If several points occur together, there is the greatest risk of bloating!

In the case of foamy fermentation, expanded oils or special surface-relaxing medications such as Siccaden ^® (or, in an emergency, cooking oils or castor oil) can be administered via a gullet with plenty of liquid at an early stage of treatment. This is intended to break down the foam bubbles, allowing the gas to be released or drained (hose). The veterinarian has the option of using certain injection preparations to relax the throat and the pharyngeal-rumen opening, which makes gases easier to regurgitate.

Stinging the rumen with a trocar (left hunger pit!) was a widespread method of “treating” bloated cattle. The complications that usually arise following trocarization and the alternative, inserting a gullet tube, make this method appear outdated. In addition to wound complications, there is a great risk that rumen contents will enter the free abdominal cavity of the cow and trigger peritonitis, which is difficult to treat. If a rumen throat probe cannot be inserted due to various circumstances, the rumen prick can be carried out by a specialist as a final, life-saving measure. However, following a rumen sting, surgical repair by a veterinarian should be arranged immediately.

Practical procedure for rumen flatulence:

• - Wean off the causative feed or move animals to other pastures to avoid new diseases
• Fix the bloated animal and, if you have experience, insert a gullet tube (operations with mainly pasture farming should already have a 2.20 - 2.50 m long piece of hose on hand)
• Only experienced farmers should pour preparations into the rumen, there is a great risk that the probe will sit in the trachea and not in the throat (pouring into the lungs = pneumonia/death of the animal)
• Surface-relaxing agents and water should only be administered via the gullet to stationary animals. Extreme caution should be exercised when animals are stationary (again, there is a great risk of incorrect swallowing) - nothing should be administered
• Call the vet quickly

Water supply

• Grazing animals must have constant access to clean water.
• Lack of water or contaminated water leads to poorer feed intake, increases animal stress and puts a strain on metabolism and animal health. This is how Dr. Leisen 2003 (LWK North Rhine-Westphalia) found increased cell numbers on pasture farms in a practical survey:

             - insufficient water supply (or water quality), sometimes too few drinking troughs

            - Too much distance between lying areas and drinking troughs

Table: Guide values ​​for water requirements on pastures (from ÖAG Info 4/2006)

Accessibility within 50 -150 m

•  The higher the performance, the shorter the distance to the water point should be.
• It is very important to have a sufficient number of drinking troughs (at least 2) or a corresponding length of the trough with a high water inflow. If there are too few drinking options, lower-ranking animals consume less water!

Water temperature

Water temperatures below 15 °C should be aimed for. High temperatures in summer provide harmful germs with the best growing conditions. This makes it necessary to frequently replace the drinking water (barrels) or clean the drinking troughs every one or two days.

Contaminated water may not be offered.

Damp drinking places also increase the risk of parasites and diseases. Cheap supply facilities include simple drinking water ring pipes, spring catchments, pasture wells and water barrels with drinking basins. The use of surface water is not recommended.

Pasture pumps must be sufficiently dimensioned to avoid long waiting times at the watering trough. In order to avoid damage to the soil and scars as well as the formation of morass in heavily frequented drinking areas, the supply facilities should be movable or fastened in a water-permeable manner (ÖAG Info 4/2006).

Control the distribution of feces and urine through drinking points.

An even distribution of drinking points improves the distribution of faeces and urine.

Mineral supply

In winter, minerals are often supplied through concentrated feed, licks or mineral mixtures that are sprinkled over the basic feed. These allocation options are (partially) eliminated for all-day grazing or full pasture. In some cases, the cattle do not have enough time in the stable to absorb sufficient mineral components during the grazing season.

• To ensure the sodium supply, salt licks must be installed in the stable and also on the pastures.
• Magnesium-rich mineral mixtures are particularly recommended at the beginning of grazing.
• Supplementation with trace elements (selenium, zinc, copper, etc.) is often necessary.   
• Targeted mineral supplementation for dairy cows is usually carried out via a small dose of a mixture of concentrated feed + mineral mixture at the feeding table or in the milking parlor.  
• Lick stones or mineral lick bowls are offered in rearing, pasture fattening or suckler cow farming. These should be protected from rain if possible.

driveways

Anyone who systematically creates pasture drives saves working time, strengthens hoof and udder health and protects pasture areas.

When kept on pasture, dairy cows have to go from the pasture to the stable twice a day. It therefore makes sense to build animal-friendly, cost-effective and time-saving driveways. The driveways should last at least 10-20 years without major effort and should open up as much pasture as possible. It is beneficial if the animals can go from the pasture to the stable at any time. The cows like to go to cool stables, especially on hot days. In addition, cows coming out of the milking parlor can immediately go back to the pastures to eat.

Path width depending on the herd of cows

The larger the herd, the wider the path should be. In the initial area, a path width of 3 to 5 meters is favorable. For small herds, the path can then be reduced to a width of up to 1 m. Electric fences must be placed approximately 50 cm from the edge of the path, which results in a total width of approximately 2 m. For larger herds of over 40-50 cows, path widths of 3 to 4 m are advantageous, as otherwise the drive in takes a lot of time.

