Knowledgebase
Kingshay's Knowledgebase - Replacement Heifers

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...

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...

Diarrhoea or ‘scours’ is one of the leading causes of mortality in pre-weaned calves, particularly in the first month of life. The cost of an outbreak of scour can av...

Calf milk replacers (CMRs) have been available in the UK since the 1950s. Over the last couple of decades there have been significant changes to formulations, with many o...

Contract heifer rearing involves setting up an agreement with another farmer to rear your heifers rather than doing it yourself. This frees up time and capital, allows yo...

Replacement heifers are one of the most valuable assets but also biggest costs to a farm. Physical development is more important than age at first calving for a success...

As the industry looks to adopt precision farming, improve efficiencies and maximise the value of every calf, genomics is going to play an increasing role on dairy farms. ...

Consistent growth throughout their early years is essential to ensure heifers calve in at the most economical age at first calving of 24 months, but all too often turnout...

Johne’s Disease is emerging as a prevalent and costly disease amongst UK beef and dairy herds. This Farming Note covers: Which tests to use (blood, milk or faeces) ...

Leptospirosis (lepto) is a bacterial disease of cows which causes infertility, abortion storms, higher cell counts and lower milk yields. Control of lepto is particularl...

Heifers are the future of your herd and time spent ensuring they reach targets effectively and efficiently will pay dividends when they enter the herd. A typical 150 cow ...