Many herds are currently engaged in drying off cows, as the focus shifts towards dry cow management across most farms. It’s also  important to consider nutrition plans when cows calve down this coming Spring, accounting for the following:

• A planned and well executed dry cow mineral programme.
• Calving down the cow in the correct Body Condition Scoring (BCS).
• Excellent animal husbandry in the week pre-and post-calving (no additional stressors).
• Careful transition diet planning.

Given how silage quality in many cases was hampered due to poor growth and weather, do you have sufficient high-quality forage available for when cows calve down come Spring 2025? If not, what’s your back-up plan?

Negative Energy Balance (NEB)

In the week post calving, cows produce more milk than their feed intake can provide for, resulting in Body Condition loss due to Negative Energy Balance (NEB). Typically, a cow reaches peak milk output 6-8 weeks post-calving but will only reach peak dry matter intake 10-12 weeks after calving. Such a cow’s diet must be energy dense enough to ensure body weight loss of less than 0.5 BCS between calving and breeding.

Dry matter intake typically increases by 0.75 – 1.0 kg/week post-calving, underlining the need for an energy-dense transition diet. This can prove difficult to control where silage quality is poor. In such a scenario, farmers must be prepared to fill the gap; otherwise, production will be compromised in the short-term, while in the longer-term, issues including poor fertility could be evident by May. Adequate concentrate supplement, depending on milk output, is paramount, with high energy grazed grass forming an essential diet component.

Monitoring NEB

• Low milk protein %: when energy is restricted in the diet – often caused by poor quality silage, delayed turnout and/or insufficient supplementation levels relative to cow output.
• Body condition loss across the herd (<25% of cows with a >0.5 unit of BCS loss in early lactation).
• A bulk tank milk fat: protein ratio > 1.4 (calculated by dividing the milk fat % by milk protein %); signals poor energy balance in the herd’s diet where compact calving occurs.

For more information, contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor here.

For spring calving herds, the end of the lactation is approaching so some important decisions need to be made to hopefully ensure a stress-free start to 2025.

Milk recording

Four milk recordings a year should be carried out to make better informed decisions all year round. A final milk recording should be organised close to the onset of drying off (ideally within 30 days), to help assist in decisions around selective dry cow therapy.

BCS

Best practise is to dry off cows at, or close to, the same condition she should calve down in (Target 3.0 – 3.25). Therefore, nutrition of the dry cow should centre around maintenance over 60 days. Thin cows should be prioritised for early drying off to assist in the recouperation of condition. Where large variation in a herd arises with BCS, batching accordingly and making a tailored plan is advisable.

Silage analysis

Nutrition depends on what silage quality (and quantity), is available in the yard, therefore silage analysis is crucial. High quality silage will need dilution with straw/hay to avoid over-conditioning. Additional energy sources through concentrates may also be required, where quality is poor.

Where ongoing issues occur with milk fever, retained afterbirth and/or slow calvings, a silage mineral analysis will establish Potassium (K) % in the silage being offered to dry cows. K levels > 1.8% can cause issues. Preventative plans can then be put in place.

Selecting a dry cow mineral

Feeding high quality dry cow mineral for 60 days is central to a cow calving down without issue next Spring. Most Irish silage lacks the mineral levels required by the cow and therefore requires balancing. Using a highly soluble source of Magnesium is essential to overcoming any milk fever risks; this should be coupled with the inclusion of complimentary Phosphorus, a high inclusion of chelated/protected trace elements to overcome antagonists, and a strong all-round vitamin pack (A, D3 & E).

For more information, contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor here.

Prevention of metabolic issues next spring will hinge around management decisions that will be made over the next number of weeks. When costs associated with clinical cases are assessed alongside the time and labour involved in such cases, prevention is always better than cure.

BCS

It is always best practise to dry off cows at, or very close to same condition that she should calve down in (Target BCS 3.0 – 3.25). Therefore, the nutrition of the dry cow should just maintain condition over the 60-day dry period (Thin cows should be dried off early to allow for recouperation of condition).  Over-conditioned cows at calving are also problematic. Therefore, cows should be condition scored prior to dry off, which may result in grouping cows accordingly where large variation in the herd arises.

Silage quality – the decision factor

Feed plans for the dry cow will centre around what quality silage is available. High quality silage will need dilution to avoid over-conditioning or where quality is very low, some level of energy supplementation will be required. Testing dry cow silage and assessing how much silage reserve is available will paint a clear picture of what feed requirements will be. Where issues around calving occurred last spring, it is worthwhile also testing silage for mineral analysis to highlight any precursors – such as high potassium/ K%.

