OBSALIM : Method

A unique and original diagnostic and feed adjustment method based on the observation of cattle, sheep and goats: OBSALIM®.

  

For those who know how to read and interpret the signs displayed by farm animals, it becomes very easy to manage a herd profitably and without the occurrence of disease. 

The OBSALIM® method is the key to this. OBSALIM® will teach you to recognise and interpret a large number of symptoms in the animals that are closely and accurately related to the digestion of their ration. Based on observation of the eyes, hooves, skin, hide, dung, urine and other indicators, you can establish a precise diagnosis of the nutritional condition and needs of the animal.

 

All of the OBSALIM® data is factual and is an essential part of observation in the field. The herd continually provides us with physiological signals that are easy to recognise.

 

Samples of observation:

After the 2 observation steps on the herd in general, (see homogeneity and the cross of the hock)

E.g. the presence of yellow scabbing or crystals: excess of degradable nitrogen ingested too quickly.

 

To make an accurate OBSALIM® Diagnosis, at least three symptoms should be used.

 

                     

For cattle: the eyes                                            or              for sheep: greasy deposits in the wool.

 

E.g. Licking and pHG Zone (area behind the shoulder) active: pH drop in rumen: acidosis peak after eating.

 

  or  

 

 

For the complete method, see the notice included in the set of cards: click here or continue to read

to look to the différent areas and symptoms : click here, but don't forget the steps of the méthod to achieve a safe and succesful OBSALIM diagnosis

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The 4 steps in the method:

 

Methodology
OBSALIM Diagnosis 1. Herd approach 2. Orientation 3. Rumen stability 4  Management of feed intakes	Feeding adjustment 1. OBSALIM diagnosis 2. Examine the ration 3. Assess possible changes 4. Determine the best possible change 5. Validate the change

 

1/  Assess the homogeneity of the herd:  

         

→    If there is too much variation in condition between the cows in the herd, the cows are not adapting to   

 

            their living conditions. There is possibly room for improvement in feeding.

2/  Orientation : the cross of the hock:

                         →   Dirtiness under the horizontal hock line: evaluating the feeding is paramount.

 

     

 

 

                         →   Dirtiness behind the vertical line: there are issues with space and room to rest.

  

 

     

 

 

 

3/  Assess the rumen stability, after each meal or from one meal to another.

 

        

    

 

4/ Look for other OBSALIM® symptoms: choose the three most pronounced symptoms from three different areas to make the diagnosis by calculating the totals for the values of the correlating criterions.

 Then you can use the set of cards and make your diagnosis by adding up the value for each OBSALIM criterion (fE, gE, fP, gP, fF,sF, sR)

 

Use OBSALIM® and find out for yourself...

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SET OF CARDS

Following are the 61 feeding symptoms, that are described in the set of cards, and more precisely in the book. They are classified by the observing areas.

 

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        For CATTLE

  

Choice and click :

 Hair,  Skin ,  Cowpats,  Urine,  Eye,  Nose,  Foot,  Food intake,  Rumination,  Milk,  Reproduction,  General,  Behaviour and the Cross of the Hock

 

HAIR: Cards N° 1  to 6

HG area /  Hair crest /  Spinal chill / Hair in swirls / Lack of structure in the coat /  Blurred edges of markings   

 

 

 SKIN: Cards N°7 to 10

Yelowish-brown coloration / Absence of yellow / Greasy skin / Dry skin

 

COWPATS:  Cards N°11 to 21

soft cowpats / liquid / with fragments of mucus / elastic / bubbling / changing / with short fibres 

with fibres of more than 2cm / with cereal grains and fibres / evacuation lying down / during milking

 

 

  

 URINE: Cards N° 22 to 24

                         Transparent urine / Yellow urine / Changing urine

 

EYE: Cards N° 25 to 30

Black crusts on the inside corner of the eye /  Yellow crystals on the inside corner of the eye

Pale eye /  Red eye

Protruding third eyelid / Swelling of the eyelids

 

 

 

NOSE: Cards N° 31 to 34

Redness of the nose / Discharges from the nose / Nose stained / Pale nose

 

 

 

FOOT:  Cards N° 35 to 37

Haematoma / Redness of the claw skin fold / Ulcers on the sole / Hard sole

 

 

FOOD INTAKE: Cards N° 39 to 42

Total time spent eating, less than 5 hrs / Irregular food intake / Food intake during rumination

