Cross Counties Farm Vets

05/06/2024

Unexpected item in the drug delivery today! 🐾

24/05/2024

📣 Farm Vet Support Team Member 📣

🐄 Cross Counties Farm Vets have an exciting opportunity for a friendly and enthusiastic individual to join our Farm Vet Support Team based at our branch near Welford, Northamptonshire.

🐑 With a dedicated farm team consisting of 8 vets, a VetTech and 2 farm vet support staff we provide a proactive service to all our farm clients. We are part of Broughton Veterinary Group who offer small animal services at our Lutterworth and Broughton Astley branches. This is further enhanced being a VetPartners practice, offering additional support from specialists and experts within the veterinary industry.

🌳 The Role
This is a permanent full-time role based on a 4.5-day week with working hours between 8am-5pm. Part time considered for the right candidate. We are looking for someone with great communication and customer service skills to provide a friendly and efficient service to our clients. The ability to work individually and as part of a team is essential. Basic IT literacy is required. Knowledge of the livestock industry is an advantage but not essential.

🗂 Duties include but are not limited to:
• Communicating with clients face to face, over the phone and by email.
• Diary management using practice management software (PMS)
• Medicine stock control
• Team communication
• Day-to-day office management
• Account management including invoicing and credit control
• Assisting with vet’s paperwork
• Data input
• Office and kit cleaning and maintenance
• Packaging and posting lab samples

📊 Job can be expanded to incorporate more technical roles such as:
• Faecal egg counting
• Running laboratory tests
• Use of machines to analyse semen straws

✨ Benefits:
• 6 weeks holiday including bank holidays (pro-rata)
• Team socials
• Company sick pay
• Healthshield
• Pension scheme
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Generous staff discounts, including on our small animal side.
• Buy and sell holiday scheme.
• Life insurance
• 1 day volunteering leave (pro rata)
• Enhanced maternity pay

📬 Please send your CV and a covering letter to [email protected] or call Jessica on 07850004495 for more information.

22/05/2024

Camelid Plasma Drive 🦙🩸

Spring is the perfect time to collect plasma from your herd and did you know we can do this for you?

Collecting plasma is to enable plasma therapy in your herd. One of the major advantages of plasma therapy is that it provides immediate immunity to the cria, which can be critical in cases where the animal is very sick or where there is a high risk of infection. Because of this immunity, plasma therapy has the potential to reduce mortality and prevent disease outbreaks in the herd.

17/05/2024

We will be back at Blaston Show this year, Sunday 30th June!

Come and say hello on the stand and we might just have some goodies to go your way.

14/05/2024

Weaning Nutrition Tips 🍼

Weaning can be one of the most stressful times for calves.

To make it easier, here are three top tips gathered from a range of farms!

1 - Try to carry out disbudding, castration, or vaccination in plenty of time before weaning to help keep stress to a minimum.

2 - Weaning should be based on concentrate intake as opposed to weight, age, or size, so if you’re struggling to get calves onto pellets, it could be an option to start them on a blend.

3 - Fresh water! Keep the supply fresh and clean enough that you would drink it yourself.

10/05/2024

Respect the Flock 🐑

Keeping your dogs on a lead (especially during lambing season) can make a big difference!

Sheep worrying isn't just a minor inconvenience; it poses a serious threat to livelihoods and animal welfare. When dogs chase, attack, or stress out sheep, it can lead to devastating consequences. Pregnant ewes and their unborn and newborn lambs are particularly vulnerable, and even a brief moment of freedom for an unleashed dog can result in serious injury or death.

As responsible dog owners, it's important to recognise the impact our pets can have on rural communities. By keeping our dogs on a lead near fields with livestock, we not only comply with legal obligations but also show respect for farmers and the animals they care for.

By taking simple steps like keeping our dogs on a lead, we can help ensure the safety of our countryside for all. Join NSA's campaign by sharing this message on social media and let's make a positive impact together!

09/05/2024

Welcome to Sarah! 👋

Sarah has recently joined the CCFV team, having previously worked as a large animal receptionist. Sarah grew up surrounded by animals so has always had an active interest, and enjoys helping out on her partners livestock farm, as well as spending time with her dog Paddy. She has taken over the TB admin role and will soon be starting her ATT training, and is looking forward to meeting you all on farm.

07/05/2024

Fly Control Strategy 🪰

The total lifespan of a fly is estimated to be 15-25 days. By the 12th day, a fly will reach maturity and after this point, females can lay over 500 eggs usually in batches of 75 – 150. That’s a quick population increase once those 500 eggs reach maturity, usually two weeks.

