Myerscough College in Lancashire is diligent when it comes to managing its 60-cow suckler herd so it was a mystery when animals suddenly started to get sick.
Suckler cows presented with neurological signs including wobbly gait, says the farm's Vet, Ian Cure. "They were not doing well in terms of appetence, we even lost one,'' he recalls.
Blood tests revealed they were deficient in selenium and copper despite having access to mineral licks in fields. In an attempt to restore herd health, in-calf cows and calves on the point of weaning were treated with Multimin™, a prescription-only trace mineral injection containing copper, selenium, manganese and zinc.
What are Trace minerals?
It is administered under the skin and it enters the animal's bloodstream within eight hours, within 24 hours it is being utilised by the liver. Ian says its long-acting effect coupled with it containing copper and selenium, the two elements the herd was deficient in, made it a good choice.
"The initial problems that we saw in appetence, wobbly gait, we have had none of that since,'' he says. "The sucklers have thrived and the calves have continued to grow.''
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