Cocci in the Dairy Herd: Ten Tips

Coccidiosis is an intestinal, parasitic disease of livestock, characterised by weight loss, diarrhoea and ill thrift. It usually affects youngstock between 3 weeks and 9 months of age. It is widespread and present on most farms.

Coccidiosis in lambs can be seen as clinical disease, presenting as lambs with diarrhoea, but also can have subclinical effects. Learn about coccidiosis, the clinical signs, if your lambs are at risk, how to diagnose coccidiosis and treatment.

Coccidiosis in lambs how to treat and prevent it! Coccidiosis is caused by the protozoan parasite Eimeria, which invades the cells lining the intestines, causing severe damage and loss of absorptive capacity for nutrients and water.

A question we often receive is "how soon animals can get coccidiosis?" There are important differences between lambs and calves in this regard.

Ciarán outlines the importance of puberty onset in heifers when operating in seasonal milk production systems. He touches on how our technical advice on breeding feeds back to basic biological mechanisms.

Our Specialist explains how anti-coccidial drenches work, which drenches to use and how to use them

In this vlog you will get a chance to meet our cattle and sheep farmers. Find out the farming system they use and the steps they take to prevent coccidiosis.

With Coccidiosis becoming more prevalent on farms, our specialist discusses the top farm management tips to help prevent the disease.

Our Specialist explains what coccidiosis actually is, what causes it and why it can be such a serious problem for cattle and sheep farmers.

A common complaint we receive is calves exhibiting coccidiosis or scour symptoms in the weeks post turnout. In this blog we explain how to manage the coccidiosis aspect of this and also spot when it might not be coccidiosis causing the symptoms.

In this weekly vlog Ciaran discusses the most important weapon we have in the fight against coccidiosis.

In our second video, Glanbia Veterinary Adviser Joris Somers talks about the costs of coccidiosis on a dairy farm - including the hidden ones. He also gives advice on using anti-coccidial drenches, like Dycoxan.

In our second video, Ciarán discusses exactly what the presence of eggs tells us about the parasites in the animal. We also go through the process of taking a sample correctly.

In part 1 of 2, Ciarán explains what basic faecal samples in cattle and sheep can detect and what else we can find with other types of preparation and analysis.

In out latest blog, we outline the different wormer classes, which parasites the products in these classes can treat and some of the pitfalls to be avoided around identifying wormers.

Sometimes, even with the best will in the world, underdosing can happen without a farmer knowing it. This week Ciarán goes through some of the scenarios in which this might happen.

We show you exactly how to calibrate a dosing gun this week. It's a simple task that should be done with every gun at least once annually.

This week we look at the behaviours and signals that a healthy, content calf should display. Stockpersonship is often something we take for granted. It is good to get a refresher and understand why animals exhibit certain behaviours.

Ian 'Seth' Atrmstrong introduces us to his picturesqe farm on the outskirts of the Lake District. He keeps sucklers and sheep and uses Dycoxan as part of his coccidiosis control strategy.

Ciarán outlines the potential timing of coccidiosis-induced scour symptoms in calves and lambs. There are important differences between the species in terms of when coccidiosis is first expected, with calves susceptible sooner than lambs.

The Coen's are beef and sheep farmers from Lehinch in Mayo. Father Liam, works alongside sons David and Stephen who currently plays gaelic football for Mayo. Here we talk to them about family life and farming.

A single ingested coccidia oocyst can lead to the destruction of 50 million cells in the lining of the intestine. After explaining the process last week, this week we're animating the coccidiosis lifecycle and mechanism by which it damages the gut lining.

What is coccidiosis? Our Technical Specialist, Ciarán Lenehan, explains in this week's vlog. It's a very different parasite to fluke or worms. Drenches like Dycoxan exist, but these are often misused. They should be given before the onset of clincal symptoms.

This week, we’re talking coccidiosis. While it might seem out of season, as housing approaches we are running out of time to stop the disease at source.