Udder health
Udder health is one of the most important traits of cow health. Good udder health results in a low incidence of clinical mastitis, subclinical mastitis and a low somatic cell count.
Cows with healthy udders mean lower costs for veterinary care and lower culling rates. They have a longer productive life, produce more milk and have a higher output using the same input. This considerably reduces their carbon footprint. They also require fewer antibiotics. Udder health thus has a major impact on the welfare, production and sustainability of a herd.
CRV is leading in udder health by offering several solutions for enhanced udder health. Thanks to the high volume of data collected by Dutch and Flemish farmers, CRV offers the most accurate and reliable indexes and breeding values for udder health in the world.
CRV offers several solutions:
CRV developed the unique udder health index which gives a complete picture on udder health. In this index clinical and subclinical mastitis have been given weight according to the economic damage they are causing.
Udder health proven in practice
Practical research was performed among 100,490 cows on 900 farms. The results revealed that the 25% best performing cows for CRV Health had substantially better udder health and less costs associated with (sub)clinical mastitis, lower production, veterinary care and antibiotics (see the figure). The best cows also had a significantly higher genetic level for udder health and CRV Health. Breeding for udder health thus pays off in practice!
| Performance in lactations 1-3 | Lowest 25% | Highest 25% | Difference (absolute) | Relative decrease |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somatic cell count (x1000/ml) | 161 | 107 | –55 | 34% |
| Subclinical mastitis (%) | 43 | 27 | –16% | 37% |
| Costs per cow | Lowest 25% | Highest 25% | Savings (absolute) | Savings (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subclinical mastitis | €103.2 | €65.4 | €37.8 | 37% |
Tables: Comparison of the actual performances on working farms of the 25% highest andthe 25% lowest scoring cows for CRV Health. Bouwmeester, H., and Hoekstra, E., Van Hall Larenstein (Leeuwarden) – Arnhem, the Netherlands, 2019
Interested in udder health or would you like more information? Find a representative in your region or request more information via our contact form.
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