Knowledgebase
Kingshay's Knowledgebase - Fresh Cow Management
Management of a cow at calving is a pivotal part of setting her up to cope with the stresses and demands of lactation. Recognising when to assist a calving cow and the ...
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...
Body condition score has significant impact on dry matter intake, metabolic health and subsequent fertility and performance. Monitoring body condition score at different ...
In your herd, are there a high proportion of cows with rubbed necks or briskets? Are cows tail twitching despite there being no flies? Cow signals and behaviour can be v...
The optimal dry period length between lactations in dairy cows has been debated for many years. Traditionally, an 8-week dry period was considered the ideal duration - ba...
The post-calving period is a difficult time for a cow who has to recover from the stress of calving, fight off disease and infection and produce milk. Having an effective...
Ketosis (also known as acetonaemia) is a metabolic disorder that affects between 5-16% of UK dairy cows and typically costs between £200-250 a case. Most clinical ketos...
Twinning is undesirable as the stress of carrying two foetuses compromises the cow's energy balance, and this can lead to poor performance after calving. It is crucial th...
Blood profiling can help identify problems with the cows and the ration they are being fed - if interpreted correctly. Interpreting the results from blood profiling is co...
Good uterine health is critical to launch cows on a healthy, productive course after calving. Between 15 and 25% of all fresh cows and 80% of cows with retained cleanings...
No longer just a security tool, the role of cameras on-farm has seen a revolution in recent years, particularly since the growth of smart phones and tablets. Whether yo...
Careful monitoring of the performance and health of freshly calved cows will help to achieve expected lactation yields. Particular attention should be paid to cows who ar...