A nine-week field study measuring the effect of continuous ultra-pure chlorine dioxide water treatment on milk quality, milk yield, mastitis, hoof health, and calf scours at a working dairy.
Operation
Rosedale Colony Dairy, Montana
Herd
42 milking cows, 26 calves, 15 dry cows, 17 heifers
Treatment
Selectrocide, 0.5 ppm continuous, drinking water line
Duration
9 weeks
Abstract
Over nine weeks, Selectrocide ultra-pure chlorine dioxide was metered continuously into the drinking water line at Rosedale Colony Dairy at 0.5 ppm. The operation had a long history of high bacterial counts, severe subclinical mastitis, chronic calf scours, and a digital dermatitis outbreak that had persisted for roughly ten years.
Across the trial, treated water coincided with lower milk bacterial and somatic cell counts, higher milk yield per cow, fewer and smaller digital dermatitis lesions, lower mastitis treatment cost, and the elimination of calf scours. Product cost averaged $15.00 per day.
Results at a glance
|
-50% Milk bacterial count |
-25% Somatic cell count |
+21.2% Milk yield per cow |
|
-43% Cattle with digital dermatitis |
-66% Weekly mastitis treatment cost |
100% Calf scours eliminated |
The Operation
Rosedale Colony Dairy milks an average of 42 cows and raises about 26 calves in a free-stall barn fitted with rubber mats and manure scrapers. A further 15 dry cows and 17 breeding heifers are kept in a loafing pen.
Water is the largest single input a dairy cow consumes each day. Every surface it contacts, from the well through pressure tanks, lines, and drinkers, can host bacteria and biofilm that reseed the water supply. That makes the water system a practical control point for herd health.
Prior Conditions
Before treatment, the farm carried a persistent microbial burden that showed up across several parts of the operation:
Severe subclinical mastitis in the milking herd. Ongoing calf scours, which left an acrid, sour odor in the calf barn. And digital dermatitis, also called hairy wart, which had been present in the herd for roughly ten years.
Method
Selectrocide was introduced into the water line through a chemical injection system and held at a continuous concentration of 0.5 ppm for nine weeks. Milk bacterial counts, somatic cell counts, milk yield, hoof condition at the scheduled six-month trimming, mastitis treatment activity, and calf scours were tracked against the farm's prior baseline. Daily product cost averaged $15.00.
Study Parameters
|
Operation |
Rosedale Colony Dairy, Montana |
|
Herd |
42 milking cows, 26 calves, 15 dry cows, 17 breeding heifers |
|
Housing |
Free-stall barn with rubber mats and manure scrapers; dry cows and heifers in a loafing pen |
|
Intervention |
Selectrocide dosed into the drinking water line via chemical injection system |
|
Concentration |
0.5 ppm, continuous |
|
Duration |
9 weeks |
|
Product cost |
$15.00 per day |
Results
Six measures were recorded over the trial. Each is shown below against the farm's baseline, followed by a summary table.
Figure 1. Milk yield per cow. Average daily production rose from 22.6 to 27.4 liters per cow, an increase of 21.2%.
Figure 2. Somatic cell count. SCC fell from about 400,000 to about 300,000 cells/mL, a 25% reduction. Elevated somatic cell count is a recognized indicator of mastitis.
Figure 3. Mastitis treatment cost. Average weekly cost of treating mastitis fell from $1,290 to $430, a 66% reduction. The number of cows treated fell by roughly two-thirds.
Figure 4. Calf scours. Scours affected an estimated 30% of calves at any given time before treatment and zero after, a complete elimination during the trial.
Summary of Measured Outcomes
|
Metric |
Baseline |
With treated water |
Change |
|
Milk bacterial count |
24,000 CFU/mL |
12,000 CFU/mL |
-50% |
|
Somatic cell count |
400,000 cells/mL |
300,000 cells/mL |
-25% |
|
Daily milk production per cow |
22.6 L |
27.4 L |
+21.2% |
|
Cattle with digital dermatitis |
37 head |
21 head |
-43% |
|
Weekly mastitis treatment cost |
$1,290 |
$430 |
-66% |
|
Calves scouring at any time |
~30% |
0% |
Eliminated |
Discussion
The six measures point in one direction. Lower milk bacterial and somatic cell counts, together with reduced mastitis treatment, are consistent with a lower pathogen load reaching the animals through drinking water. The rise in milk yield is consistent with cleaner water supporting higher intake.
The drop in digital dermatitis, in both the number of infected cattle and the size of remaining lesions, and the elimination of calf scours, track with reduced waterborne and environmental pathogen pressure. The hoof trimmer, who had worked with this herd before, noted that remaining lesions had shrunk from an average of 2 to 3 cm to about half a centimeter.
Study design. This is a single-site, before-and-after field observation, not a controlled multi-farm trial. Results reflect one operation over one nine-week window and should be read as field experience. That said, the size and consistency of the changes across independent measures are notable, and similar outcomes have been recorded at other dairy operations.
Conclusion
At Rosedale Colony Dairy, continuous 0.5 ppm Selectrocide in the drinking water line coincided with better milk quality, higher yield, lower mastitis cost, fewer hoof infections, and no calf scours, at a product cost of $15.00 per day. For this operation, treating the water supply had a broad and measurable effect on herd health and output.
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