Dairy NZ

Mastitis Management

• Double your SCC on peak day - this is a rough guide to what your dry off SCC will be when bulk milk SCC spikes, strip cows to find new mastitis clinical cases for treatment
• Strip high SCC cows (>500,000/ml) after each herd test. Treat clinicals only
• Watch for signs of contagious spread e.g. growing number of heifers with a SCC over 120,000/ml. Get expert help to review your systems
• Keep using MRS T to Mark, Record, Separate and Treat clinical cows.  Make sure all staff know your marking systems
• Continue teat spraying after every milking. Check coverage and volume being used each month (should be about 20 mls per cow per milking) 
• Replace inflations after 2,500 milkings. This may mean replacing inflations every two months in a "swing-over" herringbone milking 10 rows per side per milking, or every four months for a rotary milking 10 rounds per milking
• Review clinical records from previous months to check for emerging problems and identify potential culls.
• Refer to DairyNZ Healthy Udder for more information.

Facial Eczema

• Start monitoring spore counts and begin zinc treatment as risk conditions increase. Refer to DairyNZ Farmfact: Facial eczema - zinc treatment, recipes and dose rates (3-7)
• Review your management plan for stock affected with facial eczema. Refer to DairyNZ Farmfact Facial eczema - treatment and prevention (3-6).

Heat Stress

• Look out for signs of heat stress such as panting, crow
• ding at the water trough reduced time spent grazing during the day, drop in milk production and shade seeking
• Provide shade and water sprinklers at the dairy where possible. Reduce walking distance during mid-afternoon and ensure that cows have ready access to sufficient clean water.  Milk early morning and late afternoon. Refer to DairyNZ Farmfact: Managing heat stress in dairy cows (3-15).

Lameness

• Check and maintain races
• Check and treat cows if necessary.

Young Stock

• 30% mature liveweight at 6 months
• 40% mature liveweight at 9 months.