nized. The first category is the chronic mastitis that

nized. The first category is the chronic mastitis that occurred during the last spring and summer.

These cows may have been treated or may have gone unnoticed but now have quarters which have sustained large amounts of damage. These quarters can be recognized because they are larger and if felt, are often very hard.

If the quarter is milked, an abnormal secretion often containing considerable amounts of pus may be seen. Some cows may warrant being kept if only one quarter is involved. Most cows that have two or more quarters involved should be heavily considered for culling.

The second type of mastitis is acute mastitis that occurs in association with weaning. This is especially seen in heavy producing cows that are producing more milk and will occur within a few days after weaning.

For this reason, cows should be examined closely for several dayB after weaning. Quarters that are very swollen or hard should be examined. Such quarters should be milked and treated with dry cow mastitis preparation such as is used in dairy cows. This may result in saving the quarter that would otherwise be lost if gone untreated.

Body condition of cows should also be assessed at the time they go down the chute. Several methods have been developed for scoring body condition. A simple one involves classifying cows as either thin, borderline, moderate, good or fat body condition.

Scoring each cow as she goes down the chute will allow accurate assessment of the average body condition of the cows. An important goal in reproductive management is to have all of the cows achieve moderate or better body condition by the time they calve.

Since these cows will cycle sooner and thus be much more likely to become pregnant from next year’s breeding season, cows with inadequate body condition should be identified now. If the entire herd is lacking body condition, then nutritional management before calving