Dairy Training

1
Based on Guide for the Care and Use of
Agricultural Animals in Agricultural Research and
Teaching(First Revised Edition, 1999)

• Dairy Training
• Level 1

Released 2004
2
Outline

• Dairy cattle and terminology
• Facilities and environment
• Feed and water
• Social environment
• Dairy husbandry practices
• Research procedures
• Animal handling
• Special considerations

3
General Features of Dairy Cows

• Highly adaptable
• Intelligent and curious
• Respond to a predictable
• daily routine
• Have a herd instinct
• Fed at ground level
• Weigh about 1500 pounds (large type)

4
Terminology

• Order
• Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates)
• Genus and Species
• Bos taurus
• Ruminants
• Cud-chewing

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Terminology

• Calf
• Young animal
• (male or female)

• Heifer
• Female before
• having first calf

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Terminology

• Cow
• Female after having
• first calf
• Dry Cow
• Cow that has lactated
• but is not now milking

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Terminology

• Bull
• Male
• Steer
• Castrated male

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Terminology

• Breed
• Animals sharing a closely related
• genetic background (e.g., Holstein, Jersey,
  Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Guernsey,
• Milking
• Shorthorn)

9
Types of Production Systems

• Confinement
• Tie stall
• Freestall
• Dry lot
• May or may not include free-stall housing (loose
  housing)

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Types of Production Systems

• Pasture
• Intensive management Pasture is a
• major source of forage
• Continuous grazing/
• exercise lot

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Stages and Types of Production

• Calf/heifer raising
• On farm
• Off farm/contract reared

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Stages and Types of Production

• Lactating cows

• Dry cows

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Facilities and Environment

• Dairy facilities should
• Provide a clean, dry, comfortable, and safe
• environment
• Provide relief from
• environmental
• challenges (e.g., cold
• stress, heat stress)

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Facilities and Environment

• Dairy facilities should (cont.)
• Provide fresh air, free
• from dust and
• irritating gases
• Be well lit for cow
• performance and
• safety
• Have flooring that provides traction and
• prevents slipping

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Facilities and Environment

• Cow comfort is between 20 and 70ºF (comfort zone)
• Heat stress results in
• reduced feed intake
• and milk yield

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Facilities and Environment

• Evaporation through
• respiration and the skin is a
• major part of cooling
• Humid, warm
• conditions are most
• stressful

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Facilities and Environment

• Calveshutches, shelters, pasture
• Heifersfreestalls, shelters, pasture
• Cowsfreestalls, tie stalls, corrals, pasture

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Facilities and Environment

• Bedding options
• Inorganic bedding
• (sand)
• Reduced risk of
• bacterial growth
• (mastitis)
• Manure handling has special needs

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Facilities and Environment

• Bedding options (cont.)
• Organic bedding
• (sawdust, straw)
• Requires regular
• maintenance
• Adaptable to composting

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Facilities and Environment

• Special needs areas
• Prepartum3 to 4 weeks before calving
• Maternitycalving time
• Working chute

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Facilities and Environment

• Research facilities
• Fistulated cows
• require extra space
• Metabolism stalls
• Specialized research
• feeders

22
Feed and Water

• Diets need to provide for
• Maintenance
• Growth
• Production
• Reproduction

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Feed and Water

• As ruminants, dairy cattle can consume a variety
  of
• Grains
• Forages
• By-products of many types
• Cows are especially equipped to consume and
  utilize large amounts of roughage

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Feed and Water

• Minimize contamination and spoilage of feeds
• Proper storage
• Proper mixing
• and delivery
• Feed bunk
• management (removal
• of feed not consumed)

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Feed and Water

• Dietary considerations for calves
• Colostrum contains antibodies that provide
  disease resistance should
• be fed as soon as possible after birth
• An immature rumen requires fresh, coarse grain
  and water daily in addition to milk or milk
  replacer

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Feed and Water

• All dietary changes should be gradual
• Transition from the dry
• period to lactation
• is a critical time

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Water

• Water should be
• available and
• convenient at all
• times
• Water should be
• kept clean and
• fresh

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Water

• At least one water space or 2 feet of accessible
  tank perimeter should be provided for every 15 to
  20 cows in a group
• Two or more watering locations are desirable for
  larger groups of animals

29
Social Environment

• Cattle are social
• animals and have a
• dominance
• hierarchy
• Cattle are herd
• animals and follow a
• leader in a group

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Social Environment

• Cattle should be kept in groups or have visual
  contact with other cows during medical treatment,
  artificial insemination, etc.

