Coccidia is a a protozoal parasite that exist wherever cattle are raised and causes clinical disease mostly in calves from 3 to 6 months of age. Clinical signs include loose stool, rough hair coat, loss of body condition while having an enlarged belly, and immune-suppression often resulting in pneumonia. Rumensin is the preferred preventative, but it is not available in milk and often cannot be found in commercial calf starters. Bovitek (lasolocid) gives some control but kills later in the life cycle leading to breaks in control. Decox and Corid are static drugs used in control but they do not control as quickly as other drugs including sulfas.

Feeding to reduce fecal contamination of feed helps reduce exposure, but a coccidia controlling feed additive is almost always needed to control the organism. We have had breaks even when Rumensin is fed. There are several things to check. Is enough fed to be an effective doses? Grain meant to be fed alone loses its control when hay is added to the diet. Lack of bunk space or overcrowding can also be factors in limiting our control. Was the feed mixed properly? That is our check list when we find coccidia in a fecal float that we perform quickly at the office. Any time calves in the 3 to 6 month age are unthrifty, a quick fecal exam makes sense to be sure we aren't facing a parasite that should be easy to control resulting in better growth and future production.

Fly Time: Most have settled into their fly routine and seem satisfied with it. If that is not the case, we should have a strategy conversation. If you have started your feed through larvicide and done your premise clean up, you should be ahead of the flies. If you have not done these things, you will want to plan your fly control strategy from the listing of products included. You may have created resistance that decreases the effectiveness of what you have always done and need a change. We do not carry these products in stock but can usually get them with one day shipping. Some products cannot be shipped direct to some locations so you would need to pick them up or we can bring them to herdchecks.

How is the water? Water is the first limiting nutrient of milk and meat production. Milk is 88% water and meat is close to that. If we increase water consumption, we increase dry mater intake. When we increase dry matter intake, we increase milk production and gain. The first factor with water is availability. Do you have 2 waterers in every pen? It seems excessive but I have seen boss animals in a pen of five keep others away from water. Does the waterer refill rapidly? If the water level isn't at least muzzle deep at all times, the water is not filling fast enough.

Is this due to lime scale buildup in the valve? This is easily fixed one time but is likely to reoccur if there is a mineral buildup in the supply line. Supply lines can be reduced in size due to lime scale. This requires a cleaning additive to be added to the water to clean it up. Your plumber may have a favorite and some work better than others for a particular lime scale chemistry. Some supply lines may need to be replaced. This is an expensive and challenging task. Other supply lines lines were undersized when installed and can't be expected to keep up. More commonly, we've tapped into an existing line that was adequate for the original installation but not for the demands now placed on it.

Is there enough drinker perimeter for all animals to get to water. Some are recommending 4 inches per lactating cows. Not long ago, this number was 2 inches. I think 2 inches is right if we supply a linear drinker near parlor exit that is at least 2 feet per cow per parlor side. These are only used in the summer when water requirements are very high. There are many barns that have a 16 foot crossover with only an 8 foot waterer in them. If there is another place on the farm that can use that 8 foot or it goes bad, we should replace it with a 14 foot waterer.

When quantity and access issues are resolved we need to look at quality. This changes as our water table is influenced by uses. We recommend an analysis annually to track the changes and respond if needed. Much of our practice has water that needs some treatment to be the healthiest, especially for calves and baby pigs. Treatment is guided by analysis.

"In the 21st century, the illiterate will be those that are unwilling to learn, unlearn, and relearn" Alan Toffler