Method of Zinc Administration for Facial Eczema Prevention
Water Trough – 60% effective
Dependent on
- Weather – on hot days cows will drink more
- Taste – Use a flavourant
- Other water sources -Cows will preferentially drink from “clean” water then dosed water troughs
- Cow production – Those that produce more will drink more
- Hierarchy – Dominant cows can “hog” the trough
- Evaporation
- DM intake
- Increasing supplementation results in cows drinking more water
Feed – 70-80% effective
Dependent on
- Animal weights
- Variation in what they eat – Fat cows eat everything
- Wastage – Generally not accounted for
- Pellets vs. loose – Powder sticks to the side of the silo
- Feed wagon vs. mixer – Generally mixer is better
- Feed company mixing – Formulation differs between companies
- When to start and stop
- In shed feeding – More consistent then feed pad
Drenching – 80% effective
Dependent on
- Weight of animal – Can be quite variable in mixed breed herds
- Start & stop timing
- Drying off early
Bolus – 90% effective
Dependent on
- Timing – When to start and stop, spore counting must be done
- Weight of animal -Very important to dose to the correct weight particularly young stock