After calving, cows should be closely monitored to ensure that excess body condition is not lost.
Although a level of body condition loss is acceptable, excessive loss could be a sign that cows are in a prolonged state of negative energy balance (NEB).
Up to two weeks before calving, dairy cows enter a state of NEB, with this status potentially lasting for a number of weeks after calving. This is due to dry matter (DM) intakes reducing post-calving.
NEB means that the energy requirements for maintenance, gestation and production are not met by energy intake.
Prolonged periods of NEB or severe cases can result in cows developing metabolic disorders, such as ketosis.
Body condition
Cows will be expected to lose a level of condition after calving, but you do not want to lose more than half a condition score.
Losing more than half of condition score means that the cow has remained in a prolonged stage of NEB.
This could impact on the cows fertility and milk production performance negatively, which could result in them being culled from the herd.
When assessing a cow’s body condition score (BCS), the key areas to check are the fat cover over the loin, plates, and pin bones of the pelvis and tail areas. You should use your hand for this assessment.
Cows can be graded on a scoring system of between one and five:
Score 1: Individual transverse processes are fairly sharp to the touch and there is no fat around the tail head. Hip bones, tail head and ribs are visually prominent.
Score 2: Transverse processes can be identified individually when touched, but feel rounded rather than sharp. There is some tissue cover around the tail head and over the hip bones. Individual ribs are no longer obvious.
Score 3: Transverse processes can only be felt with firm pressure. Areas either side of the tail head have a fat cover that is felt easily.
Score 4: Fat cover around the tail head is evident as slight ’rounds’, and is soft to touch. Transverse processes cannot be felt even with firm pressure. Folds of fat are developing over the ribs.
Score 5: Bone structure is no longer noticeable, and the animal present a ‘blocky’ appearance. Tail head and hip bones are almost completely buried in fat, and folds of fat are apparent over the ribs. Transverse processes are completely covered by fat, and the animal’s mobility is impaired.
Everyone will score cows differently, but it is important that each farmer’s method of scoring is consistent.
Being consistent is key, as it ensures that cows have fair scores at each check.
Options
For cows and heifers that have lost too much condition post-calving the first thought might be to increase the level of feed being offer.
Giving them an extra kilo of concentrates/day will actually have no impact on the animals condition score, and likely just drive production.
What you are trying to do, is decrease the demand placed on the cow for production and allow condition to build.
Once-a-day (OAD) milking is a good option, as doing so helps animals to regain condition ahead of the breeding season.
Continue to feed the cows twice/day in the parlour, but only attached the clusters once.
It is important to note that cows have to be suitable for this – high cell counts or higher yielders may not be suitable for OAD milking.