From field to fridge...Dairy placement

For the last two weeks, I have been waking up at around 5am every morning to get to a local dairy farm as part of my pre-clinical animal husbandry training. I must admit that before this experience I didn't know a vast deal about dairy production apart from the material we'd covered in lectures so it's fantastic to be getting more hands on and talking with farmers about how their production system works.

The main bulk of my morning is spent helping the herdsman to milk 170 cows. The main breeds in this dairy herd are Holstein-Fresians (the most common black and white dairy breed), Brown Swiss (chocolate to light brown cows) and Montbeliarde (black and white with a predominately white face).

Milking begins at 5.45am on this farm and typically takes until around 8.30am. The milking parlour is classified as a 9/18 parlour with 9 cows milked on either side at any one time. In the mornings quite a few of the cows will rush into the parlour to be milked and some even seem to thoroughly enjoy the process, others take a bit more persuading to enter! Surprisingly I've found that whistling at the cows is a really useful way of encouraging them to move forwards and they are quite responsive to it at this farm which makes life a lot easier when you've got over 100 to get through! Milking then begins all over again at 2.30pm!

At the beginning of my placement, I found it incredibly difficult to maneuver my hands into the correct position to apply the milking machine to the teats (cows have 4 teats on their udder, unlike sheep which only have 2), however by the end of the week I found it a lot easier, especially as the cows got to recognise me a bit better and stood still for long enough for me to apply the machine!

During this time of the year, the cows are being "dried off" - this means that the farmer is gradually reducing the amount of milk the cow produces before they are turned out in the field for around 2 months to preserve their energy ready for when they calve in late September/October.

 In order to produce the milk we use everyday a cow needs to have a calf every year so it will keep lactating. Farmers aim to keep their cows lactating for around 305 days with a dry period of 60 days before calving. Because of this need to keep producing calves year on year, fertility is a major part of the dairy industry. To make sure farmers can try to get the best results the cows wear "heat detector collars" or pedometers which track their movements. When a cow is "on heat" it is the optimum time for breeding whether by Artificial Insemination which is a common practice in the dairy industry or natural methods by introducing a bull. The information from the collar or pedometer is then read by a special box which creates a graph of activity. If there are peaks showing high levels of movement it means the cow is ready to be mated.  Cows have a 21 day cycle with the oestrus (mating) stage lasting 18-24 hours, ovulation occurs 12 hours following this, therefore it is important that farmers act rather quickly when a cow on heat is detected.

My favourite job on the farm was feeding the calves. Whilst I was there I had five of them to look after but come September there will be a lot more around the place! What I loved about the calves was their differing personalities. There was a Brown Swiss calf I secretly named Luna who was rather timid but very sweet, a very nosy one who looked slightly like a panda with black circles around his eyes who got the nickname Headbutt because everytime I tried to give him his milk he decided to slam his rather large head into my side - I think he thought I was his mother and was looking for an udder... But the sweetest calf liked to moo when he saw me coming and would suck on my fingers when I came to visit, I wish they stayed that size forever because they're just so very cute!

During my time spent on dairy I also got to accompany the farmer on a trip to the local market where he was selling 3 of his beef bulls to dealers for slaughter. It was a really great experience to see so many different breeds of cattle all in one place and there was something very nice about how everyone seemed to know one another! Furthermore I couldn't believe how fast the cattle would sell - on average the auctioneer would sell a cow in less than a minute before the next one was brought in. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't even work out how people were bidding, it was so subtle, I was almost scared to cough in case I somehow ended up with a cow (although that wouldn't be so bad...) Sheep were also being sold at this market and it was a good test of my knowledge of breeds. Like the cows, groups of these sheep were sold so very quickly I wondered how anyone had any time to even process who had won them! I found out that cattle at auction for slaughter are sold in pence per kg. The farmer I went with ended up with a pretty good price for his 3 bulls so he was very happy that day!

