When analyzing mastitis infections, I think it's helpful to know how mastitis continues to affect a milking cow. After taking the time to analyze mastitis in a herd, I like to ask the questions, "What is the rate of new infections?" and "What is the recovery rate?"
This is a continuing article on a discussion I had about the difference in the 305 ME milk with cows that did and did not have mastitis in the first 60 days. To read the first article, click the Mastitis tag up above, or go to the link at the bottom of this article.
As we talk about the recovery rate and new infections in DHI-Plus, we are comparing the previous test to the last test. So if an animal is cleared from the infection, that means that her previous test showed a very high somatic cell count (greater than 1 million), and this test showed a lower somatic cell count (less than 1 million).
The answers help you get a better picture of how the cows with chronic infections affect milk production, versus the cows that have been free from infection.
Watch the video below and let me know in the comments if there are any insights you see that could be discussed further:
With a solid understanding of the cows with a clean mastitis history, versus those that are recovering or have chronic infections, I can now take a look at how to better manage mastitis throughout my herd.
- Where are these cases coming from?
- Are the cases seasonal or is it from certain pens?
- Are my milkers identifying mastitis before testing?
I'll continue to review these and other questions soon. For now, share your thoughts in the comments and they can guide me for future videos.
This post is part 2 of a 3-part series on analyzing the effects of mastitis. To be notified immediately when the other articles are published, subscribe and choose immediate notifications.