Dry cows in the dairy herd

Drying off cows is vital because it allows time for the udder to recover before the next lactation period. Our information will help you to manage this crucial stage.

The dry period gives the cow and her udder a chance to recover and repair for the upcoming lactation. It is a crucial time, when new udder infections can occur from the environment, even though clinical signs may not be seen until lactation.

This is also an important time for curing long-term infections, thereby reducing the number of high-somatic cell count (SCC) cows and repeat cases of mastitis.

From feeding to housing, find out how to manage dry cows to avoid mastitis. Plus, our information will help you return your cattle to optimum lactation.

The dry period ends once the cow has calved so you must manage calving and drying off at the same time. Our guidance includes monitoring calving period outcomes and environmental management.

Read our protocols and options to consider before, during and after drying off cows. Effective mastitis control and deciding when to dry off are some of the aspects considered.