31
Social Environment

• Group size not a problem
• Overcrowding can negatively affect well being
• Social interactions need
• to be observed
• For signs of estrus
• For aggression that may
• limit performance or cause injury
• To ensure adequate feed intake

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Good Dairy Husbandry Practices

• Standard operating procedures (SOP)
• Biosecurity
• Animal care personnel
• Animal observations
• Emergency procedures
• Animal identification and records

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SOP

• An SOP is a part of good management. Written
  SOPs ensure consistent management practices, such
  as
• Milking
• Feeding
• Health care
• Calf and heifer raising
• Transportation
• Emergency procedures

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Example SOP Basic Milking Procedure

• 1. Dry-wipe dirt and debris from the first
  cows udder.
• 2. Pre-dip all four teats with pre-dip cup.
• 3. Strip two squirts of milk from each teat and
  observe for abnormal milk. If abnormal milk is
  found, refer to parlor SOP 2, Dealing with cows
  showing abnormal milk.

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Example SOP (cont.) Basic Milking Procedure

• 4. Repeat steps 1, 2, and 3 with the second and
  third cows on the same side.
• 5. Return to the first cow and thoroughly wipe
  with a clean towel.
• 6. Attach unit to first cow and adjust.

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Example SOP (cont.) Basic Milking Procedure

• 7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 with the second and
  third cows on the side.
• 8. Begin at step 1 with the fourth cow on the
  side and repeat procedure with each group of
  three cows until all 12 units are attached.
• 9. When units have detached, post-dip all cows
  and release.

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Biosecurity

• Prevents spread of disease from animal to animal
  or farm to farm
• Protect workers from zoonotic diseases (diseases
  common to cows and people)
• Ensure a safe food supply

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Biosecurity

• People movement and tasks
• Disposable boots for visitors
• Foot baths
• Sanitation
• Protect feed storage
• sites from risks such
• as vermin

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Biosecurity

• Cattle movements
• Isolate new animals
• Evaluate risk of movement
• Transportation
• Drivers and handlers
• Vehicle

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Animal Care Personnel

• Awareness of responsibilities
• During normal work hours
• During emergencies
• Recognition of normal and abnormal animal
  behavior
• Familiarity with SOPs

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Animal Care Personnel

• Observations by trained and experienced
  caretakers should be based on SOPs
• Daily observations
• will occur under
• normal husbandry
• practices

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Animal Care Personnel

• Observations (cont.)
• More frequent observations are desirable
• During calving
• To detect estrus
• During postsurgical
• recovery
• During confinement
• in metabolism stalls
• During recovery from illness

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Animal Care Personnel

• Emergency, weekend, and holiday care
• Rapid communication should be available in an
  emergency
• Institutional security and fire personnel should
  be able to contact responsible staff
• Names and telephone numbers should
• be posted in the animal
• facility and listed with
• the security department

44
Animal Identification and Records

• Permanent identification
• of each animal
• Individual animal records
• based on SOPs are needed
• Research protocols may require additional
  information to be recorded

45
Standard Dairy Practices

• Calf care
• Assist with calving as needed
• Feed colostrum as soon as possible
• Disinfect navel
• Identify
• Castrate bulls
• Dehorn
• Remove extra teats

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Standard Dairy Practices

• Milking procedure
• Removal of udder
• hair
• Singeing
• Clipping
• Foot care
• Tail care
• Trimming switch
• Docking

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PMO (Pasteurized Milk Ordinance)
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Dairy Cattle Health Care (Veterinary Care)

