We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
The Hoof Supervisor System tablet device launched at World Ag Expo in 2010 now has a related software program that aims to make hoof records a smooth process.
Lack of time is the number one reason I hear farmers say they don’t have a preventative hoof care plan in place.
However, there are some farmers who have found a way to do all their daily chores plus implement a hoof care plan.
Our progressive panel participants have provided responses for one last roundtable discussion about managing herd and hoof health issues.
We’d like to thank the participants for opening up about their operations for five issues of the magazine, and also sharing with us their best management practices for calf and heifer raising, manure handling, breeding and feed and nutrition. Each family will receive a Proud to Dairy cooler and Progressive Dairyman hats.
The importance of post-fresh health in dairy cows has been well documented. Cows that get off to a good start peak higher, milk more, breed back quicker, have lower 60-day cull rates and are more profitable. There have been many articles written about ways to facilitate a good start.
As demand rises for higher-quality milk, dairy producers must find ways to decrease somatic cell counts (SCC) and increase production. Many dairy producers are turning their attention to the dry cow period and use comprehensive dry cow programs to prepare cows for success in the next lactation.
Lameness is a common on-farm reason for culling cows.
About 20 to 30 percent of cows in a herd are expected to become lame in any given lactation.
A cow that is lame may not immediately show symptoms but eventually lies down longer, eats less and consequently produces less milk.
Commingling, or mixing cattle from multiple sources, occurs every day in the U.S. at livestock auctions, through direct cattle purchases, at shows and fairs and through contract rearing.
In fact, almost 40 percent of dairy operations brought on new additions and commingled cattle in 2006, and about 70 percent of dairy heifer-raising operations commingled heifers or allowed nose-to-nose contact among heifers from multiple sources during 2010.
This article was #7 of the Top 25 most well-read articles on www.progressivedairy.com in 2013.
Click here for the full list of the Top 25.
Activity monitors continue to draw interest within the dairy industry. Producers are familiar with pedometers for activity and collars for activity and rumination; in this New Technology feature, we introduced you to an ear tag sensor that measures activity, rumination and temperature.
A University of Wyoming herd of replacement heifers lost 25 percent of its calf crop to abortions and lost pregnancies after vaccinating pregnant heifers with modified-live vaccines (MLV) containing infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) virus, according to an article recently published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA).
A case report detailing the onset of abortions in the university-owned and well-managed herd was featured in the Pathology in Practice section of JAVMA, which spotlights diagnostic case studies.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have that gauge to determine how successful our transition cow program is at present? If we wait to see measurable “wreck” clinical outcomes such as milk fever, retained placenta, metritis, ketosis and displacements of the abomasums, we are late to the realization of a transition program going astray.
RSS
