The goal is to ensure cows calve down healthy at optimum BCS of 3.0-3.25

The first of the autumn calving cows will be dried off in the coming days, and good dry cow management and meeting their feed requirements well will be crucial.

Although many autumn calving farms also have a spring calving herd that are milking strong at the moment, the reduction in cows through the parlour and reduced labour might ease the pressure around the farm.

The goal of the dry cow period is to ensure that the cows are calving down healthy with an optimum body condition score (BCS) of 3.0-3.25 with healthy udders and low somatic cell count (SCC).

So, in many cases, cows that were slightly under condition or first calving cows may have been dried off a couple of weeks ago to help them replenish condition.

For these cows, the aim should be to dry them off 10-12 weeks in advance of calving, and mature cows at eight weeks.

Leaving the cow with an inadequate dry period will lead to their milk yields being significantly reduced, and possibly to a loss in condition and a difficult calving.

Cows with a lower BCS of less than 2.75 will need an even longer dry period to regain their body reserves.

For cows in good condition, restricted feeding may have to be introduced to prevent them getting above a BCS of 3.5.

The majority of issues that arise from the calving period can often be traced back to the dry or transition period of the cows.

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.

Cows that are dried off at the minute will still have access to grass of course, but if grass becomes tight, these cows will be swiftly moved to an indoor diet to save grass for milking cows and to build average farm covers.

Good feeding during the dry period can help reduce metabolic disorders from occurring and that starts with feeding well-preserved silage at 68-70% dry matter digestibility (DMD), ideally.

Lower DMD silages may require some concentrate supplementation or a longer dry period to regain body reserves.

Farmers should analyse their silage fed for mineral content as a mineral supplementation programme should be put in place to address any issues encountered.

Most dry cow minerals are carefully manufactured to address the cow’s requirements, but they must be fed properly. It is recommended to supplement with minerals for the last seven weeks of pregnancy.

The specifications for your minerals should be as follows:

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 and if you are dusting minerals on silage, it is better to do it twice a day at a rate of 60g to avoid problems with perinatal calf health, as well as cow health.

In addition, ensuring that cubicles are brushed and cleaned every day with each cow having adequate space will reduce the SCC for the following lactation and minimise the risk of mastitis.