Knowledgebase
Latest from Kingshay's Knowledgebase
![Calf Housing Farming Note](https://www.kingshay.com/wp-content/plugins/kingshay/kingshay-image.php?src=https://www.kingshay.com/wp-content/uploads/mycoplasma1.jpg&w=103&h=103&zc=1&a=c&q=100)
It is estimated that more than 6% of calves die before they reach six months of age, most of these losses occur in the first month of the calves’ life and many are a re...
![Labour Employed vs Contract](https://www.kingshay.com/wp-content/plugins/kingshay/kingshay-image.php?src=https://www.kingshay.com/wp-content/uploads/electricity2.png&w=103&h=103&zc=1&a=c&q=100)
Sourcing and maintaining high-quality staff is key to making a farming business run smoothly. However, there are several recruitment routes and trying to decide which wor...
![Youngstock Housing Farming Note](https://www.kingshay.com/wp-content/plugins/kingshay/kingshay-image.php?src=https://www.kingshay.com/wp-content/uploads/scours-2.jpg&w=103&h=103&zc=1&a=c&q=100)
Replacement heifers account for almost 10% of on-farm costs, yet the Kingshay 2012 Youngstock Survey found that 15.5% of first-calving heifers fail to calve into the milk...
![How to Get the Most From Your Vet Farming Note](https://www.kingshay.com/wp-content/plugins/kingshay/kingshay-image.php?src=https://www.kingshay.com/wp-content/uploads/oestrus-synchronisation.jpg&w=103&h=103&zc=1&a=c&q=100)
To maximise the health and performance of any dairy herd, it’s essential that all dairy farms work hand-in-hand with their vet to proactively prevent disease. No modern...
![Cross Breeding – Choosing a bull for Cross Breeding](https://www.kingshay.com/wp-content/plugins/kingshay/kingshay-image.php?src=https://www.kingshay.com/wp-content/uploads/BULL-WITH-RING.jpg&w=103&h=103&zc=1&a=c&q=100)
Once the decision has been made to cross breed, it’s important to establish a clear, well planned breeding programme and choose bulls based on the qualities you want, a...
![Cross Breeding – Why Cross Breed?](https://www.kingshay.com/wp-content/plugins/kingshay/kingshay-image.php?src=https://www.kingshay.com/wp-content/uploads/Beef-calves-on-straw.jpg&w=103&h=103&zc=1&a=c&q=100)
Cross breeding could form part of the solution for those farmers looking to make improvements in herd health, fertility and robustness. Issued Oct 2017. About...
![Labour & Machinery Costs](https://www.kingshay.com/wp-content/plugins/kingshay/kingshay-image.php?src=https://www.kingshay.com/wp-content/uploads/RollingClamp-1024x768.jpg&w=103&h=103&zc=1&a=c&q=100)
Continued pressure on dairy incomes forces many businesses to look harder at their cost of production. Labour together with power and machinery costs, account for 36% of ...
![Slurry Nitrogen Efficiency](https://www.kingshay.com/wp-content/plugins/kingshay/kingshay-image.php?src=https://www.kingshay.com/wp-content/uploads/fertiliser-spreading-BF-1024x768.jpg&w=103&h=103&zc=1&a=c&q=100)
Utilising slurry to get the maximum of the available nutrients for grass growth can save significant amounts money, without compromising forage output. Testing slurry nut...
![Catch Crop After Maize](https://www.kingshay.com/wp-content/plugins/kingshay/kingshay-image.php?src=https://www.kingshay.com/wp-content/uploads/silages3.jpg&w=103&h=103&zc=1&a=c&q=100)
A timely maize harvest this season could provide the perfect window of opportunity to plant a highly productive, cost effective, catch crop grass ley. Doing so would prov...
![Body Condition Score](https://www.kingshay.com/wp-content/plugins/kingshay/kingshay-image.php?src=https://www.kingshay.com/wp-content/uploads/Condition-scoring-1.jpg&w=103&h=103&zc=1&a=c&q=100)
Body Condition Scoring (BCS) is a simple and effective farm management tool. It is a measure of body fat/energy reserves, that can be used to aid decisions or troubleshoo...
![Maize Harvest](https://www.kingshay.com/wp-content/plugins/kingshay/kingshay-image.php?src=https://www.kingshay.com/wp-content/uploads/harvesting-wholecrop-cereals.jpg&w=103&h=103&zc=1&a=c&q=100)
Harvesting maize at the correct time is crucial to get that all important balance between starch and digestibility. At the same time, top notch management at ensiling is ...
![Ketosis Farming Note](https://www.kingshay.com/wp-content/plugins/kingshay/kingshay-image.php?src=https://www.kingshay.com/wp-content/uploads/AnalysisForageMin.jpg&w=103&h=103&zc=1&a=c&q=100)
Ketosis is one of the most significant ‘hidden’ diseases affecting the UK dairy herd. Around 30% of cows are estimated to develop the metabolic disease during the tra...