Heifer mastitis can be a serious issue for herds and can have a negative impact on udder health in first and subsequent lactations.
Heifers that develop mastitis in the first 30 days after calving produce less milk and are likely to be less profitable over the course of their lifetime.
Heifer rearing is already an expensive task, and so, it is so important to keep mastitis at bay in their first lactation to stop these costs getting out of hand.
Heifer mastitis is commonly diagnosed when the heifer produces milk after calving that is either abnormal or has an increased somatic cell count (SCC).
A farmer should begin controlling their heifer mastitis when more than 15% of the heifers either have clinical mastitis at or around calving or have a first milk recording of a SCC over 150,000 cells/ml, when recorded at 15 to 35 days in milk.
Cases where heifers have one or more quarters that are non-functional or a ‘blind quarter’, would also be considered a case of heifer mastitis.
Preventing heifer mastitis
Some ways of reducing the risk of heifer mastitis include improving general udder health on the farm, by keeping cows and heifers in a clean and hygienic environment.
Implementing an effective fly control system is crucial, as flies can have a role in the development of summer mastitis even in non-lactating animals.
Farmers should address any issues that cause teat skin lesions and if warts are problem, a long-term control strategy should be pursued, and issues dealt with well in advance of calving.
Farmers need to avoid any nutritional deficiencies and especially any mineral and vitamins deficiencies, such as vitamin E and selenium to minimise negative energy balance (NEB) before and after calving.
Udder oedema incidences should be reduced through minimising the interval from calving to first milking.
Farmers should consider training heifers in the milking parlour pre-calving, as if heifers are not trained, it could take them two weeks to establish a quiet, reliable response to milking.
Farmers will be able to teat spray the heifers as they come into the parlour in the last few weeks before calving as this has been shown to reduce the number of certain strains of Streptococcus uberis bacteria at the teat ends.
Stress around calving, taking away calves, moving the heifer or pushing her through the parlour should all be kept to a minimum.
When heifers calve down, make sure that all quarters are fully drawn out and ensure that each heifer has a milk let-down response at each milking after calving.
The let-down hormone, oxytocin, may be recommended for individual heifers that are slow to establish a good let-down response.
