Suckler cow problems

farmers101

Spring suckler herd, last spring I had a bad year as I got a lot of calves get CRIPTO and Selenium deficiency.

Any ideas how I could help it for next year??

Thanks.

Miname

farmers101 wrote: »

Spring suckler herd, last spring I had a bad year as I got a lot of calves get CRIPTO and Selenium deficiency.

Any ideas how I could help it for next year??

Thanks.

Clean the sheds, bolus and vaccinate the cows.

blue5000

Bolus for the selenium anyway, I think it's alltrace or allsure. Give it to the cows at drying off. Think there's a vaccine for the crypto, but if you can keep crows away from meal it's a big help.

patsy_mccabe

Are you getting beastings into the calves early?

farmers101

What vaccine should I use? Last year was the only year I never got the bullets into them. When is the best time to give the bullets? Ya we give the a right good sucking at the start and nearly always stomach tube colostrum aswell to make sure they get enough beastings.

Thanks every one

charolais0153

farmers101 wrote: »

What vaccine should I use? Last year was the only year I never got the bullets into them. When is the best time to give the bullets? Ya we give the a right good sucking at the start and nearly always stomach tube colostrum aswell to make sure they get enough beastings.

Thanks every one

I dont think there is a vaccine for crypto iirc. We bolus cows and give them buckets yet we still have problems with selenium, it can help but it is not going to solve them all depending on how severe the deficiency is.

Miname

charolais0153 wrote: »

I dont think there is a vaccine for crypto iirc. We bolus cows and give them buckets yet we still have problems with selenium, it can help but it is not going to solve them all depending on how severe the deficiency is.

Feed them seaweed, works a treat.

Cattlepen

There is some kind of anti crypto bolts or tablet to give calves when the are born. My vet was talking about it. Think it was developed by a college in Northern Ireland . Some people give calves a dose of halocur the minute they are born as a preventive. Not sure on the ethics of this though.
There is some trouble with sucklers all the same for on flipping calf if yer lucky.
Not entirely convinced with bolides either. I think you might be better with bagged minerals in some kind bucket or trough that they can lick at

Grueller

We suffer with selenium deficiency here too. We have three courses of action

1. Pre calver minerals. Glanbias one in the red bag the name escapes me now.
2. Spread gouldings selenigrass instead of can. It is 26 units nitrogen and 1 of selenium rather than just 27 nitrogen.
3. Every cow gets 8-10ml of vitasel selenium injection at 5-7 weeks before calving.

The vigour of calves born so far since we implemented this approach has improved out of sight. We were getting big sleepy calves and worse again calves that would die mid calving with absolutely no hardship given to them and also calves that would be calved and give a few bawls and then die. Bawling calf syndrome the vet told us it was or vit E deficiency. Blood tests informed us of the deficiency and since we are doing this we have no problems yet rouch wood.

49801

Would prefer bagged minerals too. Bolts for shy cows and heifers though for targeted use.

Clean calving sheds and use lime to disinfectant rather than water based ones.

Cows need to be at right body condition... Not too fat or slim.

Stomach tube every time would seem a bit much
And could be introducing risk of infection

whelan2

49801 wrote: »

Would prefer bagged minerals too. Bolts for shy cows and heifers though for targeted use.

Clean calving sheds and use lime to disinfectant rather than water based ones.

Cows need to be at right body condition... Not too fat or slim.

Stomach tube every time would seem a bit much
And could be introducing risk of infection

lime wont kill crypto. disenfectants such as interkokask will.

whelan2

farmers101 wrote: »

Spring suckler herd, last spring I had a bad year as I got a lot of calves get CRIPTO and Selenium deficiency.

Any ideas how I could help it for next year??

Thanks.

Have crypto here. All sheds cleaned out powerwashed and disenfected regularly. If weather is good let them calve outside. Cows get rotavec corona injection pre calving. Calf gets this biestings for at least 10 days after birth. Calf gets 12ml of halocur for 3 days after birth- some people give a lesser amount over a longer period but this works for me- if a calf gets crypto effydral tablets work best hth