A guide for livestock producers! Daily Care and Management: Dairy Cows January 2008

What is your Animal? Your animal is not a pet. It’s your responsibility to provide quality care and management for your animal. Remember, your animal is a milk and meat animal. It will be used in the food supply chain. Quality assurance starts with you!!!

What is Quality Assurance? A pledge or promise to perform a degree of excellence The starting place of products that meet or exceed the expectations of the consumer Why is it important?: -Educates producers on care and management -Ensures wholesomeness of products -Increases product value -Promotes consumer confidence

Daily Care & Management D A I R Y C O W S

Dairy Cows Housing: -Shelter barn with freestalls -Pasture area for exercise and relief from concrete Ventilation & Fly Control -Both need to be done to keep the animals comfortable

Ventilation Ventilation: -Open sided barn or ventilation fans -Prevents heat and humidity build-up -Good system prevents decreased feed and water intake Signs of poor ventilation: -Cobwebs-Smells of Ammonia -Increased coughing-Mouth Breathing -Nasal Discharge

Flooring Flooring: -Usually concrete -Hard on the hooves -Skid resistant -Smooth vs. Textured

Dairy Cows-Feeding Feeding: -Feed the same number of times they are milked daily (if milked 3 times, feed 3 times) -Feed while they are milking -Proper nutrition and feed particle size ensures milk production and milk quality -Body Condition Score (BCS) is important for milk production

Water and Identification Water: -Continuous supply next to feed bunk -Between parlor and feed bunk, ideal location Identification: -Ankle band, most common -Ear tag or Brisket tag

Injections Injections: -Never in hindquarter or in milking parlor -Always give in base of neck

Hoof Care -Trim two times a year to decrease lameness, culling, and other hoof problems -Good care increases performance and longevity of the animal - Spots other potential problems

Hoof Care Continued…. -Problems caused by nutrition, housing, genetics, and management influence problems -The longer animals can rest, the better it is on their hooves

Mastitis - Caused by udder infection -Costly- $1 billion/year -Decreases milk quality and quantity in some cases -Two types: clinical: seen with the naked eye subclinical: microscopic

Mastitis Continued… -Good control program -Feed after milking, proper nutrition -Clean, dry bedding -VCPR-vet/client/patient relationship

Somatic Cell Count (SCC) -Measure of milk secreting cells -SCC is management tool for mastitis control -Federal and State Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO) -Somatic Cell Count should be 750,000 cc’s or less in the bulk tank

SCC Continued… -Four considerations for healthy environment to lower SCC -Sanitation -Machine Function -Managed Milking -Mastitis Control

Learning Activity: Using Proper Milking Techniques

Lameness -Caused by laminitis, foot rot -Associated with poor hoof care -Prevented by proper nutrition -Allow cattle to move at own pace -Exercise on dry lots or in the pasture for several hours a day

Biosecurities 1)Control disease within the herd -Vaccinate against all epidemic diseases -Isolate sick animals -Develop a good vet/client/patient relationship 2) Purchasing replacement animals -Quarantine for days -Test new animals for disease 3) Environmental and pest control -Provide human foot baths at entrances -Provide timely manure and dead animal removal -Have rodent control program in practice - Cheapest, most effective means to control disease

Biosecurities Continued……. 4) Disinfection -Choose disinfectant that will work against pathogens -Follow the label on the package 5) Visitors -Minimize number of visitors and contact with animals -Be sure all have clean clothes, boots, and hands 6) Employees -Be sure all employees understand and follow the biosecurity protocol -Realize employee owned animals (dogs, horses, etc) can be a possible source of contamination

Review Why is quality assurance important? How does feeding watering differ from other species? What are some ways mastitis can be prevented? How does lameness affect the animal?

This is the end of the first section. You can continue on if there are students who wish to test out.

You are raising an animal for milk and also their meat Carcass quality is just as important

Carcass Quality Value of animal affected -Quality grade determined by carcass quality -Bruising, Abscesses, Dark Cutters, Injection Lesions - Hundreds of millions of dollars lost per year Eating quality -Tenderness and tasteful product USDA inspects all carcasses ante-mortum

Bruising -Caused by improper handling and poor facilities -Produces lower carcass weights -Must be trimmed away -Takes up to 90 days for muscle tissue to heal

Untrimmed Bruise Trimmed Bruise

Abscesses -Areas of infection on muscle tissue -Not visible on the surface, may be fluid filled -Must be cut away & discarded -Usually caused by improper injection procedures

