Charmany Dairy Herd Newsletter Dec. 2nd - Dec. 8th

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1 Charmany Dairy Herd Newsletter Dec. 2nd - Dec. 8th Daily Events Monday: Tuesday: 4 th year Theriogenology rotation Herd Check Dr. Momont & 4 th yr. Students Tail bleeding opportunity for Chuck Czuprynski s laboratory Wednesday: LAIM will be sending a 4 th year student to tail bleed and exam any sick cows. Thursday: Friday: 7:30am - Management meeting for Teaching herd management team Posilac injections given to eligible cows, opportunity for students

2 Charmany Dairy Herd Newsletter Dec 2nd Dec. 8th Weekly Events Recent Calvings: Susan s heifer calf was named Sunny, which may mean we are running out of creativity on names beginning with S. Char had a bull calf in uneventful fashion. The herd continues to experience a male dominated pattern of the 99 calves born there have been 57 bulls and 42 heifers! Dave and Harry have some responsibilities here? Cows Due to Calve: COW DUE Marcy 12/5/02 Lucy 12/5/02 Greta 12/18/02 Swish 1/1/03 Melody 1/1/03 Sandy 1/1/03 Darcy 1/3/03 Trish 1/14/03 Griffey 1/14/03 Julie 1/25/03 Tootsie 1/25/03 Merry 1/29/03 Cookie 1/29/03 Violet 2/12/03 Ace 3/2/ 03 Production and Milk Quality summary: The herd continues to milk an average of 85 lbs/cow of Adjusted Corrected Milk (ACM). ACM is a calculation that standardizes milk to 3.5% fat content, produced by a 3 rd lactation cow at 150 DIM. Approximately 38 cows are producing 3052 lbs/day or 80 lbs/cow/day. This is approximately 67.8 lbs/stall getting close to our breakeven of 68 lbs. The herd s butterfat has averaged 3.7% and the protein has averaged 3.2%. Dry Matter intake is at 53 lbs/cow. Sick Cows/Treatments/Breedings/Patient Care: Milk Quality report:

3 The Standard Plate Count for November was 2,000 cfu/ml, and the bulk tank SCC averaged 257,000 cells /ml. On a recent DHIA test, the weighted SCC was 184,000 cells/ml. Thus, the herd SCC has been decreasing along with the number of clinical cases since the new bedding policy was initiated in September. The policy was the result of taking multiple samples of shavings - fresh shavings, shavings from stalls of leaking and non-leaking cows, shavings from front/middle/rear of the stalls, and shavings left in stalls for up to 3 days. We submitted all of these samples to the Minnesota Microbiology Lab for analysis. The analysis demonstrated that after one day, regardless of which sample, that bacterial counts increased from 100,000 to 20 million or greater (1 million is the upper limit of safety). The new policy is to completely remove all shavings from the stalls and rebed them with a minimal amount of shavings, just enough to soak up urine. We then rely on the air-filled mats, rather than 3 inches of bedding, for cow comfort. As you can see, this is also a more cost effective use of the bedding. So far, we have not had an increase in hock sores or abscesses. The 2.5 month preliminary results are: September October November Blackie Chronic= En strep Klebsiella Brutus Coag neg Strep Carolyn Stepped on teat S. dys Katrina Mixed Growth Pearly E. coli Sarah S. dys Amanda Anna April Char Diane Dimples Jessica Norman Olive Sasha Scarlet Susan Tina Chronic= Klebsiella Tootsie Chronic= Coag neg Strep Trudy Twinkle Violet Stepped on teat En strep As you can see from the table we have had- 14 cows with no growth 3 chronic cows - Tootsie, Blackie, and Tina All are at least 6 years of age