Despite the early mornings and all the mess (I was repeatedly covered in muck for an entire two weeks), I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent milking and I have even more admiration for dairy farmers and in some ways feel that the price we pay for milk maybe is a bit on the low side considering all the planning, management and effort that goes in to running a dairy herd. Now everytime I look at a bottle of milk I can't help but think back to the farm and the milking parlour and realise just how incredible these cows are to produce as much milk as they do. Where would Britain be without them - the coffee would be bitter and black, the tea not quite as perfect, the cereals dry and bland and the Great British Bake Off without a key ingredient for many cakes! So next time you reach into your fridge in a morning for that pint of milk think of the hard working farmers and cows that have to produce it!

Ritual Slaughter and Animal Welfare - a big debate!

Since I haven't posted about any animal health news in a long while I thought I'd start again by covering a highly controversial topic - ritual slaughter and its implications on the welfare of livestock at the abattoir. As a vet student I feel strongly about this issue, but I should point out that every person is entitled to their own opinions and views and this post is just my understanding, interpretation and thoughts. Hopefully this post will prove useful in giving some background information on why this topic is so hotly debated and clear up some of the common points of confusion.

So what is ritual slaughter?
Ritual slaughter is when an animal is slaughtered in specific manner dictated by the religious requirements of a faith. The main faiths that practice this are the Jewish community where the meat slaughtered in this manner is known as Kosher and the Muslim faith where the meat is known as Halal.

Why is ritual slaughter so controversial?
In abattoirs where ritual slaughter is not practiced, by law all animals are stunned before they are slaughtered to ensure that they will not be conscious when the throat is cut a few moments laterr and thus no suffering or pain can occur, this is done using either a strong electric shock to the head or a captive bolt to the brain.

However the law does allow an exception in the case of ritual slaughter - this is the part in which it seems the media focuses upon. In reality over 80% of meat classed as Halal is stunned before slaughter, making the process no less humane than normal slaughter, therefore I feel it is unfair to label all meat from ritual slaughter as necessarily bad for animal welfare. The debate should focus more on non-stun slaughter as oppose to Halal and Kosher meat itself.

On the other hand, there is still just below 20% of animals according to reports destined for religious slaughter which will not be stunned. The practice of no stunning in ritual slaughter has already been banned in several EU countries including Sweden, Iceland, Norway, Poland and Switzerland. The main concern for animal welfare with non-stun slaughter is the issue of a delay in time between slitting the throat and bleeding to death in which the animal may be conscious and aware of what it happening to it. In my own opinion non-stun slaughter shouldn't be acceptable, with welfare laws protecting the animal throughout its life on the farm it seems unfair that the animal is not protected from suffering in its last few moments.

Nevertheless I feel it is also as important not to make the issue of ritual slaughter into a personal attack on those of religious faiths that practice it, because as discussed before the majority of the meat they consume is actually stunned and ensures a high standard of animal welfare. Instead I feel there needs to be a greater push for stunning to be compulsory in all sectors to ensure that any animal going to the abattoir is protected from pain, panic and suffering.

Could there perhaps be other consequences of banning non-stun slaughter to consider?
Some worry that if  non-stun slaughter was to be banned those desiring meat from this practice could simply look to importation of meat from countries where the practice is still allowed. This could cause a reduction of demand for British meat which some farmers are concerned about.
Some may argue that implementation of this would go against their right to practice their religion freely therefore adding into the mix another layer of debate that would need to be considered if such a change in the law was being debated.

Issues of meat labelling
To add to the debate further, it had also been revealed that some Halal/Kosher meat may be found in other food produce without the knowledge of the consumer. Unaware consumers may be buying products which contain meat from a non-stun slaughter origin of which if they knew about they may oppose as there is no requirement for halal or kosher meat to be specifically labelled.

As a result it has been suggested that better labelling of meat products is required to indicate the source of the meat they are buying. In my view this labelling needs to go further than simply labelling whether the meat may have been produced by a ritual slaughter method or not. To allow for the consumer to have a choice, meat should be labelled as either stunned or non-stunned, because as discussed before not all animals in ritual slaughter are killed unstunned. By being more informative on the origin of meat produce, consumers would then have the power to choose whether to accept the practice or not and hence may be able to further illustrate the public opinion of non-stun slaughter.

