Have the cow stand for 30 minutes to allow the canal to seal and the dip to dry. Dry cow housing, especially during the early and late dry periods and at calving time, is critical to the control of environmental mastitis. Dry cows must have a clean, dry and comfortable environment where bacterial populations are minimized. Calving pens should be cleaned and disinfected after each calving and kept dry and well bedded. Avoid manure packs, mud holes, water ponds, dirt lots and other potential sources of environmental mastitis-causing organisms.
Proper nutrition is important to optimize the ability of the cow to resist bacterial challenges.
Too often, dry cow nutrition is overlooked on dairy farms. A positive CMT reading from a quarter that was uninfected at dry-off is a strong indication of an environmental infection that originated during the dry period. Freestall Barn Construction Tips Dan McFarland, Penn State Ag Engineer, spoke at the Dairy Herd Operators Meeting and gave the following tips for freestall barn construction. To design a proper freestall, it is important to take cow behavior into consideration. Cows rest 10 to 14 hours per day in approximately six bouts.