Explore all the information on
Dairy cattle - Management practices
Welcome to the page about Dairy cattle - Management practices of Engormix; a source of knowledge on Dairy cattle - Management practices.
The little things we do during milking time have a profound effect on udder health and milk quality. It is important to remember that every quarter of every cow must be prepped for milking the same way by every milker at every milking. Specifics of milking procedures may vary from farm to farm. For example, one farm may prep cows in sets of 4 cows, while the next farm preps in sets of 6. However, the basics of timing should ideally be the same or similar on every farm. The first...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Dairy cow milk production peaks six to eight weeks after calving and then declines throughout the remaining 12 to 14 month milking period. Understanding the intricate timing in the reproductive system of dairy cattle is important not only to induce lactation, but also to maximize the percentage of cows at the peak of milk production and thereby increase profits by as much as 10 percent. With funding from USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES), a...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Stray, tingle or neutral to earth voltage has been implicated as a problem for dairy and other livestock herds for approximately twenty years. For the livestock producer, awareness of and concern for tingle voltage should be one small component of the overall concern for the management and profitability of the herd, and the well being and productivity of the animals. Recent research has focused on measuring the tolerance for and economic impact of exposure to low levels of tingle voltage. These...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Most dairy cows were grazed during summer and pasture forage was the primary source of nutrients until the 1950’s when low cost grain began to replace forage. The method of “lead feeding” was developed. Over the next 30 years the grain was fed separately two or three times a day, not blended with forage as in modern total mixed rations (TMR). Finally, TMR was adopted with grain dry matter normally representing 40-60% of the diet. All this time the use grazing for milk cows declined – it was no...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
Accelerated-growth feeding programs are the newest buzz word in calf rearing. Accelerated programs require a milk replacer containing more crude protein and less fat content than traditional milk replacers. These programs are generally phase-feeding programs that increase the amount of milk replacer as the calf advances in age. In addition, changes in the calf starter are necessary to achieve optimal performance. These programs increase weight gain during the liquid-feeding period and may...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
With all the increases in feed cost, it is time to reevaluate the proper level of milk production at which to dry off or sell a cull cow. The two most important factors to consider when making this decision are feed costs and milk price. Other contributing factors are forage availability and overcrowding. If you are short on forage then it may be more beneficial to dry off or sell cows earlier than the breakeven milk production to avoid running out of feed. If the dairy is overcrowded,...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Bioavailability of rumen-protected methionine: Mepron® contains the highest metabolizable methionine content among commercially available products
Suggested link
Time for planning doesn’t just happen by itself on most farms. A manager has to establish his or her own planning time. To accomplish the goal of planning time, consider the following points from the “Dairy On Time” project: • Select the best time for you to work on the important tasks, not urgent ones. • Clearly define your planning time. Don’t leave planning to when you have time or need to do it. • Make planning a priority. This may require you to set...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Now is the time to prepare for the long hot summer. I’m going to repeat this thing until you do these tasks: 1. Clean out high organic matter dirt (MUD) in lots and add new dirt, especially in calving areas. 2. Clean out cooling ponds – pump out the water, and clean out the sludge and spread it someplace where the cows do not have access to it. 3. Let ponds sit dry for the sun to work on the bacteria. Mycoplasma and other...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
We are coming into the summer months when the incidence of mastitis and the bulk tank somatic cell count tend to rise. These are due, in part, to the additional stressors placed on the cows. However, there are steps we can take to reduce the impact these summer months have on milk quality. Of paramount importance is maintaining a clean and dry environment for all cows. New mastitis infections predominantly occur in the early dry period, around the time of calving and into early...
Comments : 1
Recommendations: 0
Comfortable stalls positively impact your cows but what happens when they step out for a stroll to the feed bunk? Considerable research and observation have been invested in better stall designs for free-stall barns. Well-documented evidence shows stalls that promote greater resting time positively impact production, health and growth. However, resting time spent lying in a stall is only part of a cow's day-normally 10 to 12 hours. Providing sure, comfortable flooring in the rest...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
As we slowly move toward spring (the winter really hasn’t lasted 6 months, it just seems that way!) most farmers’ thoughts turn toward planting. It is a natural, seasonal process of renewal on the farm. Before planting, though, there needs to be ‘planning’. Crop farmers have pretty well developed the habit of looking ahead at seed, fertilizer and chemical needs for the year before they actually make their purchases. Unfortunately, that same habit of planning well ahead does not seem to...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
While mired tractors and sucked-off boots are annoying reminders of the inconveniences of mud, its effect on animal performance is often overlooked. Animal performance, whether that is making milk or lbs. of growth, is determined by the nutrients the animal is consuming, one of which is energy. As the environmental temperature decreases below the thermo-neutral zone the maintenance energy requirement increases. The thermo-neutral zone is between 23º- 77ºF, depending on cattle age and...
