Disease in fresh cows is probably the factor with the most devastating effects on milk production and reproductive performance. The objective of this study was to evaluate parameters that can be easily measured on a farm to determine their ability to detect subclinical disease in fresh cows
Early detection and intervention are obviously critical for preventing major losses, but the vast majority of ketosis cases are subclinical, meaning there are no overt signs of disease.
There is a direct relationship between body condition deterioration and conception rates in dairy cows, due to disruption in liver metabolism
A study was carried out to examine if computer monitoring of the dairy herd can help in the assessment of the milking routine on individual farms, to advise on possible shortcomings, and to monitor recommendations on improvements to the milking routine, particularly violations of “overriding” the ACR settings.
Body condition score (BCS) allows the cattle producers to assess the nutritional status and the changes in the energy balance of cows during various production stages. The importance of evaluation of BCS for effective dairy management is well known.
The uniform BCS system was developed in 1989 by A.J.Edmondson and simplified in 1994 by J. Ferguson at the University of Pennsylvania. The cows are typically scored on a 5-point scale from 1 indicating thin to 5 indicating obese. Recently, the dairy extension veterinarian of Illinois University R.L. Wallace described in detail in “Hoard’s Dairyman” of September 25, 2000, “What condition scoring can tell you”.
The first aim of this study was to monitor parlour performance in high producing Israeli herds using the parameter proposed by Reid and Stewart (2007) for herds milked three times daily, 55 kg milk/stall/hour. Milk yield, somatic cell count and the culling rate were monitored correspondingly.
The second aim was to examine if by increasing manufacturers default take-off settings in Israel, there will be no detrimental effect on parlour performance and udder health (SCC).
“About three years ago I was in an aggressive expansion phase. For me to get a good quota, I had to get my cow numbers up quickly. When I got the chance to acquire an Ayrshire herd, I not only could up my milk production, but it also offered me the opportunity to differentiate a little bit in terms of the price I receive for my milk, Ayrshire milk being regarded as different from Holstein milk.”
The system makes it possible to take care of each cow individually, even if it is part of a very large herd. As a matter of fact, the larger the herd, the sooner the system will be able to “pay for itself”. The Afimilk dairy management system is a product of SAE Afikim, a company that has specialized in computerized systems for the modern dairy farm for the past 30 years.
Dairy farming has developed very fast in the last years in China. Many factors can influence the milk production of dairy cows, such as genetics, management, nutrition, improved technology, etc.
At SanYuan we managed to reach the highest milk production level in China in the last decade. The purpose of this article is to report our experience. Which were the main factors for this great achievement?
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