BW Cattle Services

16/08/2024

No Bull....No Problem
⬇️
Most clients will back up an AI Program with a bull to cover any cows that don't get in calf to the AI.
However, some clients only have a handful of cows and don't own a bull to put with them after the AI Program finishes.
No problem 👍
⬇️
We can do a "Return AI" after the initial AI Program.
A "Return AI" simply means that we AI anything that returns to oestrus 18 - 24 days after the first AI.
So, the girls that didn't get in calf to the first AI get a second opportunity with a "Return AI"
⬇️
After the initial AI Program has finished we can either:
* re-insert cidrs (depending on the program used)
OR
* if it's only a handful of cattle we can re apply heatmounts on day 16 from the last AI and heat detect from day 18 - 24

07/08/2024

Preg scanned some of the lovely ladies at Renard Blondes Cobram today.

14/07/2024

Shout out to KVN Contracting for this custom made feed trough. Sturdy and well built 👍
🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺

02/07/2024

Despite it being 0 degree, I still love getting out first thing in the morning and doing my job.
❄️

11/06/2024

It was a bit wet this morning when I had to remove Cidrs, PG & apply heatmounts
to this group of heifers.
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Great Tip - heat the Estrotect heatmounts up before putting them on wet cattle. The stickier the glue, the better they stay on.
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I use a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel.
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I also put tail paint on in the rain just in case we lose a heatmount.
⬇️

28/04/2024

It's that time of year again!!
👇
Using Estrotect Heatmounts prior to your AI Program gives you the opportunity to select only cycling cattle to submit to your program.
This saves you time and money and will give you higher conception rates....👍

👇

07/03/2024

A big couple of days were had leading up to the third Te Mooi Speckle Park Performance Sale.
All sale cattle were washed, tagged, had lot numbers applied and then drafted into their sale groups over the last two days. Alot of preparation goes into the final few days before a sale day. Washing 90 head of Bulls, Cows and Heifers is no mean feat!

01/03/2024

187 Blonde d'Aquitaine cows and calves processed today.
101 cows preg scanned and everyone got their booster vaccinations of 7 in 1
Renard Blondes renardblondecattle

07/02/2024

Preg scanning the lovely ladies at Jade Park Angus this morning.
Todays preg scan was to distinguish between the AI joining and back up bull.
The AI's were 68 days and the Bull 45 days. The perfect timing to be able to distinguish the difference easily👍

20/01/2024

A lovely even line up of heifer calves from an AI Program I did last year. They are all SS Brickyard (sexed semen) sired.

05/01/2024

Pink Eye in cattle - Infectious Bovine kerato-conjunctivitis (IBK)

Primarily caused by the bacteria Moraxella bovis

How do they get it❓️
Scratches/irritation to the eye ball from dust, long grass or other abrasions allow the bacteria in and is then rapidly spread by flies and fluid secretions to other cattle. IBK is highly contagious.

Symptoms ⬇️
Excessive weeping
Inflammation
Membranes of the eye are red & swollen
Cloudy opaque look to the eye ball
Ulceration of the cornea
Temporary or permanent blindness

Treatment⬇️
The key to a successful outcome is treating IBK swiftly.
Long acting penicillin eye ointment eg: (Orbenin) ➡️ Every 2nd day until the symptoms have regressed.
Eye patch to shield the eye from further dust, flies and abrasions.
In severe cases a Long acting Oxtetracycline injection may prove helpful for any secondary infections.

Vaccination⬇️
Pilliguard is an IBK vaccination that is administered 6 weeks prior to the onset of the summer/fly season.
Pilliguard provides protection against 64% of the different strains of m.bovis found in pink eye outbreaks.
Whilst it doesn't offer full protection, any protection from IBK is a bonus!

21/12/2023

Thank you to all my wonderful clients and friends for your ongoing support.
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas break and that 2024 brings prosperity and great times. 🎄

11/12/2023

Great Information!

“Although pregnancy losses in beef cattle are a fact of life, late-term losses are likely the most discouraging,” says Gerald Stokka, NDSU Extension veterinarian and livestock stewardship specialist.

