The drying off of cows has begun on many farms, with almost all herds due to begin the process in the coming days/weeks.
Drying off cows this year will be noticeably different on many farms with the use of selective dry cow therapy (SDCT).
Drying off
The drying off process always raises a number of questions with farmers, including how many cows you should dry off in one day.
The recommend number is no more than 20 in one day/person; however, if more than one person is drying off you can dry off more than 20.
But just because it is recommended, does not mean that is how many you should be drying off.
Many farms will be using SDCT for the first time this year and because of this hygiene levels need to be better than ever before. On cows were SDCT is being used, there will no longer be the safety net that an antibiotic provided.
Instead, if you are planning on drying off 20 cows, you should put five cows into the parlour at one time.
This is for a number of reasons, firstly so that cows are not standing in the parlour for longer than what is needed. Cows standing in the parlour for too long will end up dunging, which will introduce bacteria to the area.
Secondly, if there are 20 cows standing in the row, you will most likely be rushing to finish.
If there are only five, you can take your time and spend the necessary time on each cow to ensure that the job is done correctly.
Equipment
You should ensure that you have all the equipment that you require in the pit of the parlour with you, ready to go.
Once you start the process, avoid stopping until you are finished, for this reason you should leave your phone in the dairy or somewhere that you are not tempted to look at it.
Lighting is important to ensure that it is done correctly, so a head lamp is advised.
Hygiene is key; you are trying to do a surgical procedure in nonsurgical conditions. So, you should ensure that you keep the area as clean as possible and also keep yourself clean.
Change gloves regularly and most importantly take your time – the aim is to do the job as well as possible, not as fast as possible.
Ultimately you are trying to get cows calved down next spring with no mastitis or cell count issues and getting the drying off process right is going to be fundamental to this.