To select the best dairy cow, focus on production records (yield, fat/protein), health (disease-free, good feet/legs), conformation (wedge shape, well-attached udder, strong frame), genetics (pedigree, fertility), and temperament (calm, docile), ideally choosing cows in their 2nd-4th lactation from proven stock for high yield, quality milk, and efficient farm integration.
Genomic Testing: DNA analysis allows farmers to predict an animal potential for traits like milk production, fertility, and disease resistance at a young age, accelerating genetic progress.
Focus on Key Traits: Selection goals have expanded from just high milk yield to include a balance of: Production: Milk volume, butterfat, and protein content.
Reproduction: High conception rates and reduced calving intervals.
Health & Longevity: Resistance to diseases (e.g., mastitis), overall robustness, and a longer productive lifespan. Feed Efficiency: Breeding for cows that produce more milk per pound of feed consumed can reduce environmental impact and costs.
Individual medicine focuses on the examination and treatment of a single animal exhibiting signs of disease or injury.
Diagnosis and Treatment: Veterinarians examine individual cows to diagnose conditions early, when treatment is most effective. This often involves a physical exam and, sometimes, diagnostic tests.
Common Conditions: Individual treatments are necessary for issues like severe pneumonia, mastitis (udder infection), lameness, and metabolic diseases such as milk fever.
Medication: Specific medications are administered as needed, such as Cephapirin sodium for mastitis or enrofloxacin for bacterial infections.
Monitoring: Treatment outcomes are monitored, and protocols are adjusted based on individual response.