Tackle liver fluke with Fasifree for dairy cows
James White, milks 100 dairy cows on his farm in Clonahy, Clonmel, Co Tipperary and his milk is supplied to Mullinahone Co-op.
“With our heavy low lying land I always need to dose for liver fluke. If liver fluke sets into an animal it opens up the door for a multiple of problems. This year I used Osmond’s Fasifree to protect my cows during the dry period and the in-calf heifers and weanlings from the damaging effects of liver fluke. I am delighted with the results. I would recommend it to any farmer experiencing liver fluke problems.”
Monitoring animal performance
Conor Murphy has 118 dairy cows in Rathmore, Meanus, Kilmallock, Co Limerick. He invested in an Osmond’s Cattle Weighing Scales in September 2012.
“The Osmond’s Cattle Weighing Scales allows me to monitor my heifers and cows weights to a very high degree of accuracy. It allows me to group them in terms of their feeding requirements and helps me get my light heifers to reach their target weights on schedule. I would 100% recommend using the Osmond’s Cattle Weighing Scales whether it is for monitoring purposes or knowing the selling weight of your animals.”
Troubled with hard-water
Denis Oliver O’ Sullivan, milks 70 dairy cows in Gooseberryhill, Newmarket, Co Cork. He had a problem with hard water and addressed it by using Osmond’s Parlorsan Plus.
“Since I started using Parlorsan Plus my TBC’s have dropped and it is now consistently between 6,000 and 10,000. Before it was 60% higher than that. I only wash in the mornings now and add Parlorsan Plus in the last rinse and leave it in the milk line. I am in a very hard-water area with a lot of iron residue in the water”.
Top quality teat dip
Pic of James Power
James Power along with his brothers have 250 spring calving cows in Kilbrickin Farms Ltd, Kilbrickin, Callan, County Kilkenny. They milk them in their new 50 unit rotary milking parlour and supply Callan Co-op.
“We use Biolac Pre-Post for post milking teat disinfection. We find it is the best teat dip for keeping the flies away, which allows the teats to stay in good condition. Our cell count is always under 200,000 and this can be attributed to our excellent teat condition from using Biolac Pre-Post”.
Ultimate dry cow protection
Richard Shekleton milks 75 cows in Claudia, Ballyjamesduff, County Cavan. He has been using Teat Seal NA at drying off since 2011. Following a milk sensitivity test he made the decision to use Ceemast, along with Teat Seal NA.
“Osmonds Teat Seal NA does a great job eliminating e-coli mastitis and has never let my cows down. It stops contamination getting into the udder over the entire dry period, so I don’t have to worry about any mastitis problems when my cows calve down.”
Weighing sheep accurately
Gordon Symes, Hawstown, Co Wicklow invested in an Osmond’s Electronic Sheep Weighing Scales to be able to weigh sheep of any size.
“I decided to buy the Osmond’s Electronic Sheep Scales as it allowed me to weigh both my ewes and lambs. Since buying the scales in August 2014 I have well over 1000 sheep gone through it. The clock is easy to read and I tag my lambs and recorded their weight as they go through. My previous Sheep Scales was not big enough to weigh ewes. I’d recommend that all sheep farmers invest in an Osmond’s Sheep Weighing Scales to benefit their farming enterprise”.
Calf Colostrum Paste
Oisin Gill and his father Mattie farm in Bloomfield, Hollymount, Co Mayo.
“On recommendation from our local Osmonds Rep Ray Connolly we decided to give our heifer calves Osmond’s Colostrum Plus Paste immediately after birth. It is so convenient to use and can be given as soon as the calf is born, day or night, without any hassle. The best thing is you can have it right on hand. We wanted to give our heifers an extra boost to kick start their life and this Paste allows us to do this. Following the results we have gotten, we will definitely be using it every year”.
Ovisect user feedback
Pat Ruane from Curnacarton, Barnaderg, Tuam, County Galway has 100 ewes, 80 hogget’s and 120 lambs.
“I needed a product with a short withdrawl period and my Osmonds Rep Padraig Banks recommended I use Osmond’s Ovisect pour-on. I applied it to both my ewes and lambs. Maggots had appeared on the lambs before application and I was delighted to see them gone a couple days after application”.
Jim Lennon has 250 ewes in the foothills of Blackstairs Mountain. They lamb from 20th February each year. He sells the lambs to the mart when they are 42-44kgs. As the lambs are sold at these weights, Jim wants to treat the lambs with a pour-on that gives optimum parasite control, with short withholding period. For this reason Jim chose to use Ovisect pour-on in June 2014 to control and prevent maggots.
