Knowledgebase
Kingshay's Knowledgebase - Cows
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Each year as the weather gets warmer, somatic cell counts increase, making mastitis in summer an area for focus. Some pasture conditions can lead to high levels of expos...
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Most herds produce milk containing two types of beta casein, A1 and A2, however there is a small minority who are intolerant to the A1 protein. A2 milk is produced by co...
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Amid general high costs of production, purchased feed costs represented about 26% of total costs and averaged 12.7ppl for the year ending September 2023 - it is therefo...
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When evaluating milk production from forage for housed cows, several cow-related factors come into play. Understanding these factors is crucial for optimising forage-base...
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Producing good quality forage is key to the profitability of livestock production systems. Preserving forage for later use is expensive and losses can occur at every stag...
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Environmental concerns surrounding the production of soya bean and palm means their use in dairy cow diets is becoming increasingly unacceptable. Some supermarkets have a...
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Antibiotics (AB) have played a major role in the health and welfare of cattle; they are vital for the treatment and control of bacterial infections. The increasing eme...
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What goes in must come out! Assessing cow muck can be a useful management tool as dung consistency is a good indicator of what is happening in a cow's digestive system...
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For a heifer or cow to reach their full production potential, a good calving is essential. They are less likely to suffer from problems post calving such as metritis, ket...
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Poor fertility is one of the largest economic problems on dairy farms. Data from Kingshay Dairy Manager puts the losses as a result of poor fertility at £197 per cow, or...
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Bedding conditioners form an important part of a mastitis control strategy by drying the cubicle beds and making an inhospitable environment for bacteria. However, their ...
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Big bale silage increases flexibility on a grazing platform and creates the opportunity to make a customisable forage for animal groups. This Farming Note covers: ...