Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this module, students will be able to: 1. Demonstrate an up to date knowledge of how nutritional status relates to metabolic and production diseases in dairy herds 2. Apply tools for the monitoring of nutritional status and lameness in dairy herds 3. Formulate short-term and long-term control strategies for metabolic and production diseases and lameness in dairy herds 4. Evaluate the cost benefit issues surrounding control strategies for metabolic and production diseases and lameness in dairy herds 5. Integrate aspects of dairy herd nutritional status with fertility, lameness and general health 6. Demonstrate an up to date knowledge of infectious and non-infectious causes of lameness in dairy herds 7. Construct a farm visit report of an investigation into a nutritional or lameness problem or a monitoring exercise for nutritional status or lameness
Indicative Module Content:
Topics:
1. Introduction, digestion and metabolism, energy, and protein.
2. Feed composition, concentrate feeds, forages, minerals and trace elements.
3. Periparturient metabolic status, energy balance, over-conditioning, fatty liver, ketosis.
4. Rumen fermentation issues, displaced abomasum and bloat
5. Milk Fever and subclinical hypocalcaemia.
6. Nutrition fertility, trace elements deficiencies.
7. Lameness infectious versus non-infectious.
8. Lameness husbandry.