06/12/2023

The start of another AI Program.
Sometimes it can be 100 head and sometimes it can be 1 head.
Big or small numbers, they all deserve the same attention.
Let's not ignore the beautiful view either!

28/11/2023

Time to get Inked!
These Blonde d'Aquitaine stud calves from were getting permanent identification today.
Stud cattle are required to have two forms of permanent identification.
Some studs Freeze Brand & Tag (usually black cattle) but with Blondes we Tattoo & Tag.
The tattoo consists of:
➡️ Stud Prefix (usually 2 or 3 letters)
➡️ P or F (Pure or Fullblood)
➡️ Year drop letter
➡️Calf number
All this fits in one ear or spread out over two ears.

25/11/2023

Working with a group of recipient's this morning for Black Aqua Angus Stud
These girls required their CIDRS to be removed and two injections. 💉
⬇️
1. Novormon (PMSG) is a Follicle Stimulating hormone
2. Prostaglandin causes regression of the Corpus Luteum
⬇️
These girls are being programmed for Embryo Transfer in 9 days time with
Global Reproduction Solutions

23/11/2023

Hot old day at Corowa NSW today preg scanning 150+ Blonde d'Aquitaine ladies. Got through them in good time.
Renard Blondes

06/10/2023

Pregnant!! Congrats😄

04/10/2023

After 3 inches of rain in the last 24hrs, it was time to dust off the gumboots to Preg Scan 83 lovely Hereford ladies today.

06/09/2023

How cute is this little lady.
She is a minature galloway with brown points, that makes her extra special😉
I AI'd her today as well as some of her friends.
Spring joining has started

04/08/2023

Introducing Leilani the very clever British White cow. She knew exactly where to go and with no complaints😃

25/07/2023

First job of the day, 140 girls to preg scan.
Beautiful day for it🌞

27/06/2023

Spending some time spoiling this grand old dame.
How's the lovely white eye lashes she has.💜

Jade Park Angus

02/06/2023

🌟Disbudding🌟
I bet you thought this bull calf was polled.....❌️

If disbudding is done properly and at the right time, then the result is just like this bloke.

✅️ Between 1 - 6 weeks
✅️ I use an electric Hot Iron
✅️ Hold on for btw 8 - 12 seconds
✅️ Use pain relief and a topical antibacterial spray.

Horned cattle play an important role in cattle breeding, so when it's this easy to deal with, it's really no drama at all.
practice

05/05/2023

What is a Freemartin ❓️

Basically, a Freemartin is a female Bovine who is a non breeder. She does not have a full female reproductive tract or is able to conceive a pregnancy.

Why❓️❓️
This mainly occurs when there is a male & female twin set.
The placentae fuse together and have a common blood supply.
Because the male hormones are produced before the female hormones kick in, the heifer twin starts to develop as a male. Later on in the pregnancy the female hormones take over and the external genitalia is developed to represent a female but the internal reproductive tract has not developed. They are either missing the cervix, ovaries, uterine horns or everything!
Quite often the exterior genetalia looks "not quite right" which is a dead giveaway for a Freemartin.
Internally, as a preg tester, I find the pelvis to be very narrow and the obvious the lack of reproductive organs.

01/05/2023

60 heifer FTAI today with Calview Pastoral and Jove Angus. All the girls responded well to the program which makes my job a little easier.

20/04/2023

As we approach our Autumn joining period, it's time to consider which cows get submitted to the AI Programs.
A highly useful tool to help make these decisions are Heatmounts
(Estrotect)
A cow needs to be cycling post calving in order to have a chance of getting in calf to AI or natural service.
If a heatmount is put on 4 weeks prior to the start of your AI program, you will know which cows are cycling and will be best suited to be submitted to the AI program.
This is especially useful with late calvers.
If a cow is not cycling post calving, she is not suitable for AI.

17/04/2023

Autumn AI joining has begun.
67 F1 cows & heifers had their cidrs and bomeral injection today for a Cidr Timed AI Program.
These lovely girls are Simm x Fresian and Angus x Fresian.
They will get a Limousin back up bull after the completion of the program.

06/04/2023

Finally finished the last 230 girls today, having done a total of 742 over the last week.🤟💪

02/04/2023

What a beautiful day....and I'm stuck inside doing paperwork🙄