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Billy and his son Niall, who run a herd of over 100 suckler cows at Hoddersfield, Crosshaven, had for many years been vaccinating their pre-calving cows to protect against scour in young calves. The one-shot vaccine, given between 12 and three weeks prior to calving, ensures that the cow’s colostrum contains increased levels of antibodies that protect against three of the main causes of calf scour – rotavirus, coronavirus and E coli.
“A few years ago, we started cutting back on the vaccination. We did around half the cows. We then reduced it further, to around a third, the ones who were calving last. Two years ago, we didn’t use the vaccine at all,” said Niall.
Last spring, they got a severe outbreak of scour in the last bunch of calves. They contacted their vet, Michael Sexton of Riverview Veterinary Group, who quickly established rotavirus as the cause.
“Around a dozen calves were affected. As well as losing one, the others definitely suffered reduced thrive. The workload involved in treating and rehydrating them was huge. I just can’t imagine how we could have handled a big outbreak. It would have been a nightmare,” said Billy.
The Nicholsons are now back vaccinating all cows and have no intention of changing the practice any time soon.
Pneumonia
They also operate a rigid vaccination programme to protect against pneumonia. All calves are vaccinated with Bovipast® RSP at two-weeks-old and are given a booster vaccination four weeks later.
The Nicholsons buy in around 30 weanlings every autumn, half bulls and half heifers. These are vaccinated with Bovipast® RSP a couple of days after arrival on the farm and get their booster dose four weeks later. They are given Bovilis® IBR Marker Live at the same time as the booster dose of Bovipast® RSP.
Bovipast® RSP provides protection against Pasteurella pneumonia (caused by Mannheimia haemolytica A1 and A6) and viral pneumonia caused by RSV (Bovine Respiratory Syncytial virus) and PI-3 (Parainfluenza 3) virus.
Bovilis® IBR Marker Live protects against IBR (Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis). Research has shown that almost 75% of all suckler and dairy herds test positive for IBR virus exposure one.
“Pneumonia vaccination makes calf and weanling rearing a lot easier. We have a very low incidence of pneumonia and if we do get a case it is so much easier to cure,” said Billy.
Cows are also vaccinated against leptospirosis, BVD and salmonellosis.
“We are spending a lot more on vaccination than we are on treatment and veterinary calls, but that’s the way it should be,” he said.
“Vaccination, combined with good hygiene and rigid attention to adequate colostrum intake by the newborn calf, are crucial in scour prevention,” said veterinary practitioner Michael Sexton of Riverview Veterinary Group, the large 13-vet practice which has clinics in Bandon, Ballincollig, Carrigaline and Kinsale.
“Scour is a massive problem in suckler herds. Having to drip a scouring suckler calf is complicated by having the mother at close quarters. I strongly advise all my beef and dairy clients to give the one shot vaccine to cows 12 to three weeks before calving,” said Michael.
He said that rotavirus, coronavirus and E coli can cause many of the scours seen in young calves.
More than one-third of all deaths in calves under one-month-old are due to scour - with rotavirus the most common cause.
The Nicholsons are among the country’s leading suckler beef producers. The farm was the venue for the launch of the BDGP (Beef Data and Genomics Programme) in 2015 and is widely used by Teagasc and Bord Bia to demonstrate excellence in quality beef production. Billy and Niall are members of the Cork Harbour beef discussion group.
Their cows are mainly Simmental cross with some Charolais and Limousin. They use a Simmental stock bull. They are also using highly rated maternal AI Saler, Simmental and Limousin bulls to produce four and five star dams. Seventy percent of the herd is now four and five star.
Cows calve between mid-December and the end of February. All progeny are reared to beef. Up to this year, all males were sold as bulls under 16 months. Because of “the way the bull business has gone” they have started to castrate some of the males. The first bunch of steers was sold just before Christmas at 22 months. They averaged 740kg live. All heifers not required for replacements are sold as beef at 22 months.
The winter feeding diet consists of home-grown barley, fodder beet and grass silage. Soya is their only bought-in ingredient. Outstanding performance from grass is the hallmark of the system.
Niall is the fourth generation Nicholson to farm at Hoddersfield. His great grandfather, who started as a tenant farmer in east Cork, bought the farm at the beginning of the 20th century.
Niall completed the three-year higher certificate in agriculture, run by Clonakilty College and Cork Institute of Technology, in 2011. He then went on to study at Waterford Institute of Technology and graduated with a BSc in Land Management in 2012. During his period in Clonakilty, he completed six months work experience in New Zealand, milking 1,400 cows in a 40-unit rotary parlour.
He is current president and a former chairman of the Carrigaline branch of Macra na Feirme. He holds the distinction of being one of just three representatives from young farmer organisations across the EU on the European Civil Dialogue Group on Animal Products, which advises the EU Commission on the beef meat sector.
Membership of the group, which meets around six times a year, gives him a great insight into the European policy framework.
Bovilis Bovipast RSP contains inact. BRS Virus strain EV908, Pi-3 Virus strain SF-4 Reisinger and Mannheimia haemolytica A1 strain M4/1 Bovilis IBR Marker Live contains live, attenuated IBR marker vaccine BHV-1 strain GK/D (gE). For the active immunisation against infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus.
Withdrawal periods: zero days. Legal categories: ROI POM(E) NI POMV.
For further information see SPC, contact prescriber or MSD Animal Health, Red Oak North,
South County Business Park, Leopardstown, Dublin 18, Ireland.
Tel: +353(0)1 2970220. E-Mail: vet-support.ie@merck.com Web: www.msd-animal-health.ie
1 Cowley DJB et al 2011. Aspects of bovine herpesvirus infection in dairy and beef herds in the Republic of Ireland.
IE/ROT/0117/0001 January 2017
