HERD HEALTH

How confident are you in your ability to eyeball a cow’s bodyweight? What about your ability to notice a 200-pound (90-kilogram) difference between two animals? What about your employees’ ability to notice that same difference?

One of the most frustrating situations for a dairy owner is to find a dead or dying cow and not understand the cause. In the case of sudden death, hemorrhagic bowel syndrome (HBS) should be considered, especially if you own a large, high-producing herd.

Everyone sees the world through their own prism. The same can be said for your cows. The crux of successful dairy management is to make sure the vision of human and animal intersects for a common perception. That is, observing – and managing – your dairy from a cow’s perspective.

The transition period is challenging for the dairy cow since the cow needs to adapt very quickly to the calving process, the sudden change from a non-lactating to a lactating stage and to the preparation for the next breeding period.

Infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (“pinkeye”) has been a problem for cattle producers for more than 100 years. It is a highly contagious ocular disease that results in serious monetary losses for cattle producers.

It’s no surprise that dairy producers are always looking for ways to improve herd health, especially within the fresh cow members of the group. After all, the benefits of investing in healthy practices almost always outweigh the work.