Descriptive Epidemiology of Adult Dairy Cow Mortalities on a Modern Colorado Dairy

Abstract

Studies have reported that mortality rates for adult dairy cows have been increasing over the past couple of decades and are now between 4 and 12% at the state level. None of these studies looked closely at the causes or specific risk factors associated with death. The objectives of this study were 1) to determine the causes of death of adult dairy cattle on a modern dairy farm and 2) to identify a classification scheme that facilitates directed management changes to reduce mortality.