DairyCo

Producers are able to assess the levels and reasons for cows leaving the herd as well as gaining an indication of the cost in terms of pence per litre.

Disclaimer: While the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, operating through its DairyCo division, seeks to ensure that the information contained within this document is accurate at the time of publishing, no warranty is given in respect thereof and, to the maximum extent permitted by law, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board accepts no liability for loss, damage or injury howsoever caused (including that caused by negligence) or suffered directly or indirectly in relation to information and opinions contained in or omitted from this online tool.

Dairy Herd Culling

Reasons for Cows Leaving the Dairy Herd
	Number of cows culled in 12 months to:
	May 2010	May 2011	May 2012
Cows in herd
Cows sold as milking animals
Reasons for Culling
Infertility / inability to get in calf
Mastitis
Lameness
Poor production
Age
Other
Dead/casualty cow
Heifers - Average age at first calving	2 yrs 2 yrs 4 mths 3 yrs	2 yrs 2 yrs 4 mths 3 yrs	2 yrs 2 yrs 4 mths 3 yrs
Total Culls
Total Leaving Herd

Dairy Herd Culling Assessment
KEY: The level of culling or the number of cows culled for a particular reason is higher than normal and steps should be taken to investigate ways to reduce it. The level of culling or the number of cows culled for a particular reason is within the normal range. It is possible for overall culling rates to be within the normal range but for individual reasons to be high. The level of culling or the number of cows culled for a particular reason is below normal levels, suggesting culling and reasons for disposal are being controlled.
	Number of cows culled in 12 months to:
	May 2010	May 2011	May 2012	Average
Cows in herd
Total number of culls
Total cows leaving herd
% Culling Rate
% Replacement Rate
Reasons for Culling
% of culls:-
Infertility / inability to get in calf
Mastitis
Lameness
Poor production
Age
Other
Dead/casualty cow
Estimated replacement cost (ppl)
Estimated Herd Replacement Cost
Lost cow sale income due to dead/casualty cows