Veterinary herd health and production service on dairy farms V. Index list on metabolic/nutritional diseases,body condition score and ration composition

The Herd Health and Production Service program for use in veterinary dairy practice, introduced here, is comprised of a basic system and a flexible system. The basic system is a uniform system of data recording, standard veterinary activities and problem detection. In this system 4 index lists play a key role. These 4 lists consist of the parameters or index figures which are relevant to the efficiency of milk production, calf production and cow replacement. Data on milk production, health status and reproduction of both the herd and individual cows are collected by the farmer and the veterinarian, and translated into index figures.This paper introduces List “4” with index figures for the control of nutritional disorders, body condition and ration formulation. The index figures aid in the detection of unsatisfactory situations at early stages. They form the basis for further analysis, remedial action and prevention of problems. The development, significance and implementation of the index figures are presented. Relationships with index figures from other lists are shown. Objectives and reference values for monitoring nutritional efficiency are given where applicable.