Positive welfare goes beyond preventing suffering. It's about enabling cows to thrive. By supporting natural behaviours and promoting positive experiences, we can help ensure cows live a good life.

Clinical ketosis is a metabolic disease in cows, occurring when they are in severe negative energy balance, particularly during early lactation and may occur as a secondary condition to other health challenges the cow may be experiencing.

Endometritis is a bacterial inflammation in the uterus that often occurs after calving. Around 25% of cows have this condition before mating starts.

Facial eczema (FE) is a disease caused by a toxin from a fungus in pasture, predominantly in late summer and autumn. It can cause liver damage, skin irritation, and a drop in milk production.

Leptospirosis is a highly infectious bacterial disease affecting humans and most mammals. It is a significant human health risk causing flu-like symptoms or severe ongoing illness.

Preparing stock for transport is about ensuring a safe and comfortable journey, along with checking their wellbeing on arrival.

Nitrate poisoning in cows happens when they eat feed with high nitrate levels, often in late autumn or winter.

Sodium is vital for dairy cows, aiding in water balance and nerve and muscle function. It's expelled routinely and needs replacing. This page discusses how certain regions, like the Central Plateau pumice soils, can be deficient in sodium.

Bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) is a widespread disease impacting around 80% of New Zealand's dairy and beef herds, causing losses in reproduction, increased disease, and reduced growth and milk production.

The page covers the essential design considerations for dairy entries and exits to ensure efficiency and cow welfare. It highlights the need for safe, reliable footing, a controlled slope at the entrance, and proper lighting conditions.

Accurate drafting of cows into groups is a crucial part of managing a herd on dairy farms, and it becomes even more essential as herd sizes grow. This page discusses the importance of automated drafting systems in New Zealand dairy farming.

Copper deficiency in cattle, common during winter/early spring or in fast-growing calves over six months, can lead to issues like weight loss, reduced milk yields, reproductive problems, and anaemia in cows.

Salmonellosis is the most common disease associated with acute diarrhoea in adult dairy cows. Salmonella bacteria from cattle can also be transferred to humans, causing significant illness.

Electronic identification (EID) systems in dairy farming consist of a transponder, reader, and data processing unit that communicate via radio signals.

Acidosis is a metabolic condition that affects cows when their rumen pH levels drop below normal. This is often due to a high-starch diet. You'll recognise acidosis when your cows show signs like scouring, depression, and milk fever-like symptoms.

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.

An Automatic Milking System (AMS) lets cows choose when to be milked by a robotic system without human help. It has a robotic arm and an identification system. When a cow enters, it's checked if she's due for milking.

Dairy shed feeding systems are tools to deliver concentrated feed to cows during milking, supplementing their pasture-based diet.

The design of the milking bail, pipework, and pit in dairy farming is crucial for the safety and comfort of both cows and workers. This page outlines ways to ensure optimal cow flow and worker efficiency in the milking process.

Theileriosis is a cattle disease spread by ticks, causing anaemia and sometimes death, especially in calves and cows during calving.