HERD HEALTH

I have been a dairy nutritionist for over 33 years, and I am usually the first to know when one of my dairies is having hoof health problems. While many issues with cow health point back to nutrition, I have found that hoof problems, more often than not, stem from environmental causes rather than nutrition.

A recent survey of digital dermatitis (DD) prevalence on dairy farms in Alberta and Saskatchewan revealed a few striking commonalities among those with the lowest rates of the infectious disease.

On a typical day, how often do cows interact with people on your dairy?

Many of today’s dairy farms have become larger, often without increasing their labour force. The management systems successful on a smaller dairy will frequently evolve into a system no longer best for the cow.

Fresh cows often face management and housing changes soon after giving birth. A smaller pen, designed with the cow in mind, can help mitigate the challenges associated with this stressful time.

Nutritional management during the transition period is very important, as it affects health, milk production and reproductive performance of dairy cows.