It is important to take the time to actively observe animals when getting them in and as they move through the yard and dairy. Any signs of animal health issues should be noted and followed up.
The benefits of paying attention to animal health include:
- Ensuring the disease is not transferred to the rest of the herd with early intervention.
- Prevent animal health problems.
Problem cows
A problem cow is any cow that needs to be identified for special treatment.
Problem cows might include cows treated with drugs, or high SCC cows, cows to be drafted for herd health procedures or AI, cows that impact on the milking routine - three titters, colostrum cows, kicking cows or slow milkers.
The benefits of identifying problem cows include:
- Increased milking efficiency - by making sure problem cows e.g. those to be drafted or treated, are not missed at milking.
- Maintain milk quality - by ensuring the milk from cows that have been treated is withheld from the vat.
Recording herd health
Accurate recording of all animal health events is important for timely identification of disease outbreaks, identification of cows for culling, effective management of sick cows, information for your vet and design of preventative programs.
Monitoring this information allows any increasing levels of disease in the herd to be identified early and managed, which is particularly important for larger herds where small and subtle changes can quickly lead to significant effects.
Make sure there is a designated area in the dairy where this information can be recorded.
Training in early detection of disease
Disease detection can be difficult and cases are sometimes not detected until later in the course of the disease. Farm staff must have training in ‘cow signals’, for example, how to identify early signs of lameness, teat damage and mastitis.
- if more than 10% of your herd have lameness throughout the season or;
- more than 10% of your herd fails to get in calf or;
- more than 15% of your herd have a SCC above 150,000 at any herd test.
Use your vet
Talk to your vet about best practice prevention and management of dairy cow diseases. In many cases they can provide resources and training. Don’t forget the PAR (Prescription Animal Remdies) vet consultation that is a legal annual requirement. Many vets now also provide Herd Health Management Plans for farmers that look at prevention, identification, management and treatment of animal health issues from the start of the season.