HERD HEALTH

The transition period is the most critical period for a successful lactation. Many factors play a crucial role in the success of this period, such as comfort and ventilation, the overall health of the animals, the quality of the feed served, as well as the feeding strategy used.

The ideal pre-fresh period is 21 days. Too much corn silage makes heifers fat. Excess dietary salt causes udder edema. The younger the age at first calving, the better.

As we move forward as a society, the dairy industry will continue to have to justify the use of antibiotics on their operations. On a dairy, mastitis treatment is one of the most prevalent areas where antibiotics are used, especially when it comes to dry cow mastitis treatment.

Ask any producer who consistently feeds close-up dry cows a negative-DCAD diet if it makes a difference for transition cows, and the answer will be yes.

The detection and control of clinical and subclinical mastitis in dairy goats is critical for the production of healthy milk for human consumption. Dairy goat producers want to produce the highest-quality product – specifically, milk – for their consumers.

Since the introduction of the Babcock butterfat tester almost 130 years ago, dairy producers and milk processors have been analyzing the content of milk to improve quality and profitability.