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Veterinarians are important figures in managing the health of dairy cows.
While dairy farm employees are able to manage many aspects of cows, veterinarians are essential in providing medications, handling medical emergencies, conducting testing, and certifying the necessary slaughter. It's important to factor veterinary costs into a cattle farm's budget, ideally building a partnership with a local veterinarian you like.
When your herd needs antibiotics or treatment for mastitis, you already have a team of veterinarians you can trust.
Don't think that veterinarians can be a bit expensive, but health issues are more expensive. These include milk loss due to mastitis in dairy cows, reduced production of lame, and death of sick and calf cattle.
Most dairy farms spend more money on disease treatment than on preventive care. Some diseases are unavoidable, but increased preventive care can often reduce them and be most cost-effective in the long run. Preventive care includes obvious treatments, such as vaccines. Many veterinarians also provide advice, training and consultation on cow health. Making this preventive care part of your budget and routine can improve cow health and profitability over time.
For most cows, the ideal ambient temperature is 6 - 18 degrees Celsius. Especially in summer, high temperatures can reduce milk production, leading to heat stress. Cows are afraid of heat, and they mainly dissipate heat by breathing.
Therefore, it is especially important to manage humidity levels and give the cows enough space during the hot months. Keep in mind that the comfort range of cows varies depending on the breed, some cows are specially bred to withstand hotter or colder temperatures, and you should plan according to your specific breed.
There are several different ways to help maintain cool temperatures, and these all start with the design of the cowshed.
First of all, the cowshed needs ventilation. Open shed can be opened in summer for maximum ventilation, openings at the top of the roof also keep air flowing, and heavily inclined roofs help increase air circulation.
Outdoor pastures should be shaded enough to keep all cows out of the sun at the same time. When ventilation alone is not enough, sprinklers and fans keep the cows cool. The role of ceiling fans in the shed is to increase ventilation and evaporation. Sprinklers are the most effective way to cool cattle – they wet their backs, and the evaporation of water cools the cow. Most farms find it effective to install sprinklers above the feed stations in feedlots. This way, they can stay moist before milking and have time to dry.