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Managing lameness in the dairy herd will be the topic of workshops offered across Pennsylvania in March by Penn State Dairy Alliance.
The Lameness Management Workshop is designed for dairy producers and their dairy employees who want to reduce lameness in their herds. Participants will explore hoof anatomy and pathology to learn more about the metabolic and infectious diseases that cause lameness. Lameness prevention will focus on such factors as nutrition, heat stress, housing and cow comfort, as well as hygiene and foot baths. A hoof trimming demonstration will also be offered.
If you answered “yes,” you should feel good about being proactive about this condition, knowing you can do something about it.
If you answered “no” because you have actually tested for ketosis, you, too, can feel good about being proactive, but remember that testing should be an ongoing process.
But if you answered “don’t know” or “haven’t tested,” keep reading. This article explains what ketosis is, its effects and why a dairy should be testing for it.
Starting in 2011, the somatic cell count (SCC) in bulk tank milk (BTM) must be less than 400,000 cells per ml for milk or milk products exported to the European Union (EU). Most milk in California is marketed by cooperatives, and nearly all of them or their customers are exporting milk to the EU.
This means all dairies are ultimately affected. How difficult is it to achieve SCC less than 400,000, and are we up to the challenge?
“Common wisdom” says that bedding should be refreshed often to provide a clean environment, while a close reading of the research literature suggests that to be ill-advised from the point of view of pathogen regrowth (as well as being less economical).
Pathogens in organic bedding reach high levels within a day or two of being placed in stalls and rebedding provides fresh organic materials that serve as food for the organisms – thus, frequent rebedding may not make a difference.
Two farms that used DMS directly from the separator in deep beds assigned two pens of animals to this study. The cows in each pen were of approximately the same parity and stage of lactation and were kept in the same pen for four full weeks in July and January.
A key factor for good milking is the hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin is responsible for milk letdown, and without oxytocin, cows will not be milked out completely or rapidly. Oxytocin is released into the blood in response to various stimuli, and causes contraction of the udder’s muscle cells.
Milk is available for removal from the udder because of these contractions. The process of oxytocin release can start with stimulation of the teats, specifically the teat ends, as this is where most nerve receptors are located. The sound of the vacuum pump in the parlor, or even the act of walking to the parlor, can also be stimuli for oxytocin release. Milking procedures either contribute to or depend upon this release of oxytocin.
One of our favorite research activities is conducting cow watch. Something about the solitude of being with the cows, free of all other responsibilities, focused on documenting their movements, every five minutes for a four-hour shift… time and cares seem to fade away.
Our cow watch protocol is to document cows’ body position (lying, standing or perching) and jaw movement (eating, ruminating, drinking or nothing) every five minutes over three consecutive days. We used to use 10-minute intervals, but for statistical purposes, five minutes is more precise and more statistically powerful.
The onset of cold, wet winter weather can present a unique set of challenges when it comes to managing infectious lesions that cause lameness on a dairy.
“While many dairies use footbath programs throughout the year to help control infectious lesions, use typically decreases during winter months due to the potential for ice formation and the fact that some footbath products, such as formaldehyde, are ineffective in cold conditions,” says Dr. Jeff DeFrain, research nutritionist, Zinpro Corporation. “The result is that the typical weather conditions can lead to a breakdown in skin integrity, allowing easy entry of bacteria into the foot.”
As the days get shorter and the temperatures begin to flirt with freezing, it is time to start thinking about proper teat dip management for cold weather. In fact, any dairyman who faces cold, wet and windy conditions, whether in New Mexico or Wisconsin, needs to address general teat condition when temperatures fall.
It is important to continue an efficient teat dip program on the farm to aid in mastitis control during cold weather, but you also need to take precautions to avoid cold weather effects on the dairy cow’s mammary system.
While cleaning up around the farm, it is a good time to take a look for possible chemical contaminants that could impact the health of your animals or the safety of the products they produce. Dairy farmers are aware and diligent about avoiding antibiotic residues, but a multitude of other chemicals exists that also could end up in animals and contaminate milk and meat. Environmental hazards, pesticides and herbicides as well as feed contamination issues should be kept on your chemical residue awareness radar screen.
Recent accidental exposure of cattle to chemical hazards include accidental exposure to high doses of Rumensin®, anhydrous ammonia, benzene from gasoline, organophosphate insecticides and feed-grade antibiotics. In each of these cases, quick action prevented any food safety issues and limited animal health consequences. If a chemical contamination event on farm is discovered or suspected, immediately notify your veterinarian or the Department of Agriculture in your state.
Maintaining a low bulk tank somatic cell count has always been a good dairy management strategy. Low somatic cell counts are associated with improved milk quality, increased shelf life and cheese yield after the milk leaves the farm, increased milk production, and reduced veterinary and drug costs.
Recent market changes have led to an increased emphasis by milk buyers toward lowering bulk tank somatic cell counts at the farm level. As a result, many dairy producers have refocused efforts to lower somatic cell count. Often, the reasons for a high bulk tank somatic cell count can be found in the milking parlor. Following are five common parlor mistakes that should be avoided to keep somatic cell counts low:
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