Robert Donavan generates a milk output averaging 5,300L/cow at 3.7% protein and 4.65% fat from a concentrate input of 750kg/cow but in 2020, the farm’s milk price and milk sale potential were compromised by high cell counts in some cows.
Robert farms at Ardnamoher Farm, near Galbally in County Limerick, where he grows 15t/ha/year of grass and stocks the milking platform at 3.2 cows/ha.
High herd health status is achieved in part through a vaccination programme for diseases including salmonella, leptospirosis, IBR and BVD.
90% of his herd calves in the first six weeks of the spring block and the empty rate is running at 10%.
The Limerick farmer however, no longer uses antibiotics to tackle infection in high somatic cell count (SCC) cows, allowing him to maximise his income from milk sales, since adopting a new technique for managing this issue.
High cell counts
Mastitis and high SCCs are major issues on Irish dairy farms, causing loss of output and a drop in performance overall.
For Robert, high SCCs came with a set of problems, including the cost of antibiotics for treating these cows and the withholding from sale to his milk buyer, Dairygold, of that treated milk.
There was the added need to observe treated cows in the parlour to ensure their milk didn’t get into the tank and a loss of production overall.
Persistent offenders were culled so there was also the economic cost of losing them from the herd.
An alternative approach was needed and Robert contacted Pat Corbett at Mayo Healthcare on the advice of another farmer in the area.
Solution
Maycillin is manufactured in Westport by Mayo Healthcare and cows are given two boluses.
The bolus actives leaves no residues and therefore there is no withdrawal period.
Robert first used Maycillin in March 2021 and says he is now back in control in the milking parlour.
Robert Donovan has seen multiple benefits since he started using Maycillin on high cell count cows among his herd of 240 Jersey crosses.
“It works,’’ he said.
“We don’t need to discard milk because we don’t use antibiotics and this also means peace of mind in the parlour, and there is no paperwork as there was when we used antibiotics,” he added.
He also expects to reduce his culling rate which had increased due to high cell count cows.
For more information on Maycillin, visit the Mayo Healthcare website by clicking here.
