Managing dairy cow calving during drying-off

The dry period ends once the cow has calved so calving and drying off must be managed at the same time. Find out how to care for your cattle at this important time.

Good environmental management for calving cows is essential to prevent new udder infections. Read more about how to care for your calves, including minimising stress and bacterial exposure and calving locations.

Identifying clinical cases of mastitis and their cure rates should be considered when monitoring calving period outcomes. This allows you to make better informed decisions for the future.

Testing each udder quarter individually using the California milk test gives an indication of raised somatic cell counts. Find out how to perform the test and what equipment you will need.