How soon should I bring fresh cows into the shed?

“If she calves this morning, she’s in the dairy tonight.”

When considering how quickly freshly calved cows should be brought into the dairy to be milked, remember that there is an opportunity to flush invading bacteria, especially Strep uberis, from the udder before infection actually establishes.  So the sooner the udder is completely milked out, the better the chance of flushing bacteria from the udder.

A freshly born calf on a dairy cow is rarely capable of completely emptying the udder at a single drink, and often tends to drink preferentially from selected quarters.  It is also possible for the calf to spread bacteria from one quarter to another as it moves from teat to teat whilst suckling.

So, for the best mastitis control, fresh cows should come into the dairy and be milked as soon as practical. Whilst some compromises may need to be made to fit in with the farm routine, and also to ensure that new calves get colostrum, try to ensure that wherever possible fresh cows are in the dairy by 12 hours after calving, but definitely within 24 hours of calving.

It is important that once in the dairy, cows are completely milked out to achieve the flushing effect. This means that the practice of only partially milking fresh cows for the prevention of milk fever should be avoided, so other methods of milk fever control should be in place.

If fresh cows in the shed are not letting their milk down properly, they won’t be flushing their udder properly, so speak to your vet about using oxytocin injections to assist milk let-down and emptying of the udder.

If udder oedema (flag) is a problem and is preventing complete milk-out, then the use of oxytocin may be assisted by other treatments such as diuretics and anti-inflammatory drugs.  Speak to your vet about the best options for you. 

Many farmers have found that these subtle changes to their routine for freshly calved cows have not only improved mastitis control, but have actually made the routine easier – and the cost is generally nothing!

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"The sooner the udder is completely milked out, the better the chance of flushing bacteria from the udder"