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Is your dairy losing money because of subclinical mastitis? Most of my customers look puzzled when I ask them this question because unless they’re seeing physical mastitis symptoms – abnormal milk, udder swelling, fevers – it doesn’t exist.
Pre-fresh health in dairy cows is more than a feed ration adjustment and a pen move. It’s all the little things that prepare a cow for calving and lactation. Pre-fresh health is similar to flipping on the power switch to a vacant building.
You must maintain the health and wellness of pre-fresh cows so that once lactation is turned on, they are in peak physical condition for performance and production.
As summer fades to a close, take steps to help prevent the costly effects of bovine respiratory disease (BRD). Changing weather conditions can create respiratory challenges for calves. Cooling temperatures in fall and big temperature swings between day and night can lead to stress on calves’ immune systems.
Colder weather requires closing windows and doors of calf housing, creating an environment at more risk for improper ventilation, minimized air exchange and, potentially, a buildup of BRD-causing pathogens – all contributing to a utopia for BRD infections.
