Decisions made at drying off influence your herd's mastitis performance for the next 6 to 12 months. In the months before drying off, continue all recommendations from the lactation period, and consider these decisions:
- Which cows will need to dried off early, and when?
- Which cows need to be culled based on this year's mastitis records?
- What dry cow treatment approach to use at drying off?
- Who will administer the dry cow treatments? Have they been trained sufficiently?
- How will milk yields be reduced in the last 1-2 weeks before drying off?
- How will cows be managed for the first 3 weeks after dry off?
Find practical advice and technical resources in this section to better prevent and treat mastitis when drying off.
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Dry Cow Strategy
Decide dry cow management strategy.
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Culling
Cull persistently infected cows.
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Dry Off Abruptly
Dry off abruptly taking steps to reduce milk production.
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Administering Dry Cow Treatments
Administer dry cow treatments as recommended.
