OUR HERD TESTS CLEAN AGAIN! We have tested our herd annually for our own piece of mind for years to ensure we're free of BLV/BVD/Johne's/TB. In our older blog posts you'll find we covered these diseases at length in April of 2017. Raw Milk has some risk involved so it's important that you only consume the milk of health screened cows. Tuberculosis (TB) is rare in cattle now but was a serious health concern historically. By federal law, any cow sold for transportation over state lines is tested for TB prior to a Health Certificate being issued. Our herd is vaccinated against Brucellosis, as is the law in Idaho. This is also required by most states for importing a dairy cow since Brucella bacteria can be transmitted from cattle to humans and causes Undulating Fever. It's important to us that we're making every effort for the health of our herd and for the families who trust us enough to add one of our little Jerseys to their family. We understand that for many, their single milk cow is an investment and a beloved pet. Ruby is about to be dried off for calving in late April, so we sent a milk sample to the lab to test for Bovine Leukosis Virus/BVD/Johnes. She's three months away from being three years old. Being over two, and born into our herd (in Kansas prior to relocating to Idaho), makes Ruby a very good candidate for proof of a clean herd. These diseases are highly contagious, so by spot testing older cows in the herd it's safe to say OUR HERD IS CLEAN. We've spoken with several veterinarians in Idaho and Kansas, including at KSU College of Veteranary Medicine, and we've been reassured over and over that this is a safe practice for judging overall herd health. Brook was being tested for pregnancy so we tested her blood against BLV/BVD/Johnes too. She's 15 months old and was born into our herd here in Idaho. Cows and heifers currently in our herd that have tested clean: Emerald (4/16) Snowflake (4/16) Betsy (5/16, 4/17) Bebin (4/17) Lealus (4/17) Bella (7/17) Brook (2/18) Ruby (4/16, 2/18) Only our youngest calves, nine month old Meadow and Fern, have not yet been tested for these diseases. They are both Negative for Achondroplasia, a genetic defect that causes Dwarfism. The others with Mini Jersey bloodlines, Snowflake, Munchkin and Buttercup, were also screened Negative for "Chondro". Any cattle we've purchased have tested clean prior to arriving on our property and received a strict 30 day quarantine. During this time they're treated as a precaution for internal and external parasites. We use this time to get to know them, brushing them daily, and introducing them to our herbal deworming and mineral protocol. It's our intent to be a Closed Herd as of August 2017, only bringing in new genetic material by AI from tested bulls.
Our vets assures us we are indeed a clean herd. We will happily submit each cow we place for third party testing at the buyer's request, and refund any deposits if the tests aren't 100% clean. Until later, Milkmaid Lorinda
2 Comments
Shirley Fitzgerald
2/6/2021 07:25:18 am
I really enjoyed your post and was wondering about your herbal deworming and mineral protocol. Where can I send testing for the diseases you mentioned. We just purchased a registered jersey that is bred again with dexter and her calf a mixed Dexter. I would really appreciate your help and information
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