4 2 stepped on teats - resulting in infections associated with milking procedures. 1 mixed growth at very low levels due to calving early and not coming into milk- Katrina 1 Streptococcus infection associated with milking procedures - Sarah 1 environmental E. coli at low levels (10,000 instead of 100,000 cfu/ml.) - Pearly We realize that this early preliminary data and that we need to assess over all seasons, but the data is encouraging. Also, we should acknowledge the role of the internal teat seal (Orbaseal ) and the external teat seal (Stronghold) in protecting cows during the dry period. All of the 14 cows with no growth were fresh cows. In addition, the only fresh cows that had any bacteria isolated, Tina and Katrina, were not environmental in origin. This is almost a third of the herd, so even with the small numbers, it is very encouraging. Dave and I certainly appreciate the extra work students have been doing to manage the stalls of the herd. This takes the form in: Cleaning the rear of stalls when students first arrive Replacing fresh bedding when cows are done milking Cleaning off cow s quarters that have gotten dirty outside Post-dipping cows that have laid down outside Using their boots to remove manure from the rear of the stalls as they milk Making sure trainers are on at all times Adjusting trainers as manure accumulates for particular cows Placing shavings on the grates of our tie-stall cows Using lime in the rear of stalls of leaking cows, such as Blackie, Sheila, and Kathy Noteworthy items: This week was the week of Thanksgiving, which is a time to reflect and be thankful for the good will and support of others that has made the UW-SVM Teaching herd successful: Administrators - We are thankful for their courage to believe that a Teaching Herd would work. Cows - We are thankful for their resiliency and patience with students, clinicians, and managers.

5 4 th year students We are thankful for their professional attitudes gained thru herd experiences 3 rd year students - We are thankful for the leadership they have demonstrated in the herd. 2 nd year students - We are thankful for their willingness to continue to learn new things about cows. 1 st year students - We are thankful for their willingness to get acquainted with cows. Pre-Veterinary, Dairy Science, and Short-course students - We are thankful for working shifts, especially when veterinary students are busy. Clinicians - We are thankful for the High Level of Patient Care that they administer to the cows. Herd Management Team - We are thankful for taking their roles in managing the herd seriously. Charmany Staff - We are thankful for their patience in allowing us to work into their system. Laboratory Staff - We are thankful for their promptness in providing lab results. Projects: We give our Posilac injections on Friday mornings. Come give us a hand, as their can be up to 24 cows to inject. Feel free to show up any time between 6:00-7:30am. We have cows to vaccinate (J-5 and Scourgard) see Sara Colopy for the schedule. Rachel Klos continues to run the Nutrition monitoring project and always needs help. Sara Gilbertson is now doing the body condition scoring and always could use some help. Sarah Braeske is entering our financial data. Sara Colopy and Rachel Klos are editing the newsletter. NEW JOHNES PROJECT NEEDS INTERESTED STUDENTS! o We would like to have the Teaching Herd certified Johnes-Free and are looking for volunteers to help coordinate the project and collect blood samples o Dr. Collins lab is willing to run the test for free o Having the herd certified Johnes-Free would set a good examples for other herds and the process would be a good learning experience for students o If you are interested in helping, please contact Dr. Goodger Employment opportunities: If you are interested in gaining experience with dairy cows, we have the opportunity for you. You can join the milking crew at the Charmany Teaching Facility and work the AM or PM milking shifts. Weekday shifts are from 5:00 am to 7:00 am and from 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm. Weekend shifts are from 5:00 am to 12:00 pm and from 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm. Interested students should contact Dr. Bill Goodger at If you need to contact someone at the UW-SVM Teaching Herd Barn, call (608) Please direct correspondence regarding the Charmany Teaching Herd or the newsletter to: William J. Goodger, DVM, PhD cellular wgoodger@facstaff.wisc.edu

6 Charmany Dairy Herd Newsletter Dec 2nd Dec. 8th ***Special Feature*** Norman and Brooke Milde!!! Norman: Born: 12/11/97 Lactation: 3 rd Repro Status: Bred DIM: 65 SCC: 237,000 cells/ml Production: 100 lbs/day, 3.2% fat Lifetime Total: 58,790 lbs

7 Brooke Milde: Year in School: 2 nd Year Veterinary Student Born into the herd: Summer, 2002 Why? I was in dire need of a job, and I like cows The Best Part of Your Job: I like milking. Also, I enjoy getting some exercise at work. How does her job enhance her veterinary education? I ve gotten used to doing vaccinations, which wouldn t happen through the regular curriculum, at least this year. What skills has she learned with the herd? Restraint skills have improved, somewhat. Auscultation skills have improved. Who is her favorite? Norman she is a friendly cow. What are your career interests? Have those interests changed or been influenced by your job with the herd? Small animal practioner my career goals haven t changed. What does Brooke do in her spare time? Artwork, run and walk in the woods.