Using tools to monitor dairy cattle herds

Dairy farming is one of the most widely practised rural activities in our country and is of great social and economic importance. Milk has great nutritional value and is part of our lives. However, in order for the milk to reach the consumers table with quality, a great deal of work by the Veterinarian, in the field with the producers, is necessary. This work highlights a number of ways of monitoring dairy cattle herds: locomotion score, faeces score, body condition score, trough score and rumen score. The scores were assessed on several properties that were monitored on a monthly basis, describing the cases found and the appropriate procedure. It can be seen that the scores are essential tools for monitoring dairy herds and help to detect errors or management failures, mainly related to nutrition. This book is a valuable tool for professionals working in the field of dairy cattle (veterinarians, zootechnicians, agronomists, agricultural technicians) and for producers and employees working in the industry.