Five Tips to Control Mastitis at Your Dairy Farm
Management: Cows
Nutrition: Concentrate Feeds
Nutrition: Nutraceuticals
- Maintain Good Milking Hygiene: Mastitis-causing bacteria can easily spread from cow to cow during milking. Therefore, it is important to maintain good milking hygiene by thoroughly cleaning and sanitizing all milking equipment before and after use. Also, use single-use towels or disposable wipes to clean the udder before milking to avoid cross-contamination.
- Implement a Mastitis Control Program: A comprehensive mastitis control program that includes, pre & post milking teat dipping, fortnightly sub clinical mastitis test, regular herd health assessments, cow hygiene and milking management, cow nutrition and management. The program should be tailored to the specific needs of the herd and should be regularly reviewed and updated.
- Practice Dry Cow Therapy: Dry cow therapy is a preventative measure that involves treating only cows that have a history of mastitis or those with high somatic cell counts (SCC) in the milk during the dry period, with intramammary antibiotics. This practice can reduce the overall use of antibiotics and the risk of antibiotic resistance.
- Monitor Somatic Cell Count & Clinical Mastitis: Regular monitoring of the SCC of individual cows and bulk tank SCC can help identify cows that are at risk of developing mastitis. Early detection of subclinical mastitis can allow for prompt treatment and control of the disease before it becomes clinical. This can also help prevent the spread of mastitis-causing bacteria within the herd.
- Provide Proper Cow Housing & Management: Cows that are kept in overcrowded or poorly ventilated farms are more susceptible to mastitis. Providing comfortable, clean, and well-ventilated housing can help reduce the risk of mastitis. Also, proper nutrition and cow management, such as maintaining good body condition score and reducing stress levels, can help maintain a healthy immune system and reduce the risk of mastitis. Dairy cows with high milk yields are more likely to develop mastitis, especially during close up period and as milk production increases quickly after calving. Specifically designed for high-yielding cattle, DairyLac feed 22 has bypassed proteins and fats. Fat has roughly three times the amount of energy as cereal. DairyLac feed 22 has an extra supply of fat during early lactation that significantly improve milk yield and the content of milk fat. For more information, write us at info@dairylac.com.pk