• Maintain animal health and productivity while
  minimizing pain and suffering
• Biosecurity (covered previously)
• Regulatory compliance
• Health program
• Recognize normal behavior
• Pain and distress

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Regulatory Compliance

• Food and Drug Administration (FDA) compliance
  (drug withdrawal times, following drug label
  requirements)
• Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) compliance for
  controlled substances
• USDA-Animal Plant Health Inspection Service
  (APHIS) Animal Care

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Health Program

• Train animal caretakers
• Prevent disease
• Good husbandry practices
• Vaccinations
• Monitor health
• Caretaker observations
• Performance measures
• Serology, tissue diagnostics
• Necropsy

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Health Program

• Treat disease
• Isolation
• Animal treatments

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Normal Cow Behavior

• Alert interest in surroundings
• Normal grooming activities
• Chewing their cud while resting
• Up and eating at feeding time
• Lying in freestalls
• Moving easily with a normal gait
• Calm during milking

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Signs of Pain and Distress

• Lethargy (inactive, droopy ears sunken eyes
  cold ears)
• Restlessness increased activity
• Lack of appetite
• Lack of cud chewing
• Abnormal defecation and urination pattern

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Signs of Pain and Distress

• Increased vocalizations (other than when in
  estrus)
• Tonal quality of vocalizations
• Intense rubbing, licking, or scratching of skin
• Increased or shallow breathing panting
• Guarded posture abnormal appearance or behavior

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Potential Sources of Pain

• Foot problems
• Laminitis, sole ulcers, hairy warts, stone
  bruises
• Arthritic conditions
• Lameness swollen joints, broken bones, or
• hoof pad damage
• Calving difficulty

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Potential Sources of Pain

• Physical injuries rough handling
• Infectious diseases
• Certain research procedures
• Standard dairy practices (dehorning, ear
• tagging, and castration)

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Action Steps Addressing Pain or Distress

• Follow approved SOP when animals are observed in
  pain or distress
• Report to supervisor or attending veterinarian
• Relieve the causative factor
• Give remedial medical treatment or humane
  euthanasia as appropriate

58
Research Procedures

• Physical restraints
• Manual restraint
• Self-locking head catch gate
• Metabolism stalls

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Research Procedures

• Blood sampling
• Most common blood sampling sites
• Neck (jugular vein)
• Tail vein
• Body weight measurements

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Research Procedures

• Administration of compounds
• Subcutaneous (SC)
• Lateral side of the neck
• Between tailhead and pins

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Research Procedures

• Administration of compounds (cont.)
• Intramuscular (IM)
• Lateral side of the neck preferred site
• Avoid injections on rump or hip
• Intravenous (IV)
• Jugular vein or superior vena cava

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Research Procedures

• Administration of compounds (cont.)
• Intraperitoneal (IP)
• Injection into the main body cavity

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Research Procedures

• Invasive procedures
• Surgery Penetration and exposure of a body
  cavity rumen-fistulated cow
• Chronic catheterization or cannulation
• Gastrointestinal tract
• Bile and pancreatic excretions
• Venous

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Animal Handling

• Cows respond best to consistent and predictable
  nonaversive handling practices
• Rough handling methods increase fear and decrease
  productivity
• Use of electric prods, shouting, and other rough
  handling methods should be avoided

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Animal Handling

• Animals should not be rushed but should
• be allowed to move at
• their normal pace
• Animals should be
• given time to explore
• new environments

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Animal Handling

• Flight zone
• Critical distance between handler and animal that
  causes the animal to move away distance varies
  for each animal
• Distance varies with the relationship between
  handler and animal (an unknown handler and fear
  contribute to a larger flight zone)

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The Flight Zone
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Animal Handling

• Using flight zone to move cattle
• Point of balance is the shoulder
• Moving into flight zone in front of point of
  balance moves animal backward
• Moving into flight zone behind point of balance
  moves animal forward

