Association of Milk Cessation Method and Daily Milk Yield around Dry-off on Major Intramammary Infections at Calving

摘要

The goal of the dry period is to prepare the mammary glands for optimal milk production and udder health during the subsequent lactation. Increased milk yield near dry-off has been associated with increased risk of intramammary infections (IMI) at calving (1,4). Oliver et al. (3) saw uninfected quarters dried-off by abrupt cessation had a significantly higher rate of IMI at calving compared with quarters dried-off by gradual cessation methods. A modern study using today's high producing cows can help determine the dry-off method most beneficial to udder health and future milk production. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of milk cessation method and daily milk yield near dry-off on IMI caused by major pathogens at calving.