Many farms have protocols written to help keep cows healthy

Possibly the biggest thief of resting time for dairy cows is waiting to be milked

Dairy cattle need four sound feet to complete many of their daily tasks

In the first weeks of in life, dairy animals are vulnerable to disease, building strength to grow, and learning how to use and interact with their environment

Just like for humans, transitions cause stress for animals. For dairy animals, these types of adjustments aren’t just limited to what we call “transition cows” — calves also go...

Despite how commonly calves are transported, surprisingly little research has been conducted to evaluate this practice. In addition, the research that has been done has mostly focused on physiological...

Cow sense — it’s a concept one often gleans either growing up on a farm or working on a farm. This cow sense, and ultimately understanding how a cow perceives her environment, is the very core...

Vaccination is one tool dairy producers can use to keep calves healthy, helping the animals to meet their full potential for growth and production

Calves are born into a world filled with bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can cause illness or even death in these young animals. For protection, the body develops an immune system

The benefits of adequate resting time include less stress, more milk production, less lameness, and greater longevity

Sometimes people wish there were more hours in a day to complete the responsibilities at hand, and dairy cows may feel the same way. Rick Grant of the Miner Institute recommends that farmers think abo

Consider the health and wellness of the animals living in the barn and the people working there to make the best decision

How important is it to provide water to my young calves when it’s cold outside?

Disbudding with caustic paste is typically done within the first week of life, and as early as the first 24 hours. Currently, there is only a small amount of research on caustic paste

A relatively new trend in calf raising is feeding transition milk to calves in early life. Dairy producers have long understood the importance of quickly providing newborn calves with colostrum

When temperatures are between 59°F and 82°F, a dairy calf can manage and control its body temperature with relative ease. “They are generating metabolic body heat and have normal exchange...

The long awaited publication of the eighth edition of Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) includes a chapter on calf nutrition

deciding when and how a dairy cow departs the farm is different on every operation

Scours is one of the most common calfhood illnesses, and it remains a widespread issue on farms. According to the Dairy Calf and Heifer Association’s Gold Standards, farms should aim for less than...

Compared to our beloved dairy cows, I rarely give compliments to the other large animals — the equines — that our vet team commonly encounters in our daily travels