter since my return, I thought it appropriate to cover a subject that I'm passionate about - colostrum.

Read the full newsletter here - Feb 2021