Where can I find out more on the non-stun slaughter debate?
Farmers Guardian
BVA
BBC News
RSPCA

Youngsters vs Farrier - Equine placement week 2

My second week on equine placement kicked off with a bit of excitement! The yearlings were due for a hoof trim by the farrier and the yard owner kindly invited me to join in with helping to herd the young horses up from their designated field and drive them down onto the yard ready to meet the farrier for the first time!

Two of the pregnant mares kept in the field with the youngsters were caught in head collars and acted as the lead animals to encourage the yearlings to follow, whilst one member of the team followed behind the horses to prevent them from bolting back to the field. My main job was to act as an exit block and prevent the horses from going up one of the many pathways separating the field from the yard. As I watched the 9 or so horses trot down the hill towards me it reminded me very much of lambing and the time I had taken up a similar position to stop the sheep disappearing down the road - luckily the horses seemed a bit more sensible than the sheep, for this part at least! 

Once the horses had been safely contained in a field on the main yard, I had the chance to get to know a few of the yearlings. Alfie was a rather big chestnut who was incredibly friendly and seemed fascinated in my mucking out job whilst I waited for the farrier to arrive, in fact at one point he even tried to steal my sweeping brush- taking it between his teeth and moving his head side to side! My other favourite was a smaller mouse grey called Judith the foal of a pony I used to ride many years ago who although was very timid clung to Alfie's side and gradually plucked up the courage to come and say hello!

Mid-afternoon the farrier arrived and the fun began! We tried starting with the quietest of the yearlings first but it became apparent very quickly that even they weren't too sure about removing their hooves off the ground. The farrier then changed his approach and used a soft lead rope to gently encourage the young horse to lift its leg, as soon as it obliged the farrier would release the pressure and allow the horse to lower the leg. This taught the horse that there were no bad consequences by allowing their hooves to be handled. Furthermore we tried to make sure the horses had a good first experience by offering food as a reward whilst the farrier worked away and scratched their withers as a method of reassurance, as this is a behaviour horses will naturally display with their friends in the wild.

One method I did come across during this experience was the use of the twitch as a method of restraint in one of the difficult horses when all the above methods to keep it calm failed and the yearling kept rearing, kicking and thrashing. The twitch was applied to the end of the horses nose and it was remarkable to see the difference. Apparently the twitch device works by releasing endorphins to the horses brain acting as a natural soother and preventing injury to the farrier, handler and horse.

Overall this day in particular was one of the most informative whilst on my placement. In a short space of time I feel like I expanded my knowledge of dealing with young and nervous horses, a skill which will become more important when I potentially enter practice as some of the patients I will have to see will inevitably be inexperienced at vet checks like the yearlings were for the farrier or nervous by nature.

 I have now completely finished my two weeks on equine and now I am making the most of a short break (and savouring the lie-ins) before I begin my first full dairy experience next week!

Moving on to second year and equine placement!

Today I thankfully received the news that I had passed my first year of vet school with a distinction and would be returning in September as a second year ! When I look back on all I have learnt in the space of a year it is quite daunting knowing I've got another four more years of material to cover and retain! I am so thrilled that the hours of staring at parasites, dissection guides, lecture notes and anatomy videos have paid off and I can now get back to enjoying placements and my summer before it begins all over again.

Speaking of placements, I am currently spending two weeks at the yard I used to ride expanding my knowledge of horse husbandry! The great thing about this yard is the wide variety of different horses I come into contact with - from flashy competition horses to riding school ponies and yearlings. This gives me a good opportunity to handle horses of contrasting personality types and re-familiarise myself with the basic equestrian skills a vet may need, such as catching a horse from a field, tacking up, picking out hooves, grooming and general  handling.

Of course with the privilege of working with horses comes hard work! I have spent a lot of this week mucking out and poo picking the fields. Although lacking in glamour, these are important jobs that help prevent disease and parasites and are essential to the well being of the horse. Plus I might actually be building some muscles by doing these tasks as on day one of the placement I realised just how little body strength I have! Tack cleaning has also become a job I enjoy doing - there's something very satisfying about watching as a bit of elbow grease and saddle soap transform a tired looking saddle into a piece of art.

