Let's talk suckler cow mastitis......

hopeso

I have a herd of suckler cows..I do them with Dry Cow tubes at weaning every year and it works fine, especially at preventing mastitis during the dry period, but I normally get a case or two of e coli mastitis most years during the calving season.
My vet is very much in favour of the teat sealer tubes. He said if it was a choice between dry cow or sealer tubes, he'd go with the sealer. I know both can be used together, but to me it's not cost effective.
So, is anyone using the sealer tubes? Would they be the way to go?

high_king

Farmer tits ?

patsy_mccabe

How do you get the tubes into them? My cows would break your hands if you went near them. I'd have to use the leg hoist to do them.

Naggdefy

high_king wrote: »

Farmer tits ?

First one in with a stupid post on a new thread should receive an automatic monthly ban. If it's funny fair enough but this was a particularly poor effort.

high_king

Naggdefy wrote: »

First one in with a stupid post on a new thread should receive an automatic monthly ban. If it's funny fair enough but this was a particularly poor effort.

Sorry no prizes for being the 4th tit.

Naggdefy

hopeso wrote: »

I have a herd of suckler cows..I do them with Dry Cow tubes at weaning every year and it works fine, especially at preventing mastitis during the dry period, but I normally get a case or two of e coli mastitis most years during the calving season.
My vet is very much in favour of the teat sealer tubes. He said if it was a choice between dry cow or sealer tubes, he'd go with the sealer. I know both can be used together, but to me it's not cost effective.
So, is anyone using the sealer tubes? Would they be the way to go?

I'd go with the vet. Was a particularly bad summer/early autumn for mastitis. Damp enough and warm.

hopeso

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

How do you get the tubes into them? My cows would break your hands if you went near them. I'd have to use the leg hoist to do them.

Mine are by no means the quietest either....but I can do most of them with little bother, especially if working alone. Anything difficult, I use the kick bar on....

https://www.agridirect.ie/product/kick-bar-standard?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuJafje_u5QIVSrDtCh2cRwTBEAQYASABEgKSq_D_BwE

Naggdefy

high_king wrote: »

Sorry no prizes for being the 4th tit.

Usually in these cases the 4th tit is gone. This is a thread about mastitis. Feck off to some thread you might know something about.

Mr. Comedy

whelan2

Are they on slats or straw bedding coming up to calving?

hopeso

whelan2 wrote: »

Are they on slats or straw bedding coming up to calving?

Slats. If the weather is any way suitable they are let out to calf. Otherwise, they'd calf on a straw bed....

whelan2

We have sucklers. We never tube them to dry them off. Mine are in cubicles with automatic scraper. They must be getting an infection somewhere. Is the straw bed clean? Could you put lime on the straw bed? I dont think we ever had a suckler with e.coli. Are they dirty?

hopeso

whelan2 wrote: »

We have sucklers. We never tube them to dry them off. Mine are in cubicles with automatic scraper. They must be getting an infection somewhere. Is the straw bed clean? Could you put lime on the straw bed? I dont think we ever had a suckler with e.coli. Are they dirty?

The straw bed would be reasonably clean, and lime is used. Cows lying on slats are never going to be clean, but my vet's opinion is that they don't pick up the infection until shortly before they show the symptoms, in which case they could be off the slats for up to a week beforehand....

Mooooo

It's likely from the straw bed they are getting it. Spread lime on the straw as well or there are stronger powders the likes of surgeries use. E-coli isn't like some of the others that may develop slowly, it tend to hit hard and fast so where they are at the time is most likely the place they pick it up I'd say.

patsy_mccabe

Restricting feed may not help either. It might be better to have them as full and warm as possible too, to fight off any infection.

TooOldBoots

I never use dry cow tubes on the suckler cows, am I the only one?

tanko

TooOldBoots wrote: »

I never use dry cow tubes on the suckler cows, am I the only one?

I never have either. Mostly Lim cross cows here which lack a bit of milk and once October comes most cows go dry themselves. Have hardly any trouble with mastitis.
Years ago there was Black whitehead and Angus cows here with loads of milk, too much really and had a lot more bother with mastitis then.
It's hard to get the balance right, cows with good muscle, tidy udders and just enough milk are the ideal job.
What breed of cows have you OP?

Kermit.de.frog

I saw this thread on the main page.

Oh how disappointing it has turned out to be :pac:

/leaves

CloughCasey1

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

I saw this thread on the main page.

Oh how disappointing it has turned out to be :pac:

/leaves

Jaysus Kermit you are mad for all forms of white stuff! If it's not snow its milk! You'll be over in the AI/bull thread next. :eek:

whelan2

The problem seems to be after calving though nothing to do with the tubes

hopeso

tanko wrote: »

I never have either. Mostly Lim cross cows here which lack a bit of milk and once October comes most cows go dry themselves. Have hardly any trouble with mastitis.
Years ago there was Black whitehead and Angus cows here with loads of milk, too much really and had a lot more bother with mastitis then.
It's hard to get the balance right, cows with good muscle, tidy udders and just enough milk are the ideal job.
What breed of cows have you OP?

Like yourself, the majority would be LMX, but there's be a few others among them too...AAX, CHX, and such...

hopeso

whelan2 wrote: »

The problem seems to be after calving though nothing to do with the tubes

Yes, the e coli would't be really related to the use of tubes, but the thread has kind of focused on the mastitis, and any help or advice is welcome. But my main question was people's opinion or experience of teat sealers versus dry cow tubes...

