Getting the dry cow period and transition period right is key to autumn-calving cows having a successful lactation.
Autumn-calving cows are entering the final stages of their lactation – some have already been dried-off – and a focus now need to be placed on preventing metabolic disorders.
Ahead of drying-off and during the dry period, cows need to be closely monitored.
Farmers need to ensure that cows are getting adequate minerals and that they are in the correct body condition score (BCS).
Autumn calving
The majority of issues that occur during the calving period can often be traced back to the dry or transition period.
Examples of issues that can arise during the transition period include:
- Udder oedema;
- Milk fever;
- Retained placenta;
- Displaced abomasum (stomach);
- Laminitis;
- Metritis;
- Ketosis;
- Fatty liver syndrome.
All of these can result in lost profits and issues with cow welfare.
Cows at the highest risk of a metabolic issue are those that are not in the ideal BCS prior to calving.
An autumn-calving cow should have a BCS of 3.0 at calving; above or below this figure will lead to an increased risk of developing one of the issues outlined above.
If there are some cows that have a BCS that is too low, they should be separated from the herd to ensure they are eating enough feed.
These cows should be offered the highest quality feed available, while cows in the correct BCS can be offered lower-quality feed.
Minerals
Feeding minerals to cows during the dry period is vital to ensure that cows calve down in the correct mineral status and prevent issues such as milk fever.
In terms of mineral specification, the main points are:
- Low calcium (<1.1%);
- 20-25% magnesium;
- 2-5% phosphorus (P) fed at a higher rate if forage P content is low;
- Vitamin D – at least 12,000 units/100g;
- Trace minerals – copper, zinc, selenium, manganese, iodine and cobalt with protected sources included where required.
Minerals are usually fed at a rate of 120g/cow/day; if dusting minerals on silage, it is better to do it twice a day at a rate of 60g.
This should be fed to cows six weeks prior to calving, but can also be fed throughout the dry period.
Farmers could also feed calvers some soya to improve colostrum quality; offering cows between 200-300g/head/day should improve the colostrum from the cow, without impacting on calf size.
It is expensive, so should only be considered in a situation where colostrum quality has been poor in the past or may be this year.
It should only be fed to cows two weeks prior to calving, so it should not be fed for a long period of time.