There have also been some great perks to this placement - namely getting to ride out on hacks when there's a horse to be exercised! Until I went to vet school, I rode regularly but unfortunately the downside of being a student in London is the cost of being able to get in the saddle and the long tube ride to the stables on the outskirts of the city, therefore for the past few months my opportunities to ride diminished. Having not ridden since November it was refreshing to return to exploring the countryside on horseback and I don't think there's a better way to appreciate your surroundings than a gentle canter through the fields.

One embarrassing incident did occur however whilst rediscovering my buried riding abilities. I was due to go out on a ride with one of the stable grooms and decided to mount up as I saw her bringing her horse down the yard. Unfortunately my horse Sox decided he didn't fancy doing any work and would not stand still at the mounting block no matter how hard I tried. Eventually I decided I would take an brief opportunity whilst he was stood at a slight angle to jump on but Sox had other ideas and with a bit of a buck as my foot touched the stirrup threw me to the floor. Of course most of the yard saw and I felt like a bit of an idiot but apart from that I escaped unscathed and continued to have a lovely hack out with Sox who decided to behave himself after a bit of a telling off.

Here's to hoping that the next week of placement is just as exciting and eventful. It's so brilliant to be out and doing what I love best which is being around animals and makes me feel as though I haven't completely wasted the summer!

Looking back at Lambing 2014!

Earlier this year I had the absolute pleasure of going on my first placement as a proper vet student, and it just so happened to be one of the best experiences of my life so far, so I thought I'd share why spending four weeks on a sheep farm in Sussex was just so incredible.

As my second term at vet school drew to a close, I began to pack boilers suits, wellies, a torch, numerous warm jumpers and flasks into a suitcase with a mixture of nerves, excitement and anticipation. I was off to live with a family of shepherds in the remarkably picturesque South Downs, get my first proper experience lambing and learn more about exactly how much work goes into producing meat for our tables!

On arrival I was warmly welcomed by some of the friendliest people I've ever met and taken on a tour of a simply gorgeous rustic style farm that had been used as a sheep farm for countless generations in the past. As the sun set behind the hills it felt so indescribably magical to know that over the next few weeks I would play a role in bringing new life to this farm as many others had over the years and that idea of being incorporated into something so special made me even more determined to work as hard as I could to improve my knowledge of shepherding.

The first few days were physically and mentally tough. Unfortunately animals do not understand the concept of a 9-5 working day, therefore it was up and out onto the yard for 7am most mornings and performing checks on the sheep out in the fields until around 12pm (with breaks for lunch and dinner of course!) It was one of these night checks that I remember so poignantly.

 It was about half past ten at night and myself and a fellow vet student had driven the quad bike and trailer out to the field where the ewes to lamb were being kept. I sat on the side of the quad and scanned my torch light around, the reflection of the beam catching in the ewes eyes and being reflected back at me (Sheep have a part of their eye known as the tapetum lucidium which refracts light onto their retina and helps them to see in the dark, this is what causes the reflection of the torch light). Finally we saw two tiny shapes limp and almost lifeless in the centre of the strip- these were small hyperthermic lambs, their mother a shearling (a first time mother). Both myself and my partner groaned and admittedly cursed a few times as we tried to get close enough to put the mother in the trailer with her lambs. Finally with the help of the crook (seriously indispensable when catching sheep) we had her! Once we had the lambs back at the farm we knew we had to act quickly to provide them with warmth and colostrum (the first milk produced by the ewe.) While my friend hooked up the electric heat lamp, I collected an empty measuring jug and cornered the ewe to milk her- after a few moments of darting about she obliged and allowed me to extract enough milk to feed her lambs. As I watched the colostrum slowly trickle down the stomach tube I remember praying that this would be enough to save them as there is nothing more down heartening at lambing time than a ewe losing her lambs. Eventually we knew that there was nothing more we could do and giving the lambs navel a dip of iodine to prevent infection turned out the lights to the barn. When I returned the next morning to the pen I was amazed and delighted to see both lambs stood up and attempting to suckle from their mother who with a quick stamp of her hooves assured me that I had done my job and she would take it from there.