Pay attention to the floor

The durability of a driveway depends heavily on the subsoil and the possibility of water drainage such as drainage. Soft driveways - which dry out quickly - are generally preferable to hard floor versions. These not only protect the claws, they are also preferred by the cows. Cows step on coarse, stony material very easily. When cows have to travel long distances on hard ground, this can lead to strain-clawed deer.

- For long distances, a 10 to 20 cm thick layer of wood chips and bark on a water-permeable surface is recommended. However, the resistance (humusation) is low, especially in moist conditions (water, shade).
- Another option is to use fine sand , which is spread moist and then compacted well.
- Acid-resistant asphalt and concrete paths are very durable, easy to drive on, but expensive and pose a risk of slipping on sloping paths. If there are stones on these floors, cows can easily kick them into defective sole horns. However, these hard surfaces are not recommended for long drive paths.
- concrete blocks (horticulture) or old slatted floors can also be placed. The cavities are either filled with sand or filled with humus and sown.
- plastic grids filled with sand comes from horse keeping . These are usually also covered with wood chips.
- If terrain gradients of more than 30% have to be overcome, wooden threshold steps backfilled with earth or wood chips (soft tread surface at least 50 cm wide) are recommended.

Motorway crossings

Farm paths can be crossed using electric fence gates, simple tension brackets or pivoting electric fence barriers. The latter consist of one or two electrified barriers and hinges for mounting on posts. They enable vehicles to drive through easily and safely without getting out. After passing through, the barrier rocks back to its starting position.

Tip: At the Moarhof organic teaching and research company in 8950 Trautenfels (Organic Institute), different driveway designs and electric fence designs can be viewed. 

breed

In many countries, a significant increase in milk production from dairy cows has been observed in recent decades. At the same time, as the use of concentrated feed increased, the proportion of pasture grass in the dairy cattle rations decreased and the cows became larger and heavier. If you summarize the literature results on the suitability of high-performance animals for (consistent) grazing, the following picture emerges:

In contrast to stable keeping, the daily pasture feed intake is more limited at 15-20 kg T per animal. The reasons for this are limited feeding time, bite frequency and number of bites.

At the start of lactation, high-performance animals mobilize body reserves over a longer period of time and significantly more than low-performance cows.

As individual animal performance increases, greater metabolic stress (nutrient mobilization, increased metabolic rate, heat stress, etc.) must be expected when kept on pasture. This can also lead to worsening fertility results and longevity.

If high individual animal performance is associated with larger and heavier cows, then greater damage to the pastures can be expected. 

In principle, extensive farms or organic farms can be recommended to pay greater attention to life performance, fitness characteristics and frame (not too large or heavy) when selecting breeding animals.

Recommendations for organic dairy farming

Links (to our homepage area) pasture information:

Fly load

You can distinguish between biting flies, non-biting flies and horseflies. Stinging flies feed on animals several times a day. They need blood proteins to develop their brood. Non-biting flies feed on secretions from natural body openings, from skin injuries and from bleeding bites from horseflies and biting flies. They also rely on proteins for the development of their brood.

Stinging flies

• Small willow fly ( Haematobia irritans )
• Large willow fly ( Haematobia stimulans )
• Calfhorn ( Stomoxys calcitrans )

Non-stinging flies

• Eye fly (Musca autumnalis)
• Head fly (Hydrotaea irritans)
• Gr. Housefly (Musca domestica)
• Small housefly (Fannia canicularis)

Table: fly development

The lifespan of a fly is between 14 and 18 days. During this time the fly lays around 600 eggs. The optimal temperatures for the development of the different development stages and the duration of this development can be seen in the fly development table.

2) Communicable diseases

Fly contamination causes the animals to become uneasy, which can manifest itself in restless wandering, defensive movements, ear movements, skin twitching and a decrease in milk production (and weight gain) of up to 20%. Flies can also transmit diseases (table of communicable diseases)

Table: communicable diseases

3) Combat options

The table of options for combating pasture flies shows that there are medicines that also have an effect against flies. Ear clips are a good way to achieve an effect over a longer period of time, but for organic farms the waiting period regulation should be noted.

The implementation of the Biocidal Products Act resulted in Section 11B of the Medicines Act being deleted without replacement (Federal Law Gazette I No. 34/2005). However, the products reported under Section 11B of the Medicines Act may continue to be placed on the market. After an amendment to the Medicines Act, a decision will be made as to whether these products will then be placed on the market as medicinal products or as biocidal products.

There are some dips on the market that provide a certain level of protection against fly contamination on the teat/udder. Some examples of options for combating pasture flies are listed in the table.

Table: Possibilities for combating pasture flies, information as of July 11, 2012

              kM: do not use in lactating animals, AM: medicines, AMG: Medicines Act