Dry Program Q&A
Looking for an answer to a burning question about managing dry cows? You may
find it here in this list of frequently asked questions.
Click on the question to reveal the answer.
What will happen if I don't dry-treat all my cows at dry-off?
Why can't I give just one or two shots of UPJOHN J-5 BACTERIN™ (Escherichia Coli Bacterin J-5 Strain)?
Do I need to give all three shots?
My herd somatic cell count is always below 200,000. Do I still
need to give UPJOHN J-5 BACTERIN?
How can body condition scoring help me manage my dry cows?
What are 100-Day ContractSM recommendations for formulating
dry-cow and transition rations?
Why should I vaccinate against calf scours?
What will happen if I don't treat all my cows at dry-off?
Left untreated, bacterial infections will spread to other animals and hurt
your herd's productivity. Several studies have shown that this is especially
true for mastitis caused by Strep. uberis. Without antibiotic treatment,
over time this organism can engulf a herd and cause a serious mastitis outbreak.
And milk quality and production will suffer.
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Why can't I give just one or two shots of UPJOHN J-5 BACTERIN (Escherichia Coli Bacterin J-5 Strain)? Do I need to give all three shots?
Neglecting the third UPJOHN J-5 BACTERIN booster shot could put your fresh cows at a much greater risk
of developing coliform mastitis. About half of coliform infections are established
during the dry period, but remain dormant until shortly after freshening. One
shot of UPJOHN J-5 BACTERIN
provides 10 percent protection against coliform mastitis, two shots offer 30
to 40 percent protection, and three shots provide 60 to 80 percent protection.
This increased efficacy means that the three-shot regimen pays off, even when
as few as 1 percent of quarters in a herd are infected.
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My herd's somatic cell count is always under 200,000. Do I
still need to give UPJOHN J-5 BACTERIN?
Your hard work to lower somatic cell count actually makes your herd more susceptible
to coliform mastitis. In herds with high incidence of contagious mastitis, and
high numbers of somatic cells, environmental bacteria that enter the streak
canal are destroyed before infection starts. But animals with low somatic cells
have less natural defense against these bacteria. That makes it even more important
to use UPJOHN J-5 BACTERIN
to head off coliform mastitis.
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How can body
condition scoring help me manage my dry cows?
Cows that are too thin have lower conception rates, usually caused by a negative
energy balance in early lactation. Cows that are too fat also have reduced fertility
and are likely to have difficult calvings, ketosis and displaced abomasums.
By monitoring body condition, you can adjust dry-cow rations to head off milk
fever, ketosis and other post-calving problems.
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What are 100-Day ContractSM recommendations for formulating
dry-cow and transition rations?
It is important to manage dry matter intake during late lactation, to meet
the energy requirements of the growing fetus and to prepare the cow for lactation.
To avoid milk fever and other post-calving disorders, transition rations must
be carefully formulated to provide adequate energy and protein and balanced
vitamins and minerals. Work with your nutritionist and veterinarian to determine
the best rations for your individual herd situation.
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Why should I vaccinate against calf scours?
Scours is the most common cause of calf sickness and death in dairy herds, and is responsible for 62.1 percent of mortality among unweaned dairy calves.1 In beef herds with severe episodes, death losses of 50 percent or more are not unusual.2
1USDA: APHIS: Vs, CEAH, National Health Monitoring System, 2002, Fort
Collins, CO #N388.0603.
2Hartwig NR. Controlling calf scours. BQA Treatment Practices, Controlling
Calf Scours (serial online).