Having a calf is a high-risk period for any cow and over the next few weeks as dairy cows transition to lactation and experience a change in diet, there is no doubt but that some cows will get sick. Here are some of the signs to look out for.

1. Dull eyes, head down: a healthy animal will be bright and alert whereas a sick animal will be dull looking. Sunken or dull eyes are a sign of dehydration because the animal isn’t taking in enough water or feed.

2. Temperature change: the temperature of a healthy dairy cow is between 38°C and 39.3°C taken from the rectum. Deviations above or below this are a sign of ill health.

If unsure if an animal is sick or not, checking the temperature is a very good way of knowing more about the animal. A high or a low temperature will affirm a suspicion that an animal is sick.

3. Off-feed: this is a really obvious sign that an animal is off-form. The best time to judge this is soon after bringing cows back to a shed, where fresh silage was put out.

Fresh silage

A healthy cow will almost always go and eat fresh silage. In the same way if cows are turned out to grass after milking, a healthy cow will always be grazing the new allocation vigorously. If a cow decides to lie down in the field or in the shed and ignore the fresh grass or fresh silage, that’s a bad sign.

4. Another good way of detecting health problems is by keeping an eye on cows not eating their ration in the parlour. If they leave meal behind and all other animals eat their meal, then that’s a bad sign too. The same applies for calves and young stock being fed meal at grass or in a shed. Off-feed is usually a sign of stomach problems and could indicate acidosis, ketosis or a displaced abomasum.

5. Last into the parlour: cows that are slow on their feet or are last into the milking parlour when they are normally not the last in could also indicate a health problem and not just lameness.