Publications by authors named "Darren McGee"
Article Synopsis
- The study looked at how management practices during the transition period (when cows are getting ready to give birth) affect high levels of ketones (hyperketolactia) in dairy cows and their milk production.
- The researchers used data from 71 dairy farms, mostly in Ontario, and looked at milk tests to see how many cows had problems with ketones.
- They found that about 27% of the cows had high ketone levels and used various models to understand the factors that influence this issue in herds.
The complex and interrelated management components of dairy farming are associated with health, production, and profitability of the herd, yet there is limited objective data on current management practices of the far-off, close-up, and fresh periods across Canadian dairy farms. We aimed to describe management practices of Canadian dairy farms by using a pre-existing risk assessment tool and outline potential management opportunities. Upon veterinarians' or producers' request, a transition management risk assessment (The Vital 90, Elanco) was performed by trained observers (n = 10) during farm visits (n = 78) between August 2014 and March 2018.
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