Dairy herd visits: what to check

Dairy checks pen by pen

Groups

Start with the fresh and close-up pens, then the high group and the rest. Keep the pen name with every observation.

Readings

Record the number of cows assessed, the range of scores and the date. A herd average can hide a problem in one group.

Visit evidence

The Northwind Dairy Health example below keeps the barn, recording and confirmed herd readings on one visit.

Example account: Northwind Dairy Health

Body condition, by stage of lactation

Penn State Extension scores dairy body condition on a 5-point scale in quarter points, where 1 is very thin, 3 is average and 5 is excessively fat. Its goals are about 3.50 at calving (3.25 to 3.75), about 3.00 in the first month of lactation (2.75 to 3.25) and back to about 3.50 at dry-off. It also suggests a cow lose no more than half a point to a point in early lactation.

That makes the stage the first thing to write next to a score. Score enough cows in a group to see the spread, not just the average: "forty cows in the fresh pen, most at 3.0 to 3.25, a few thin second-calf heifers" tells the nutritionist more than "fresh pen BCS 3.1". The same pen scored again next month shows whether the thin ones are recovering.

Somatic cells and mastitis

Somatic cell count is the milk-quality number everyone watches, and it comes in two forms on a herd visit: the herd or tank figure, and the individual cows from test day. Penn State Extension suggests a closer look at any cow above 200,000 cells/mL. On the visit that usually means a California Mastitis Test on those cows, quarter by quarter.

Record how many cows you paddled, how many quarters were positive, and which pen they came from. "CMT on twelve high cell count cows, three quarters positive, all from the fresh pen" is a finding. Add clinical cases since the last visit and, if cultures were sent, the sample IDs so the lab results can be matched later.

To see how much a handful of cows is pushing the tank number, our dairy SCC calculator weights each cow’s count by her milk. Paste the test-day list and it shows the herd figure with and without the top contributors.

Locomotion and feet

Cornell’s locomotion scoring uses a 1 to 5 scale, from 1 for normal to 5 for severely lame, with 4 described as lame: an arched back while standing and walking, one deliberate step at a time. Cornell’s guidance treats cows at 3 and above as needing prompt attention.

Score as cows walk out of the parlor, where they move on a flat, consistent surface. Write down how many you scored, how many were 3 or higher, and from which group. A count of lame cows means little without the number you looked at.

Heat, water and the feed bunk

On a summer visit, note the time of day, whether fans and soakers are running in each pen, and what the cows are doing: standing instead of lying, crowding the waterers, breathing fast. Add the weather to the draft and the report keeps the temperature, wind, humidity and the last seven days of rain for that afternoon.

At the bunk, note whether feed was pushed up, how much is left before the next delivery, and anything off in the mix, such as sorting or a ration that looks different from the sheet. If the ration sheet isn’t current, that is a follow-up with a name and a date, not a line in your head.

What the visit record holds

A dairy herd visit record that someone else can use has the dairy, the barn and pen, the date and time, who was there, the readings with their group and count (body condition, cell counts, CMT results, clinical cases, locomotion), photos of anything you want someone to see, the ration or records you reviewed, your findings, your advice and who will do what next.

In PropelMapper you say most of that while you walk. The readings land in the visit form for you to confirm, the photos and notes are pinned to the barn, and the report is drafted after upload for you to read, correct and sign. The producer gets it from you, and the next visitor from your team starts from it.

Dairy cattle visit questions