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December
22, 2006
What to Give
Your Cows for Christmas
J.W. Schroeder,
Dairy Specialist
NDSU Extension Service
Humming “home
for the holidays” is quite literally the norm for most dairy producers.
When it comes to animal husbandry, no one is more caring of livestock
than North Dakota producers. After all, this is their livelihood.
Did you know that
among U.S. dairy producers, North Dakota dairies have the distinction
of producing the highest average quality milk of anywhere in the country?
Based on incentives for quality and components, North Dakota producers
are second to none!
So with that in mind,
and given the holiday season, what gifts could you give your dairy cows
that could help them produce more profit for you?
- Provide better
quality forages. Strive in 2007 to produce or purchase better quality
forages so your cows will have the quality needed to produce to their
potential. Remember the saying, "You can’t make a silk purse
out of a sow’s ear." Cows cannot eat low-quality forages
and be expected to produce very much milk or profit.
- Feed a balanced
ration. Top-quality forages need to be supplemented with other feeds
to provide all the nutrients required for maximum milk production. Have
your forages tested for composition, and then ask a competent adviser
to generate a balanced ration with other feed ingredients to meet your
animals’ needs.
- Provide more comfortable
free stalls. The free stalls on many farms have been in place for years
and may not be very comfortable. Cows require at least 12 hours of resting
time each day to produce to their potential, and have minimum stress
and health problems, so the stalls must be a comfortable and inviting
place for the cows to lie. The design of the dividers between the stalls,
the openness of the stall front, the placement and use of neck rails
and brisket boards, the type of material used to create the base of
the stalls, and the type and amount of bedding material used in the
stalls are things you could improve to increase the comfort and use
of the stalls by your cows. Keeping the stalls clean and well-maintained
is also very important in promoting their use.
- Give your cows
regular “pedicures.” Maintaining hoof health is important
in helping the cows move about to eat properly, be milked, express estrus
activity and maintain general health. Having a regular schedule for
a competent “pedicurist” to do hoof trimming is an important
component of your cows’ production potential.
- Update your mastitis
prevention program. Minimize the incidence of mastitis by asking your
veterinarian or other competent consultant to review your mastitis prevention
program and offer suggestions for change. The use of pre- and post-milking
teat dips, dry cow therapy, pre-freshening checks for mastitis and cow-side
testing for subclinical mastitis on fresh cows; checking and perhaps
treating heifers pre-partum for mastitis; and determining what treatment
method and products to use when clinical mastitis cases occur are just
some of the things you should review and update at least once a year.
Remember, cows that are free of mastitis will produce more milk, cost
less to maintain and be more profitable.
- Give “special
attention” to those needs specific to your dairy that will make
your cows healthy, happy and productive. This is perhaps the best gift
you could give your cows.
Now, I know this list
isn’t complete, and each dairy producer can think of other "gifts"
that would help his or her dairy cows. North Dakota-raised livestock are
some of the best cared for, healthiest, and I’ll bet happiest cows
in the U.S.
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Source: J.W.
Schroeder, (701) 231-7663, jw.schroeder@ndsu.edu,
Editor: Ellen Crawford, (701) 231-5391, ellen.crawford@ndsu.edu
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