Sheep have a sadistic sense of humour too, of that I am sure! Every evening before supper one of the main jobs was to help herd the sheep in from the daytime hilly fields into a straight flat field further on. While most of the flock would happily trot down the hills to the bottom to the rustling of a bag of feed, there was always a straggler - this particular straggler I named Yorkie after the nursery rhyme "The Grand Old Duke of York". Yorkie's favourite activity it seemed was to wait at the top of the highest hill she could find and cause vet students the agony of walking all the way up to escort her down every evening without fail as the shepherd couldn't use his sheepdog on the pregnant ewes.  As soon as you would reach the top, considerably out of breath, Yorkie would sprint down to the rest of the flock with what I am convinced was a skip of laughter as I plodded behind praying for the day she would lamb so she could be brought indoors!

A lamb named Trouble also touched my heart during my stay on the South Downs. The first day I arrived at the farm, the shepherd had taken me to see the ewes that had lambed in the sheds and there he was - except he wasn't in a good way at all. Lambs are naturally born to stand as soon as possible and Trouble had been born a few days before yet was still on his side, surviving on milk fed to him by a stomach tube. Nevertheless we decided to give him a chance and I helped with his care over the next few days until miraculously one day he walked- even if his sense of direction was appalling. Soon after his discovery of his legs, Trouble decided his occupation was to be an explorer and countless times we found him wandering off into the pens of other ewes. His own mother showed little interest in him (and had another lamb to attend to) and he little interest in her so we decided for the benefit of both animals to make Trouble our first "orphan lamb." For those of you who may not know, just because a lamb is called an orphan lamb does not mean its mother is dead - in fact often they are from a ewe that had triplets and cannot rear 3 lambs herself, or like Trouble, the lambs are weaker and smaller so may need more care and attention. Bottle feeding the orphans became one of my favourite jobs as it meant I got to know the characters of the various orphan lambs - especially Trouble who then took on the persona as the "anti-social lamb" preferring his own company to that of the more boisterous of the group. To further increase his reputation, several times we attempted to adopt Trouble to another ewe and each time rather than the ewe rejecting him, he would reject the ewe refusing to suckle from her even with our encouragement and trying to hold him to the teat. Eventually  the farmer turned to me and asked me to mark him with stock spray paint  so I drew a T on his side so the world would know that Trouble was an independent spirit. I am happy to report that Trouble is still well and as cheeky as ever back at the farm and is secretly a favourite of every person who meets him for his cheekiness!

Then there was the indescribable feeling of helping bring a lamb into the world. Before arriving at the farm, the closest I had been to assisting with a birth were the simulators at vet school which consisted of a plastic box, some warm water, a fake lamb and a sheep pelvis- it didn't even compare to what it is like in reality. In reality you are completely reliant on your sense of touch to determine what position the lamb is in and to differentiate between a forelimb and a hindlimb, a head or a tail. In addition you know that a life depends on your actions, not enough care and the hoof of the lamb could damage the inside of the ewe, not getting a breached lamb (coming out backwards) out as fast as possible and it could die. My favourite sound soon became the flap of wet ears as the newborn lamb shook it's head for the first time and the soft nickering of the ewe, my favourite sight that of the lamb wobbling to its feet for the very first time. I am yet to see many things more wonderful than that.

I think what makes me so grateful for the time I spent lambing was because it taught me that the most beautiful moments in life can be the simplest, and sometimes it is so easy to forget that. No other experience has ever made me feel as whole as those 4 weeks did. Despite the long hours, moments of heartbreak and pure exhaustion I would do it all again in a heartbeat. I never could find the words to express all these feelings to the farmers while I was with them but I hope that if they perchance across this blog they will know that they gave me the most incredible opportunity and memories I know I shall treasure for the rest of my life, for that I cannot thank them enough.