Udder Health and the Confinement Freestall Barn

Abstract

The use of freestall barns for total or seasonal confinement of dairy cattle has gained widespread acceptance by U.S. dairymen since their introduction in Snohomish, Washington in 1960. During this same period, many dairies have successfully implemented mastitis control procedures directed at contagious Streoptoccus agalactia and Staphylococcus aureus. These events have probably worked together to explain the more frequent reports of coliform mastitis problems in the last 25 years. It is my objective here to discuss some of the principles involved in changing environmental factors in order to reduce coliform mastitis losses