“I couldn’t be happier. I had no cases of blowfly, lambs look great and I had no issues with withdrawal periods, which I would have had with Clik. So much so, that this year I’ll use the Ovisect on all the replacements. I dose the lambs with Keelogane and I am very happy with the results. I dip all the sheep with Goldfleece before they go to the ram in September to keep ticks and other parasites away”.
Farmer using Goldfleece since it originally came on the market
Patsy O’Sullivan from Barnesmore Gap, Donegal has 300 mountain ewes (Cheviot, Lynn and Donegal Sheep) lambing in March each year. They are dosed with Keelogane or Ovimec to control worms in late April and then they are let back up the hills.
“I dip my sheep twice per year with Goldfleece (in February for mange and again in August for lice and I wouldn’t use anything else). In fact my family has been using Goldfleece since it first came onto the market. Damien McGlynn our local Osmonds Rep recommended I use a Cattle Immobiliser to improve farm safety. As a result I invested in one in April this year to make it easier and safer to handle cattle. My uncle Frank McCadden had been dealing with Osmonds for 60 years and I intend to continue using Osmonds products as they give excellent results”.
What a difference a bolus makes
Patrick Higgins has 600 cross bred (mainly Cheviot and Suffolk) ewes on the Curragh, County Kildare. He was concerned about sheep showing signs of mineral deficiencies, in particular, copper and selenium (ie. poor wool condition, poor feed intakes, lamb stiffness and poor lamb performance during the summer months). As a result, in February 2014 on advice from neighbouring farmers and his local Osmonds Rep, Michael Branagan he gave two Electromin Sheep Boli to all ewes, two months before lambing.
“I have to say the results are remarkable, their wool changed in colour after a few weeks (becoming a more vibrant white); the ewes are healthier and the lambs are far hardier after birth. The Curragh is very exposed open ground and the sheep need that little bit extra to get the best out of them and this bolus gives us that”.
Joe Cannon, Carrowiskey, Louisburg, Westport, Co Mayo.
“In 2015 I gave two Electromin Sheep Boli per lamb to all my cross bred Blue Leicester lambs so I could see for myself if there was a benefit to using the bolus. I’m thrilled with the results, the thrive of the lambs, their wool quality and even the shine off them is terrific. I’m definitely bolusing all my lambs next year. Being from the West of Ireland I feel sheep do not get enough from grazing ground and they require supplementation. I plan to bolus all my ewes this October to help them to hold better”.
Headstart tonic to improve flushing
Patrick O’Donnell has 200 scotch blackface ewes crossed with a Cheviot ram along with his father, Patrick snr in the Glenfin valley, near Bluestack mountains, Co. Donegal
“My father started using Headstart 10 years ago. Today I still follow this routine of giving lambs Headstart at 6 weeks and again at weaning, along with Keelogane for worm and fluke control. We find they thrive great after it. Ewes get Headstart after lambing to rectify any deficiencies, again at shearing and then we find the most important time is 4 weeks before being turned out to the ram in November. Since we started doing this programme we have had a higher lambing percentage with less barren ewes. We also give a few doses of Headstart to the Rams prior to breeding to have them in the best condition possible”.
Advanced yeast drives milk yield “1.8 litres per cow per day more milk”
George and Benny Jackson run a Pedigree Holstein Friesian herd. In autumn 2015 he carried out a trial on a new inactivated Yeast (Agri Yeast). 150 cows were in the trial (75 in the treated group and 75 in the control group). Animals were fed a TMR of grass silage; small quantities of maize silage and wholecrop wheat; 24% protein blend along with an 18% dairy nut, fed to yield.
“I carried out the trial to see the benefits of Agri Yeast for myself. Within a week of introducing Agri Yeast I could see their dungs were firmer than the control group. They were digesting the feed better and getting more out of the feed. I had beans in the diet for both groups and I could see no beans in the dungs of the Agri Yeast group, while there were beans in the dungs of the control group. On analysis of the performance results I was very impressed with the cows producing 1.8 litres per day more milk on Agri Yeast and holding up milk solids. The SCC improvement was very good”, concludes George.
Headstart – “Gives our lambs that extra lift they need”
Ger Garvey’s father started to use Headstart 10 years ago and Ger is continuing to use it today, with excellent results. He has 120 suffolk cross ewes and a suckler unit where he takes them to beef on his farm in Cootehall, Boyle, Co. Roscommon.
