The dry period is an important stage for both the cow and the farmer. For the cow, it allows the udder time to rest and repair, is an opportunity to treat udder infections, and gives time to achieve the right body condition for calving. For the farmer, it is a chance to review herd health, recharge your own batteries and prepare for the next season.
In case you missed the Animal Health Ireland Cell check ‘Top 10 Tips webinar, you can watch it back here:
Animal Health Ireland have put together a list of 10 top tips to help with ensuring a positive experience during the dry off period.
1. Plan Ahead:
As with any job, the earlier you start planning, the more likely you are to have a successful outcome. It is recommended to start planning at least one month before drying off. Do not randomly select a batch of cows as the ones first or last out of the parlour. Decide the drying off date for groups of cows based on their calving date, body condition score, yield and lactation number. Aim for a dry period of at least six weeks, preferably eight. Thinner and/or younger cows may benefit from a longer dry period. At this point, any cow producing less than 9 litres of milk should be dried off straight away. As cows near the end of lactation, their milk quality changes i.e. levels of lactose decrease and SCC can increase.
2. Carry out a Milk Recording:
Identify cows with high SCCs. These cows may need to be dried off earlier or culled if they have repeated high SCC over two lactations despite antibiotic dry cow treatment in between. Taking sterile milk samples for bacterial culture and antibiotic sensitivity testing will give you and your vet valuable information about the bacteria in the herd. Samples from cases of clinical mastitis, and from high SCC cows during lactation and before drying off all provide important information. Ideally, you should take samples from a mix of young and older cows, and from both recent and chronic cases. Arrange a meeting with your vet to review records and make a plan, including treatment and culling decisions. For accurate dry-cow treatment decisions, SCC data should not be older than 30 days at drying-off. Good preparation makes the drying off process smooth and reduces risks. In the absence of a milk recording within a month of drying off, other tests to help identify cows that may require antibiotic treatment, such as a California Mastitis Test (CMT) or milk culture could be considered. However, these need to be carried out on each cow, which presents practical challenges.
3. Prepare the housing:
Clean winter housing and make sure it is ready even if the cows are going out to grass after being dried off. Make sure you have enough cubicles; to allow for normal cow behaviour, you need to have one extra cubicle for every 10 cows, or 110 cubicles for 100 cows. Good cubicle management helps reduce infection risk. As we cover later on, keep the cubicles dry and well bedded. Research has shown that SCCs after calving are lower on farms where cubicles are cleaned out twice a day instead of once a day. Ventilation and space are essential for cow comfort and housing hygiene. Don’t forget about your heifers! They also need enough clean and well-maintained space as they prepare for calving, to keep the number of bacteria that their teats are exposed to at a minimum. The preparation of your animal housing is an often overlooked part of the drying off process.
4. Clean cows, happy farmer:
Good preparation for drying off is vital for udder health. Cows should be brought in clean and dry, with tails ready clipped and excess hair removed from the udder and flanks. Clipping reduces the build-up of dung, dirt and moisture around the udder, making the drying-off process quicker, easier and more hygienic. It also reduces the chances of you getting a slap in the face with a dirty tail! Have any clipping done before the day of drying off, as you don’t want loose and/or dirty hair contaminating your clean work area. A clean udder surface means fewer bacteria are present when tubes are being applied, lowering the risk of infection being introduced. Tidy tails also prevent hair and dirt flicking back onto teats after treatment. Time spent on cleanliness and clipping pays off in reduced mastitis risk, better sealant performance, and a smoother start to the dry period.
5. Reduce milk yield:
One week before drying off, aim to reduce the milk yield of cows still producing more than 12 litres per day. Cut back on concentrates and/or grazing, but never restrict access to water. Dry off abruptly. Do not skip milkings as this increases infection risk. The aim is to bring cows to drying off with lower milk flow, reducing leakage and lowering the chance of bacteria entering the udder.
