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| |  Early drying-off and the risk of mastitis
If a cow is
dried off early, the way she is dried off has more influence on her risk
of mastitis than her long dry period. The keys are having her at an appropriate
production level, and minimising the chance of bacteria entering her teats.
Cows dried
off at higher milk yields are more at risk. If cows are producing above 12
litres/day, it is important to reduce their yield before the drying-off date. It
is harder to dry off cows in mid-lactation, probably because the process of
“switching off” the milk secretory cells has not begun.
Here are some
tips on the best method to dry off cows early, especially if they are still
producing reasonably well:
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The usual
technique of restricting feed level may be enough. For many farmers in
drought areas, it won’t be hard to find a “Jenny Craig” paddock to put
them in!
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Keep
feed restriction to maintenance levels for at least a few days after
drying-off.
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Don’t
restrict water – animal welfare guidelines require water is available and
this is especially important in hot weather.
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Countdown
usually recommends abrupt cessation of milking, but in mid-lactation it may
be necessary to use once-a-day milking to drop milk yields in preparation
for drying off.
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Definitely
do not milk less frequently than once daily. Skip-a-day milking is clearly
associated with increased mastitis because the teats are being opened
intermittently but not cleaned often enough by milk flow.
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Keep
udders clean. Disinfect teats very well and then put cows into the cleanest
area you can find. Avoid areas with cow manure or patches where cows have
congregated recently.
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Check
cows every day for at least one week after drying-off. It is usually better
to check cows in the paddock rather than run them through the shed so they
don’t let down milk, especially when drying-off earlier in lactation. Plan
to keep cows at home for the first week after drying-off, rather than
transport them away immediately.
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A careful
check for swelling, uneven size of quarters or evidence of pain (sometimes
mastitis can appear like lameness because the udder is sore when walking)
requires further investigation in the shed. Clinical cases that are found
after drying-off should be stripped out and treated as they would in
lactation.
Image:
drought1.jpg
Caption:
It won’t be hard to find a “Jenny Craig” paddock to start cows drying off.
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