Animal

Grass staggers is a metabolic disease in cows caused by a magnesium deficiency. By giving cows extra magnesium in their diet, you can prevent health issues like grass staggers and milk fever, which can help increase milk production.

In typical New Zealand dairy herds, faulty milking equipment is estimated to cause as many as 40-50% of new clinical mastitis cases. Over an extended period, poorly functioning milking machines cause teat damage and increase the risk of infection.

Successful weaning in calves relies on proper nutrition, adequate weight, and gradual transitions. It's important to ensure calves are consuming the right amount of feed and meeting their weight-for-age targets.

The InCalf Fertility Focus Report evaluates your herd's reproductive performance and highlights areas to improve. Using your herd's data, it compares your performance against the top 25% of the industry.

This page covers the concept of a base cow. Breeding Worth (BW) and Breeding Values (BV) are presented as the difference between an animal’s genetic merit and the average genetic merit of the 'base cows’.

Dietary fibre is essential for a cow's healthy rumen function. This page explains that when cows eat fibre, it stimulates chewing, saliva production, and rumination.

Heat stress in cows happens when they can't dissipate the heat they generate, leading to discomfort and lower milk yields. Unlike humans, cows can start feeling the stress at temperatures below 20°C.

Mastitis can be a significant cost on dairy farms, making timely detection important. There are mastitis detection tools and technologies available in New Zealand that can support, but not replace, good mastitis management and farmer judgement.

Disbudding is the process of removing a calf's horns between one to six weeks old. This prevents injuries to both the farm team and other animals.

Pregnancy testing is key in managing your dairy herd. It tells you which cows are pregnant and their conception time, which helps you to plan effectively.