Dairy Herd Performance Evaluation

Mastitis Monitors

Abstract

Volumes have been written on the subject of mastitis control. Research continues to be compiled describing new, more effective measures in controlling herd mastitis. Yet application of this information has been slow. The purpose of this paper is to discuss in detail the use of DHI somatic cell counts records in mastitis control programs, and their effective integration with other data in the formulation of specific mastitis control recommendation. It concludes that the SCC is an excellent screening test for the presence of mastitis because (A) SCC data is a good indicator of the seriousness of the mastitis problem, offering a prognosis of the biological and economic impacts of the herd problem; (B) SCC enables monitoring of udder health as well as the effectiveness of treatment and prevention measures; and (C) an important consideration for a herd health screening test is the test's relative availability and expense.