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Animal Handling

• Vision
• See 300º (only blind spot is directly behind)
• Good distance vision
• Some color vision
• Poor depth perception

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Animal Handling

• Working cattle in chutes
• Minimize distractions
• Shadows
• Too dark or too bright
• Miscellaneous items
• left in view
• Avoid reaching between rails and bars

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Animal Handling

• Transporting cattle
• Restrict movement within transporting vehicle
• Minimize exposure to extreme conditions during
  transport (heat stress, wind chill)
• The floor of the trailer or truck should be of a
  non-slip quality or covered with sand or grit

72
Animal Handling

• Transporting cattle (cont.)
• Cows too weak to stand should not be transported
  and must not be dragged
• If medical treatment is not effective, then
  animal should be euthanized on the farm

73
Animal Handling

• Moving young calves off farm
• Colostrum for 2 to 3 days
• Dry hair coat and dry navel cord
• Strong enough to walk without assistance
• Avoid transporting
• before 3 days of age

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Special Considerations

• Milking machine and udder sanitation
• Noise and music
• Stray voltage
• Bulls
• Safety

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Milking Machine and Udder Sanitation

• The milking facility must have clean floors with
  good traction and proper lighting to be hygienic
  and safe
• Milking equipment has to be maintained to Grade A
  standards of efficiency and sanitation

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Milking Machine and Udder Sanitation

• Written operating procedures should be
• established to ensure
• high-quality milk and to
• avoid contamination
• with antibiotics

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Milking Machine and Udder Sanitation

• Good milking procedures and high- quality
  milk begin with cow cleanliness
• Udders and teats
• should be free of long
• hair, clean, and dry

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Milking Machine and Udder Sanitation

• Hands should be washed thoroughly before milking
  and frequently during milking
• Protective gloves
• should be worn
• during milking

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Noise and Music

• Cows become accustomed to normal
  sounds
  during milking
• Extreme care should be taken to not frighten
  heifers being milked the first few times to
  ensure proper milk letdown

80
Noise and Music

• The presence of unfamiliar people can reduce milk
  yield
• Cows can become accustomed to music

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Stray Voltage

• Electrical currents can interfere with the
  milking process, increase cow excitability, and
  decrease milk production
• Poor electrical connections, corrosion of
  switches, frayed insulation, faulty equipment, or
  poor grounding can cause stray voltage

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Bulls

• Bulls are very dangerous and should always be
  handled cautiously
• Bulls should be housed in clean, well-lit, and
  well-ventilated buildings or kept outside in
  facilities that protect them from inclement
  conditions
• Young bulls can be kept in groups however, they
  should be watched for signs of aggression and
  possible injuries

83
Occupational Health and Safety

• Occupational health and safety is important for
  the well being of cattle and of the people who
  work with animals

84
Occupational Health and Safety

• Occupational health and safety of farm animals
  falls into two general categories
• Worker safety
• Protection from zoonotic diseases and allergies

85
Minimizing Human Health Risk

• People who have a healthy immune
• system have very low risk of zoonoses
• Practice appropriate
• facility sanitation
• and personal hygiene,
• such as hand washing

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Minimizing Human Health Risk

• Never eat, drink, or smoke near animals
• Do not place food or beverages in
• refrigerators where drugs are stored
• Use proper personal protective equipment or
• PPE (e.g., gloves, farm clothes) to lower risk
• of a zoonotic incident or exposure

87
General Farm Safety

• Use safety procedures when lifting heavy objects
• Use ear protection while
• working in noisy
• environments

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General Farm Safety

• Obtain training on safe use of farm
• equipment (e.g., tractors, hydraulics)
• Understand procedures in case of fire,
• natural disaster, power failure, or other
• emergency situations
• Dispose of hypodermic needles in proper
• receptacles

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Dairy Cattle Committee

• William Crist, Chair
• University of Kentucky
• Ken Olson
• KEO Consulting
• Edmond Pajor
• Purdue University

Pamela Ruegg University of Wisconsin Barry
Steevens University of Missouri Steven
Washburn North Carolina State University