Most herds are taking some level of meal with added magnesium so are well covered, but some farmers with high covers aren’t feeding any meal, as they are trying to get through grass. Some form of prevention is advised, even if incidences are usually less in the autumn than in spring.

The cheapest approach is either through the water or paddock dusting. With variable weather and water intakes, paddock dusting is probably the safest bet. Sprinkle the required amount of dusting calmag on a new break of grass once a day. Cows that have been dried off recently and out on grass will need some tetany cover also.

Read more

Part one: cows are too valuable to lose to tetany

Part two: how to avoid grass tetany

Full coverage: Grass tetany

Dairy management notes for this week

Dairy management: High parasite incidence calls for dosing