Webinar to advise on better calf colostrum
Dr Baxter-Smith will share insights from MSD Animal Health's farmer colostrum survey.
A free webinar will explore the importance of transition cow management in producing good-quality calf colostrum.
The talk, which takes place on 12 November at 7pm, will see Kat Baxter-Smith and Rosie Armstrong discuss how farmers can improve colostrum management from cow to calf. It will particularly focus on the foundations of colostrum management, including the care of cows during transition periods.
Dr Baxter-Smith, veterinary advisor from MSD Animal Health, will share statistics from the company’s recent farmer colostrum survey. She will explain what these findings mean for calf management and how farmers could strengthen current protocols.
Meanwhile Dr Armstrong, from Advanced Ruminant Nutrition, will present her ‘10 golden rules’ of transition cow management. She will be sharing the key nutritional and management factors that should be considered before calving and how these factors might influence colostrum quality.
Dr Baxter-Smith said: “Transition cow management is often thought of in terms of getting the cow ready for the next lactation, but it is also about preparing her to produce a healthy calf,
“Colostrum is the calf’s first opportunity to receive maternal antibodies, so anything farmers can do to support the cow before calving is an important part of the calf health strategy.”
She added: “The aim is not simply to produce good-quality colostrum, but to make sure the calf receives enough of it, quickly and hygienically, and that it successfully absorbs the antibodies it needs.”
Sign up for the webinar here.
Image © MSD Animal Health
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