Dark Cutters -Caused by poor handling, stress -Must be trimmed away -Dark Cutters are dark red to almost black; sticky or gummy Dark Cutter

Injection Site Lesions Injection site lesions—Beef -1990: 20% of sirloin butts -2006: Less than 3% Injection site lesions—Dairy Cows -1998: 60% of hindquarter rounds -2006: Decreased by over 25% This can cost nearly $2.00/head

Animal Handling -Move quietly and patiently -Cattle follow the leader -If cattle bunch, move the leaders first -Reduce stress -Let cattle move at own pace -Stress causes lower conception rates, shipping fever, excess shrink, and lower rumen and immune functions -Avoid use of objects to get cattle to move -ie: electric prods, whips

Animal Handling Cont…. -Avoid handling during heat of day, if possible -Use spotlights: cattle move to lighted area -Use solid chute to prevent distractions

Flight Zone -AKA “Personal Space” -Animal tenses and moves away -Determine flight zone by slowly walking up to animal -Understanding flight zones reduces stress and prevents accidents -Size of zone differs for every animal - Some animals you can walk up to and others won’t let you within 6 feet or more

Cattle Vision -300 degree vision -Can see everything except directly behind them -This is the “blind spot” -Approach at an angle near their shoulder Blind Spot

Medications -Over the Counter -does not require a prescription -Prescription -Several types: labeled use, extra label, and off label -Must have good VCPR

Prescription Medications -Labeled Use -Use the medication exactly as specified on the label -Medicated feed may only be used as directed on the label -It is legal and used by most producers -Extra Label -The VETERINARIAN prescribes a drug to be used in a manner other than what’s on the label. This legal and used when a good VCPR exists - Off Label -The PRODUCER uses drugs in a manner other than what’s stated on the label -This is ILLEGAL

Medication Administration -4 ways to give medications and vaccinations *Intramuscular (IM) -Outer edge of muscle *Subcutaneous (SQ) -Just underneath the skin *Orally -By mouth *Intravenous (IV) -In the bloodstream

Record Keeping -Keep track of all medications given -Separate file for each animal -Several items to include: -Animal treated-Withdrawal time -Treatment date-Product -Treatment dose-Person administering -Route of administration Other information that can be included: -Location of injection -Product Lot/Serial # -Approximate weight of animal

Example of Treatment Record First Treatment Final Treatment Animal ID Condition Treated Product Name Prescription (P) or Non- Prescription (NP) DoseEstimated Animal Weight RouteWithdrawal Date Treated By (Initial)

Veterinarian Drug Order (VDO) - Vet approved list of medications used in your operation - Includes all products with withdrawal times including vaccinations, antiparasitic drugs, and all injectible medications (including vitamins) - When all medications and vaccinations are handled as if prescription, it’s additional QA measurements -Update every 90 days

Treatment Protocol Book -Treatment plan when cattle get sick, follow-up plan &/or alternative treatments -Develop with veterinarian -Veterinarian must sign -Update every 90 days along with VDO -Keep old files for at least one year

Injection Guidelines -Give injections in front shoulders ONLY -SQ, IV, and oral medications are best -No more than 10cc per injection -Space injections at least 4 inches apart -Use proper needle size -SQ=16-18 gauge and ½ to ¾ inch needle -IM=16-18 gauge and 1to 1 ½ inch needle -Consider: route of administration, size of animal, site of injection, product given

Injection Guidelines Cont….. -Properly restrain animal to prevent broken needles -NEVER mix injections -Clean injection site -Follow record keeping protocol -Dispose of needles properly

Administering Injections -Draw triangle in neck region -Tent SQ injections -Space 4 inches apart Tented SQ injections

Activity: Injections &/or Residue Activity

When to Change Needles -Every head -Between cattle with known blood-borne diseases -If becomes contaminated with feces, dirt, or chemicals -If needle point damaged -If needle bends Disposal -Place needles in a designated box -Take to vet’s office for disposal -NEVER PLACE NEEDLES IN TRASH

Review -Carcass quality -Affects value -Caused by bruises, abscesses, injection site lesions, dark cutters -Increase quality by reducing stress, proper handling, good facilities -Animal handling -Move quietly and patiently when cooler outside -Follow the leader -Solid chutes and light -Flight zone and vision

Review Cont….. Medications: -Over the counter, prescription, extra label, off label Administration: -SQ, IM, IV, orally -Avoid IM if possible -Keep records of all medication given VDO and Treatment Protocol Book -Treatments and medication approved for used on your farm Injections: -Follow all guidelines and record keeping