“We dose late born lambs daily for 6 days and it turns them inside out. You can see it in the wool, as it shines up and they thrive great on Headstart. Ewes get Headstart to improve flushing performance in September every year. In fact all our calves go on a three day course of Headstart two days after birth to give them an extra lift in performance. We give it to cows, mixed in with the meal after calving to give them an added lift and prevent any setbacks”, comments Ger.
Ovisect Pour-on – “The easy way to control external parasites”
John Russell farms near Manorcunningham, Co. Donegal. He has been dealing with Osmonds since 2000. He has 70 cross bred ewes, that lamb each year in January and he starts to draw lambs for the mart or factory from June on…
“I find Osmonds Ovisect so easy to use, I run the sheep up the race in June after shearing and again in Autumn. I apply the pour-on as a fan spray on their back and it keeps away the blowfly and other parasites. When it comes to dosing I use Keelogane 3 times a year (at turnout, shearing and again in the autumn). I’m always concerned about liver fluke so I apply Keelogane at the fluke and worm dose level and I find if great to keep the lambs thriving and worm and fluke free”.
Sheep dip and pour-on program – “On top of the reek and top parasite control”
Climbing Croke Patrick is seen by many as a major challenge, but for Kevin Heraty going up and down that hill herding his 400 black faced ewes and 150 hogget’s, is just a way of life. He has a detailed animal health program so as to maximise their performance.
“Our ewes lamb from mid-March to May, shortly after birth I vaccinate the lambs with Covexin 8 and apply 5ml of Ovisect pour-on to control ticks as the lambs are outdoors. When the lambs are turned up to the hill (Croke Patrick) I give them Flexiben at the worm level and ewes are dosed at the fluke and worm level. It’s vital to keep worms away, to stops them from getting dirty tails as this attracts flies and so on. The ram lambs are away from the dipping bath, so I give them Ovisect and the ewes are dipped in Ecofleece. Both these products are top class for controlling Ticks, which can be a problem in areas of high vegetation. When the ewes are gathered down from the hills in the autumn we dip them in Goldfleece and this keep them clean for the winter”.
Dipped 20,000 sheep in their first season – “We like Goldfleece because it handles all the external parasites.
In September 2015 the Malone brothers (MJ & Ray) took on a new enterprise, by taking over a local mobile sheep dipping unit in Wexford. They are not exactly in the heart of sheep country, but that did not deter their interest. Since then they have dipped over 20,000 sheep.
“The learning curve has been steep, but we are up for the challenge. We use Osmonds Goldfleece dip in our spray unit because we are confident it covers all the external parasites our customers want to kill. The unit holds 20 sheep, 10 in the shower area and 10 in the drying-off area. The sheep get jet sprayed underneath and then get a down pour of spray from overhead for several minutes. You have to do it right to ensure the sheep get fully soaked. We pay a lot of attention to detail because we want happy customers. The plan is to expand this business in the coming years”, remarks MJ Malone, Ballyduff, Ballycarney, Co. Wexford.
Goldfleece has never let him down – “We use Goldfleece twice annually, in July and again in November”
James Donnelly, farms his 170 ewes (texels, mules and suffolks crossed with texels) near Ballinrobe, Co. May. The lambs are fattened over a 12 week period to exacting standards to go to Ballinrobe Meat Factory and their final destination is Dunnes Stores (quality lambs with a 20kg carcase).
“We keep things simple, our lambs got their first does of Osmonds Flexiben in min May, their next dose is 5 weeks later. The sheep are sheared in June and get dipped in Goldfleece in July and again in November. We have been using Goldfleece for the past 6 years and have been getting great results, touch wood I never have any parasite issues once I use it”, remarks James.
Electromin Sheep Bolus– “Added performance with one convenient bolus”
Vincent Watchorn, farms 300 cross bred ewes. He is always looking for innovative ways to get some added performance from his flock. Last year Vinny started to use the Electromin Sheep Bolus.
“I started to use the Electromin Sheep Bolus to push on thrive in my ewes. It is so convenient, especially when you have sheep in difficult to reach fields. I have great comfort knowing that after one application my ewes’ trace element requirements are covered for 4 months. The sheep are definitely in better condition after getting the bolus. I can see it in the shine of the fleece and that is a great indicator of performance for me. I use the bolus in spring when they go out to grass initially and again in autumn for thrive and to boost fertility”, concludes Vinnie.
