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I was speaking to a vet during the week about cryptosporidium and its causes. He said he has concerns on some farms about the cleanliness of cows coming directly off slats for calving or some even calving on slats. Faecal material ingested by the calf can greatly increase the incidence of cryptosporidium infection and can also increase the chances of Johne’s infection.
If possible, try to move cows on to straw before calving and maybe feed dryer silage or hay to pre-calving cows to avoid hides and udders becoming very dirty.
Get calves off to a healthy start
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