Keeping cows healthy is always a top priority, but things get a little more complicated when something like bird flu hits a herd. Milk production takes a hit, some cows need treatment, and the whole operation feels the impact. The big question is: How much milk did the herd lose, and how long did it take to recover? That’s where tracking health data comes in.
With the right dairy farm software, producers can do more than guess. They can see the numbers and compare different groups of cows. This helps them understand how the herd is recovering.
How Does a Bird Flu Outbreak Affect Dairy Production?
Milk production drops when disease spreads through a herd—but not every cow feels the impact the same way. Some cows need protocol treatment, while others might seem fine but still struggle with the stress of the outbreak.
So, how do you measure the impact? That’s where dairy management software like DHI-Plus comes in. Instead of guessing, you can track production in two groups:
- Cows that received protocol treatment for bird flu
- Cows not treated but are still part of the herd
In the video below, we walk through how to pull these reports and compare the numbers. Seeing the data side by side helps answer some key questions:
- How much did treated cows lose in production?
- Did untreated cows also see a drop?
- How long did it take for the herd to recover?
Having this data helps us see the full impact of the outbreak. It affects not just individual cows, but the entire operation.
Using Dairy Farm Software to Track Herd Recovery
Once the outbreak is under control, the next big question is: How long does it take for the herd to bounce back? That’s where dairy herd management software comes in. With DHI-Plus, you can generate reports that lay out the full picture—before, during, and after the health event.
Looking at these reports can help answer some important questions:
- 📉 How much milk did the herd lose during the outbreak?
- đź“Š How quickly did treated cows recover?
- 🔎 Did untreated cows experience a drop in production?
By looking at these trends over time, dairy farms can improve biosecurity measures. They can also adjust cow treatment protocols and refine dairy herd management strategies. This will help reduce losses in future outbreaks.
Beyond Disease:
Bird flu isn’t the only thing that can throw off dairy milk production. Tracking herd health data is just as useful for other challenges, like:
- Heat stress in the summer—How much does production drop when temperatures rise?
- Ration changes—Is the new feed mix helping or hurting milk output?
- Other health events—How do different illnesses or treatments affect the herd?
When producers have dairy herd management software that tracks these trends, they’re not just reacting to problems—they’re staying ahead of them. Dairy cow health management is a lot easier when producers make decisions based on real numbers instead of guesswork.
Watch the Full Video for a Step-by-Step Guide
To learn how DHI-Plus dairy management software helps analyze herd health and production trends, watch our full video. We go through the steps of making reports. We compare production trends and use data to improve dairy herd health analysis.
Watch the full video to see the step-by-step process in action!