Herd investigation report

Abstract

Case farm 7714 was visited by the U.W.-School of Veterinary Medicine, River Falls Support Facility consisting of Dr. Dennis Van Roekel and a team of four students including the main investigator Pat Hady. The farm had been previously investigated about a year earlier (7/29/86) for the main complaint of anestrus in higher producing cows. The goals of that investigation were to evaluate his ration and fine tune it to increase milk production and butterfat. Their findings were that the milking cows were low in energy and they suggested the feeding of higher energy ration which was followed through by increasing the amount of grain fed. They also suggested a different feeding regime should be given to the heifers instead of feeding them the lactating cow grain formula. This was followed through by implementing a different grain ration to each group.