That’s why it’s important to have a strategy for all the stages of the fly-berg. Simply tackling the adults may not decrease your population on farm because the females might have already laid their 500 eggs somewhere.

Cleanliness is key to reduce your overall population – displacing and removing their breeding ground, but there are other products available to keep on top of that 85%, including parasitic wasps – an organic solution.

For more information on fly control, please contact us on 01455 710935.

03/05/2024

Sheep Vital Signs: The Classics Edition 🐑

If you’re noticing abnormal behaviour in your flock or loss of condition, speak to one of our team and we can give you advice. 🐑💚

02/05/2024

A lovely post from a client, well done Alba on this midnight calving! 🐂

01/05/2024

Semen Quality Assessment 📉

We are currently offering the option to perform dynamic motility testing over a 2-hour period on semen straws. Provisional results are showing that semen that remain motile for over 2 hours can increase conception rates in the region of 8%.

We have the Dyneval testing equipment for the next couple of weeks, don’t miss out on this opportunity!

Please contact Lauren on the office number to book in your straws for analysis.

30/04/2024

Bull Breeding Soundness Exam 🐂

A bull breeding soundness exam (BBSE) looks at more than just semen. Do you know what they cover?

🐂Overall reproductive development
🐂Testicular size and health
🐂Semen quality

BBSE’s aid in identifying bulls that have undesirable traits and are unlikely to achieve a high pregnancy percentage over the course of a defined breeding season.

29/04/2024

Test and Weigh 💩

Are you carrying out a ‘test and weigh’ approach to worming? Give yourself a pat on the back if so – you’re helping to be sustainable and preventing resistance to wormers. 💩🌍💊

Top tips:

💩Carry out faecal egg counts in early summer to gauge level of pasture contamination
💩Weigh young livestock regularly to check that they’re growing and not suffering from parasites
💩Only treat animals that are not growing as expected
💩Remain vigilant for lungworm outbreaks in calves where it’s hard to avoid turning out onto contaminated grass, monitoring is key.

We can help you develop a parasite control plan for the coming year, so if you do want advice please get in touch – 01455 710935.

28/04/2024

27/04/2024

Voting has now closed!!
Congratulations to David Morley on his winning photo! 🥳

✨TIME TO VOTE!!✨
Thank you to everyone who has entered our lambing photo competition.
Vote by 'liking' 👍 your favourite photo, most likes wins!🥳
The voting will finish at 5pm on Friday 3rd May.
Share this post to your own page to encourage your friends and family to vote for you! 📸
The winner will get half price membership to our Flock Club for a year 🐑
Happy voting 🥰

27/04/2024

Fly Control - Small Holdings

Fly parasites are a cost-effective and sustainable way of reducing flies on your farm or smallholding. They are particularly suitable for organic holdings.

🪰 Fly parasite species parasitise fly pupae in breeding grounds on farm, thus reducing flies at source.
🪰 They are native UK species which live for between 10-30 days depending on weather and conditions
🪰 The aim of the program is to spread these pupae around known or suspected fly breeding areas on farm such as dung heaps, unscraped areas along shed edges or on top of slats or slurry pits. Once hatched the parasites actively search out biting and nuisance fly pupa to breed and carry on their own life cycle.

Speak to us about how you can control flies sustainably and organically.

26/04/2024

Knockdown Disbuds 🐄

Disbudding calves can be a time-consuming process and is often stressful for both the calves and handlers. Knockdown disbuds involve the vet sedating the calf for the procedure. By doing this, you minimise the stress to the calf, reduce the number of staff members needed for the job and speed up the process.

Studies have demonstrated reduced pain-associated behaviours shown by calves and improved growth rates in the first 28 days post disbudding. The calves are still given local anaesthetic and anti-inflammatory pain killers for the procedure. Disbudding is best done at 3 weeks old whilst the buds are still small.

We have had great success with this method and believe it to be an excellent choice for stress-free disbudding. Our Vet Tech is available to attend alongside the vet, further streamlining the process.

The video shows the calves just after they have been sedated, during the disbudding process and then coming around from sedation after the process.

25/04/2024

1 day left to comment with your best lambing photo to be in with a chance to win half price membership to the Flock Club!
Entries close 5pm tomorrow, then we will open the voting! 🐑

25/04/2024

Fly Control in Cattle 🐂

The main months of fly activity in the UK are May to August, but it’s worth being prepared to treat from March through to October, should climatic conditions require it.