 

 

RUMINATION: Cards N° 43 to 45

Less than 75% of the animals lyins down during the rumination phase at the beginning of the afternoon

Less than 40 chews movements during one rumination phase / More than 60 chews movements during one rumination phase

 

 

 

MILK: Cards N° 46 to 49

End of milking, takes too long / Slow preparation for milking / Large gap fat-prot / Small gap fat-prot

 

 

REPRODUCTION:  Cards N° 50 to 52

Absence of cycling (with or without anoestrus) / Poor fertility /

 

 

 GENERAL : Cards N° 53 to 57

 

Thin animals, loss of weight / Spine prominent / distended flank, persistent / Congestive or elimination disease

 

BEHAVIOUR: Cards N°58 and 59

               Animals excited / Animals very slow

 

 

CROSS OF THE HOCK: Cards N° 60 and 61

animals are durty under the line / animals are dury behind the line

 

 

 method  /  4 steps of the method / For CATTLE /  For GOATS

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 For SHEEP : the cards

 

Some of the symptoms are the same, and some more specifics are the following:

 

BEHAVIOUR: Cards N° 57 to 59

Excitement / Disturbed cudding / Slowness

 

 

 

CROSS OF THE HIP: Cards N° 61

animals are dirty under the hip cross 

 

 

DROPPINGS : Cards N° 18 to 32

Sticking, soft / Shapeless / Increased size droppings / Changeable / Hard droppings / Mucus 

Short fibres / Long fibres / grains in the droppings, without or with fibres / Lying down / during milking

Big heaps of droppings / Dark / Brown droppings

 

 

EYE : Cards N° 36 to 40

Black crusts / Yellow crustals / Eye pale / Redness

 

 

 

FEEDING: Card N° 48

Selective or refusal

 

FEET: Cards N° 45 to 47

Redness / Horizontal lines or break / Repulsive smell of the claw

 

 

GENERAL : Cards N° 51 to 56

Heterogeneous flock / Animals with hanging neck / General weakness / Weight loss / Congestive pathologies

 

 

HOUSING: Cards N° 60

Irritating smell

 

MILK: Cards N° 49 and 50

Cold teats / Week lambs

 

 

NOSE : Cards N° 41 to 44

Pink / Pale / Discharge / Stains of food

 

SKIN: Cards N° 11 to 17

Oozing deposits, inguinal / Absenc of yellow / Black deposits, inguinal / Parasites

Yellowish-brown coloration / Yellow deposits / Dry skin 

 

 

WOOL-FLEECE:  Cards N° 1 to 10

 

pHG area / Black ends of wool / Greasy fleece / Wet fleece / Open fleece / Dry fleece

Yellow brown deposits in the middle of the strands of wool / Wool breaking / Curled wool / Hair loss

 

 

 method  /  4 steps of the method / For CATTLE /

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For GOATS : the cards

 

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Most of the symptoms are the same, and some more specifics are the following:

 

BEHAVIOUR: Card N° 57 and 58

The goats are aggressive.

 

  

 

CROSS OF THE HIP: Cards N° 61

animals are dirty under the hip cross

 

 

 

DROPPINGS: Cards N° 12 to 26

Wet droppings

 

  

 

EYE : Cards N° 30 to 34

Black crusts / Yellow crustals / Eye pale / Redness

 

  

 

FEET: Shuffling during miking

 

GENERAL: Cards 49 to 56

Heterogeneous herd of goats /  Spine prominent /  Homogeneous herd, heavy / Homogeneous herd, thin

Tiredness / Congestion or Elimination pathologies

 

  

 

 

HAIR:  Cards N°1 to 5

pHG Area / Hair crest on flank / Siny coat / Dull coat / Lack of structure

 

  

 

MILK: Cards N° 44 to 48

Inversion of values / Red udder / Weak kids / Soft curd 

 

NOSE : Cards N° 35 to 37

Redness / Discharge / Dirty with food

 

RUMINATION: Cards N° 42 and 43

Teeth grinding during rumination / Frothing during rumination

 

 

 

SKIN : Cards N° 6 to 12

Yellow coloration/ yellow deposits / greasy skin / Dry skin

 

  

 

URINE : Cards N° 33 to 35

Transparent / Yellow / Changing

 

 method  /  4 steps of the method / For CATTLE / For SHEEP