6. Drying off day:
After milking, draft out the cows you plan to dry off and bring them back in once the parlour is cleaned and you’ve had a break. Do not attempt to dry off during milking, as this only adds to your workload and you may end up taking risky shortcuts. We all like to get work done as quickly as possible but please, take your time – ‘measure twice, cut once’. What you do now can make or break the next lactation! Hygiene and patience are key, and rushing can undo months of good work. Dry off in small batches and clean the parlour between groups. Don’t be afraid to postpone if the weather is wet on the day you had planned to dry off – it is very hard to be hygienic when tails and udders are wet. Make sure you have enough help for drying off days and that everyone knows their role. Consider getting your vet or advisor to give you some refresher training, particularly if you have new staff. This is one of the most important jobs of the year.
7. Tubing cows:
Organise supplies in advance: gloves, dry cow tubes, teat sealants, sterilising wipes or surgical spirits and cotton wool, a new apron, and cow markers. Have everything within easy reach and make sure every helper knows their task.
Mark the cows
» Clearly mark the cows for treatment before you start, to avoid any mistakes later.
Sterilise the teat ends
» If the teats are muddy, wash and dry them thoroughly first.
» Sterilise the teat ends by vigorously rubbing the teat opening with a medicated wipe/cotton ball and surgical spirits, for at least ten seconds. Repeat as necessary until no more dirt is seen on the wipe/cotton.
» To avoid brushing against the sterilised teats with your arms, sterilise the two teats furthest away first (front teats) and then the two closest (rear teats).
» Administer the tubes in reverse i.e. treat the two teats closest to you first, followed by the two furthest away.
» Alternatively, one teat can be sterilised and treated at a time, starting with front teats. This may be more practical if more than one tube is being infused into each quarter e.g. antibiotic and teat sealant.
» Use a standardised order e.g. front left, then clockwise around the udder, in case you get distracted before you have finished a cow.
Administer the tubes
» Remove the cap of the tube and, without touching its tip with your hand, gently insert the nozzle into the teat canal.
» Massage dry cow antibiotic up into the quarter – DO NOT massage the teat sealant. Teat sealant must remain within the bottom part of the teat to create an effective barrier.
» If dry cow antibiotic and teat sealant are being used together, repeat the teat sterilisation step in between and make sure the teat sealant goes in last.
Apply teat disinfectant to all teats
» Teat dip is preferred, for better coverage.
Record cow ID, date and details of product(s) used.
8. After care:
Keep cows standing in a clean area for 30 minutes after treatment to allow the teat ends to close. The first two weeks after drying off are the highest risk for new infections. Keep cows on clean dry pasture or in clean cubicles and check them daily for signs of infection. Cubicles should be cleaned and bedded twice daily. Early attention to any problem cow will prevent bigger issues later. Drying off is a great opportunity to take stock of your next calving season, be that spring or autumn. The aftercare of the cow should take into account how well you are set up for when she calves again.
» How are your calving facilities?
» Do you have enough space?
» Is it a safe and clean environment for a calf?
» Do you have everything you need?
9. Nutrition during the dry period:
Nutrition is vital for both cow and calf. Provide balanced minerals and energy according to body condition. Thin cows may need extra attention to reach the right condition for calving. Follow the plan from your vet or nutritionist to avoid metabolic problems and to ensure strong calves and a healthy start to lactation.
10. Record and review:
Write down all drying off dates and treatments for every cow. Log in to ICBF or use the HerdPlus app to record this information or upload it from your farm software. Record and upload any mastitis cases during the dry period and in the first weeks of lactation. Ideally, you should start milk recording within one month of calving, even if not all cows are calved yet. This is essential for you and your vet to identify and deal with any early problems, assess how successful your drying off management was and to plan improvements for next year. It’s advisable to take and freeze milk samples from any clinical cases of mastitis. If the number of cases then exceeds your farm target e.g. 5% of cows in the first month of calving, you have an invaluable bank of data in the freezer that can help identify the source of the problem. Continual improvement, based on records and results, is the best way to keep cows healthy and productive year after year. It is critical to sit down at the end of each season with your vet to review results. Look at SCCs, mastitis cases, treatments and outcomes. From here, you can agree on changes for the next season to make sure that you are well
set for a healthy and profitable lactation.
In Summary:
A successful dry period depends on three things: good planning, strict hygiene and good records. Work closely with your vet to make decisions for each cow. Remember, preventing new infections is even more important than treating existing ones. Care taken at drying off will reward you with healthier cows, less hassle and better milk production in the next lactation.