Comments : 1
Recommendations: 0
Bioavailability of rumen-protected methionine: Mepron® contains the highest metabolizable methionine content among commercially available products
Suggested link
The rational response to favorable milk prices is to increase production, by whatever means are available. One method is to cull less, calve in all available replacements, and maybe buy a few from the neighbors to expand cow numbers. This strategy is almost never accompanied by construction of more stall or bunk space or extra attention to udder health and reproduction. The goal is more milk in the bulk tank and management satisfied with a victory, but some other things happen as well....
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Dairy cows leave the milking herd for a variety of reasons, and most go to beef production. Some cows do not breed back; others get too old to be productive, while others have health problems such as lameness or mastitis. Often, in the case of a health problem, the cow may be given a medication before the decision to ship her is made. In every case, it is important to ensure that the cow is free of all drug residues before she is shipped. “Once the decision is...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Recovering from low milk prices has been anything but easy with today’s higher feed costs. Certainly the unaffected reader might be thinking that is nothing new because agriculture almost always is in need. The problem this time is not just high costs, but the lack of good feed buys. That is, no feed ingredients are priced much lower than the rest on the market to make one a clear choice to switch to using it. If such an ingredient existed, it likely would be gone,...
Comments : 3
Recommendations: 0
Providing dry footing for your herd may be one of the keys to promoting healthy hooves. One group of researchers has been looking into the notion that environmental conditions on some farms may be causing changes to feet that make cows more prone to foot ailments. Previous work has shown that the thickness of the soles of cows' feet varies. It's theorized that thin soles provide little protection for the foot's internal structures, so claws with thin soles are prone to bruising from hard...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Dairy farmers using large amounts of purchased feeds this season are assessing the different types of flexible feeding systems so they can choose which one best suits their needs. Dairy Australia’s Grains2Milk project manager Steve Little said farmers with little or no pasture needed to consider the range of feed ingredients available to them and how their system could minimise feed costs while maximising milk production. “High feed prices are worrying a lot of dairy farmers...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
The emphasis on mastitis control should be prevention. The keys are proper sanitation and management of non-infected and subclinically infected animals. Wet, manure-laden areas in the lactating and dry cow pens and bedding areas, and poor sanitation during the milking process increase the risk of mastitis. Udders should be clean and dry when milked. Teats should be sprayed or dipped with disinfectant after milking. Research has documented the fact that wet, muddy...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Bioavailability of rumen-protected methionine: Mepron® contains the highest metabolizable methionine content among commercially available products
Suggested link
Dairy farmers constantly struggle with the challenge of managing nutrient runoff from the farm. A creative brotherly duo from Connecticut has developed an innovative and environmentally-sound solution to this problem, CowPots. Ben and Mathew Freund created a digestion and dehydration process to overcome the troublesome odors and high nitrate content in cow manure. The remaining manure fibers are then formed into a variety of shapes and sizes to create CowPots, which can be planted in the...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Dairy farmers constantly struggle with the challenge of managing nutrient runoff from the farm. A creative brotherly duo from Connecticut has developed an innovative and environmentally-sound solution to this problem, CowPots. Ben and Mathew Freund created a digestion and dehydration process to overcome the troublesome odors and high nitrate content in cow manure. The remaining manure fibers are then formed into a variety of shapes and sizes to create CowPots, which can be planted in the...
Comments : 1
Recommendations: 0
Dairymen may want to consider using cross ventilation to provide a cooler environment for the cows. “By using cross ventilation, we’re trying to air condition the barns and we’re going to evaporate water to do that by using evaporative pads,” stated John Smith, extension dairy specialist at Kansas State University, during an educational seminar held at the World Dairy Expo. “There are some limitations to doing that, we have to realize high humidity limits our...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0