Energy Vets Taranaki Ltd
Energy Vets Taranaki: We're here to help your pet stay happy and healthy.
It’s a while since we have had such a dry summer in North Taranaki. Reducing the feed demand by culling empties
and those passenger cows has been a priority for many. Cow condition has generally been maintained with
plenty of feed inputs. With a bit of rain we are on the Facial Eczema alert. There have been some moderate to
high counts recorded and zinc preventative measures or fungicidal spray cover should be in place on all farms by
now. Historically we have had bad outbreaks in the first weeks of March.
Its always a time of year when young stock can take a check in growth. Check in with grazers that you are still
achieving weight gains and if not discuss a plan to keep them on track to reach targets. Especially concentrate on
those animals underweight and not achieving the required growth rates to catch up. In dry summers we tend to
see more Liver Fluke as stock forage around normally “wet” areas.
Barbers Pole (Haemonchosis) can be an issue for sheep when the rain comes after a long dry spell. If the sheep
have been under feed pressure in the dry then their immunity is compromised and makes them more vulnerable.
Of course facial eczema is an annual risk.
Scanning cows has been an almost full-time job of recent weeks. In-calf rates have been quite encouraging so far.
There is always a multitude of factors that lead to good or bad results but it is worthwhile to critically look at your
own Fertility Focus Report and see where your herd falls behind the top 25% the most. Just as a reminder about
the FFR:
The report is broken down into three sections:
1. Overall herd reproductive
2. Drivers of the 6 week in-calf rate
3. Key indicators to areas for improvement
Drying off cows early due to high cell counts, loss of condition or low production is the normal strategy. While
dry cow antibiotics are still available to be prescribed, we are being encouraged by the industry to be very
mindful about not prescribing antibiotics to uninfected cows. This is a discussion that we need to have to assess
risk factors on each individual farm. A new electronic data entry file would have been sent to you to fill out online.
This is supposed to make it simpler to complete and return prior to your dry cow therapy consult. We are
trying to minimize the paper records that we have to store.
So may the rain fall, the winds be light and the dust stay out of your eyes.
Ka kite ano
We sell two types of boluses Faceguard: Multiple elemental Zinc boluses that give an initial 6 week
preventative dose and can be followed up with asecond round for a further 4 weeks prevention.
1.Time Capsules: Single weight range capsules of Zinc Oxide that give 4-5 weeks
protection then need repeat dosing.
2.Time Capsules: Single weight range capsules of Zinc Oxide that give 4-5 weeks
protection then need repeat dosing.
We advise you get the capsules in to your young stock now to protect them against the ravages of facial eczema.
We are past the age of “she’ll be right” when effective prevention is available. If in doubt, get a grass sample in to
assess risk on your farm.
So far this season empty rates have been better than we have seen compared to previous years. In the herds, average empty rates are at 11%, with the range between 7-24%. All AB herds are slightly higher with an overall average of 13%,
which is to be expected given the overall lower conception rates when AB is used all the way through. We are also seeing that
empty rates seem to be staying fairly consistent even with varying lengths of mating, in general we would expect them
to reduce with longer mating periods. Heifers in general are tracking at around a 6% empty rate on average which seems to be about the norm.
Both Inglewood and Waitara clinics will be closed on the 10th of March for Taranaki
Anniversary Weekend. We advise you get the capsules in to your young stock now to protect them against the ravages of facial eczema. We are past the age of “she’ll be right” when effective prevention is available. If in doubt, get a grass sample in to assess risk on your farm.
24 Hour Emergency Service
On the 31st March both clinics will be closed from 2pm to complete an End of Year Financial stock take.
Please collect anything you may need before hand. We apologise for any inconvenience.
We extend a congratulations to our three large animal vets Harriet, Thurza
and June on their pending arrivals. They will soon be off on maternity leave. We wish them well on their new journeys
Energy Vets Taranaki: We're here to help your pet stay happy and healthy.