There are two areas to target when designing a fly control programme for your farm, the environment, and the animals themselves. Take a look at our infographic to find out the many ways you can control flies on your farm. 🐄

Speak to your vet for more information on fly parasites and wider control.

24/04/2024

Sheep Scaring ❌

The improving Spring weather brings with it the challenge of the public walking their dogs across our fields. 🐑

Print your free dog control signs to put around your fields here bit.ly/NSAVP0422 – especially if they are traversed by a public right of way.

Visit the NSA website sheepworrying.org.uk to find out how you can prevent attacks and what you can or should do if they happen.

23/04/2024

British Beef Week 🐂

What better way to showcase this, than a new arrival! Well done James on delivering this huge calf!

22/04/2024

Earth Day 🌎

For farmers and smallholders, every day is Earth Day! 🌍🌱

Applauding what agriculture does for the environment is a great way of recognising Earth Day.

No one in the UK is more aware of the relationships between soil, water and air than farmers and smallholders.

19/04/2024

18/04/2024

We hope some of you are starting to get some cattle turned out now that the weather is (hopefully!) taking a turn for the better! ☀️ This lovely dairy herd are definitely happy to see some sunshine and fresh grass! 🐄

17/04/2024

ENTRIES HAVE NOW CLOSED!!

Thank you to everyone who has entered a photo - look out for the next post to start voting!

✨ Competition time! ✨

Last year the competition was fierce! Comment with your cutest/funniest/best lambing photo to be in with a chance to win half-price membership to the Flock Club! One photo per farm only please.

Our Flock Club is a group of like-minded farmers who get together for talks, presentations and discussions.

One year’s subscription will get you:
🐑2 pre-booked visits and 2 hours of health planning time
Examples of what this could be used for:
> Writing your Flock Health Plan
> Blood sampling for CLA/MV etc
> Pre-lambing or Pre-tupping bloods
🐑Unlimited in-house worm egg counts
🐑10% off
> Ram vasectomies
> In house post-mortems
> Ram fertility testing
🐑Fixed price lambings
🐑3-4 meetings per year

Please comment with your photo by 5pm Friday 26th April 2024. We will then invite people to vote for their favourite - most votes wins!

Good luck! 🍀

17/04/2024

A lovely big bull calf delivered by caesarean this morning by Sky and Sophie!

17/04/2024

VetPartners Charity Donation Match

We are thrilled to say that through VetPartners Charity Donation Match scheme, both of the charities supported by our Christmas Quiz have received an additional donation of £609. Bringing the total for both the Melanoma Fund and the MS Society to £2061.73 each!

Thank you for all of your support in raising this money at Christmas, and we look forward to our next quiz!

15/04/2024

Roots to Resilience Workshop

Farming is changing, and you want to know the best way to move your business forward. In recognition of this, AHDB has set up a new programme called Roots to Resilience. Our next workshop will be held on 20-23 May 2024, near Shipley, West Yorkshire.

The workshop will incorporate the world-renowned Ranching for Profit course, to provide you with the necessary knowledge, tools and skills to identify your business aims and plan your future goals.

Key takeaways

- Identify worry areas to address
- Improve communication at home and in your business
- Establish clear goals and a shared vision for you, your family and your business
- Understand your farm accounts
- Apply the three secrets for increasing profit to your farm
- Develop a clear, implementable plan to help you achieve your goals

Limited spaces are available, and we are operating a first-come, first-served basis for this unique opportunity to invest now and beyond in your farming business.

Book via our webpage https://ahdb.org.uk/roots-to-resilience

25/03/2024

A lovely thank you from MS Society UK for the money raised from our charity Christmas quiz!

24/03/2024

How to assess your pasture for parasites 🌱

Categorising your fields high to low risk will pay dividends for your livestock health this grazing season.

💚Low risk – fields that haven’t been grazed before (forage crop, new ley etc). This gives the pasture a break from parasite larvae.
🧡Medium risk – fields grazed by adult cattle only the previous year. Adults excrete less larvae than youngstock, though there will still be a risk.
💓High risk – fields that have had youngstock or stores on the year before. Putting youngstock on the same fields year after year will increase the likelihood of parasite burden and the requirement for treatment.

Get a farm map out and colour the fields, an easy and visual way for the whole team to see the risk and know what to be looking out for when checking livestock.