Lime Tree Farm

Last year it was teat seals only, year previous is was 50:50, first lot got dry cow tubes plus seals, second lot got seals only.

Cows were separated from calves overnight, calves allowed drink out cows next day, cows then separated, restrained and swabbed with 4 individual cotton wool wads soaked in meths and teat sealed (Boviseal).

hopeso

Lime Tree Farm wrote: »

Last year it was teat seals only, year previous is was 50:50, first lot got dry cow tubes plus seals, second lot got seals only.

Cows were separated from calves overnight, calves allowed drink out cows next day, cows then separated, restrained and swabbed with 4 individual cotton wool wads soaked in meths and teat sealed (Boviseal).

I assume from that you think seals alone are the best option?

Lime Tree Farm

Absolutely, and Meticulous with hygiene (can't stress the hygiene aspect enough when using seals only.

To maintain ultimate hygiene, it’s a 3 person job, one to get cows up into crush and restrain the leg, one person handing down cotton swabs and opening seals to person inserting teat seals. It’s nigh impossible to keep gloved hands clean doing this job on your own, even the containers with the seals and cotton need to have lids on to avoid contamination (the usual reaction of cows)

there are either IFJ or Teagasc videos online, but I can't find the links

cacs

Lime Tree Farm wrote: »

Absolutely, and Meticulous with hygiene (can't stress the hygiene aspect enough when using seals only.

To maintain ultimate hygiene, it’s a 3 person job, one to get cows up into crush and restrain the leg, one person handing down cotton swabs and opening seals to person inserting teat seals. It’s nigh impossible to keep gloved hands clean doing this job on your own, even the containers with the seals and cotton need to have lids on to avoid contamination (the usual reaction of cows)

there are either IFJ or Teagasc videos online, but I can't find the links

I take the calf’s off the cows. The cows go into the slats no dry tubes. No last suck four days later. Never get mastitis.

high_king

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

I saw this thread on the main page.

Oh how disappointing it has turned out to be :pac:

/leaves

Were you hoping some farmer would spray your tits ?

hopeso

Lime Tree Farm wrote: »

Absolutely, and Meticulous with hygiene (can't stress the hygiene aspect enough when using seals only.

To maintain ultimate hygiene, it’s a 3 person job, one to get cows up into crush and restrain the leg, one person handing down cotton swabs and opening seals to person inserting teat seals. It’s nigh impossible to keep gloved hands clean doing this job on your own, even the containers with the seals and cotton need to have lids on to avoid contamination (the usual reaction of cows)

there are either IFJ or Teagasc videos online, but I can't find the links

It will be a one man job here....I wonder if I'm better sticking with the dry cow tubes, if hygiene is so critical? I can fully understand how the hygiene matters so much with the sealer over the dry cow....

Lime Tree Farm

In the past we did have two cows on slats who got mastitis after weaning (different years). Since then it has been dry cow tubes. Then 2 yrs ago decided to try 50:50 and last year it was seals only. It’s more for peace of mind really.

Lime Tree Farm

hopeso wrote: »

It will be a one man job here....I wonder if I'm better sticking with the dry cow tubes, if hygiene is so critical? I can fully understand how the hygiene matters so much with the sealer over the dry cow....

Yes, I would think so, the seal is just that, a seal - at least the cow has protection with the anti-biotin dry cow tube.

greysides

Lime Tree Farm wrote: »

Absolutely, and Meticulous with hygiene (can't stress the hygiene aspect enough when using seals only.

To maintain ultimate hygiene, it’s a 3 person job, one to get cows up into crush and restrain the leg, one person handing down cotton swabs and opening seals to person inserting teat seals. It’s nigh impossible to keep gloved hands clean doing this job on your own, even the containers with the seals and cotton need to have lids on to avoid contamination (the usual reaction of cows)

there are either IFJ or Teagasc videos online, but I can't find the links

AHI are running a Cell Check TASAH with the intent of providing dairy farmers with veterinary advice about SCCs and the Dry Period. Where suitable some farmers may be given an independent go-ahead to try test sealer only. The requirements include SCCs in check over the year, individual cow selection, good mastitis records and good husbandry/housing practices.

Given the wariness which is being exercised I'd be reluctant to replace Dry Cow tubes with teat sealer only. I'm assuming there is/was a need for DCT to begin with.

In dairy cows, it is considered that mastitis in the first three months of lactation may have its origins in the Dry Period.

grassroot1

Dont tube cows here either, is the teat canal being damaged at tubing?
Our cows are housed on Mats and cubicles and limed and squeegeed daily

whelan2

grassroot1 wrote: »

Dont tube cows here either, is the teat canal being damaged at tubing?
Our cows are housed on Mats and cubicles and limed and squeegeed daily

I was thinking along the same lines myself are you actually doing more harm than good by tubing them?

bogman_bass

hopeso wrote: »

It will be a one man job here....I wonder if I'm better sticking with the dry cow tubes, if hygiene is so critical? I can fully understand how the hygiene matters so much with the sealer over the dry cow....

If you are anything into the teat canal, hygiene is important with or without an antibiotic

K.G.

In milking its all about keeping them clean in15 key days.
The 5 days after drying
The 5 days before calving
The 5 days after calving.
You can stretch that to aweek if you want.