HERD HEALTH

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.

The goal for every cow on every dairy is to have healthy, productive cows that transition well into lactation. About 30 years ago, researchers discovered a way to help cows achieve this goal.