Dry Cow Mineral Provision

Feeding a dry cow mineral throughout the dry period is essential to build up mineral reserves and allow the cow to calve down without issue. Most Irish silages lack the required mineral levels to get the cow through the dry period, lending to the provision of a high-quality mineral supplement to avoid metabolic disease risks. High K levels in Irish silages is also a running trend, which will require a high level of soluble magnesium to help overcome the risk of milk fever. Research indicates a single case of Milk Fever is estimated to cost ~ €312; with sub-clinical cases estimated to cost a herd >€100/case.

In a high-quality dry cow mineral pack we should be looking for a high inclusion of a highly soluble source of magnesium, which should also be coupled with a complimentary inclusion of Phosphorus, a high inclusion of chelated/protected trace elements to overcome antagonists, and a strong all round vitamin pack (A, D3 & E).

For tailored dry cow mineral advice, get in touch with your local Agritech Sales Advisor here.

Prevention of metabolic disorders next spring will hinge around management decisions that will be made in the coming weeks. When costs associated with clinical cases are assessed alongside the time and labour involved in such cases, prevention is always better than cure.

It remains best practice to dry off cows at, or very close to the same condition that they should calve down in (target BCS 3.0-3.25). Nutrition over the dry period targeting maintenance – with thin cows ideally dried off early to permit BCS recouperation –typically equates to 68-70% DMD silage in an adlib silage feeding scenario. However, one should always be mindful that over conditioned cows at calving are troublesome and can be linked with several metabolic issues.

Dry Cow Mineral Provision

Feeding a dry cow mineral throughout the dry period is essential to build up mineral reserves and allows the cow to calve down comfortably. High Potassium (K) levels in silages is very common, which requires dilution of K levels in the diet and/or a high level of soluble Magnesium (Mg) to counter the increased risk of milk fever. High levels of K limits Mg absorption, delaying the release of Calcium (Ca) and increases the incidence of milk fever. Grass silage with greater than 1.8% K can cause issues.

Sub-clinical cases of milk fever are being estimated to cost greater than €100 with approximately six sub-clinical cases going undetected for every single clinical case seen. This typically presents through slow calving and/or retained afterbirths. Where this has proven an issue, a silage mineral analysis establishes K% in the dry cow silage being offered. A preventative plan can then be put in place to preclude reoccurrences.

Feed Facilities

When there’s limited feed space for dry cows, and where minerals are being dusted on top of silage, some cows may not be benefiting from the advised feed rate. Minerals can be offered via diet feeder or alternatively where top-dressing minerals at the barrier and space is limited, offer minerals twice daily (half rate AM/half rate PM) to ensure all cows receive the correct amount.

Learn more about our Welmin Dry Cow Mineral Range.

For more information, contact your local Sales Advisor. 

With most Irish dairy herds calving in the months of February and March, now is a very important time to apply some key practices that will influence the 2020 lactation.

The key influencers of a productive and profitable 2020 lactation are:

• Body condition score
• Udder health
• Stress free drying off

BODY CONDITION SCORE

Body condition score (BCS) is the foundation for a successful start to the cow’s lactation. The ideal BCS score range is 3.0 to 3.25 in most herds. Cows calving down in this range experience less metabolic issues in early lactation e.g. milk fever, metritis, displaced abomasums.

A simple system to manage BCS for the dry period is to divide cows into three groups:

Group 1: Cows in the 3.0 to 3.25 range. This group should be stocked at one cow per cubicle and fed silage to maintain body condition, e.g. 12 kg of silage to provide 6 UFL/ day.
Group 2: Cows in this group are under 3.0 BCS. This group should be stocked at 90% of a shed’s capacity. This reduces competition for feed space and promotes a more relaxed environment that will encourage live-weight gain in the cow. This group should receive high quality silage or meal to provide 8+ UFL/day.
Group 3: Cows in this group are over 3.25 BCS. This group need to either maintain BCS or lose some body weight. This group should be stocked at a slightly higher shed stocking rate e.g. 110% of a shed’s capacity, which will create a little more competition within the group for feed and space. This group should be on a restricted silage diet to provide less than 5.5 UFL/day. However, additional roughage should be provided to ensure the cow achieves optimum rumen fill.

Note:
• It is important that all groups are monitored regularly to ensure they reach the optimum BCS of 3.0 to 3.25. Cows should be moved from their groups if they are moving outside this range.
• It is critical that a dry cow mineral is provided to each of the above groups. A dry cow should receive a minimum of 6 kg of dry cow minerals in advance of calving in order to ensure that she is adequately replenished and prepared for calving and next year’s lactation. Click here to view our Welmin Mineral Range.
• It is essential to provide fresh clean water adlib.
• All cows should be moved from their groups 14 days pre-calving to a transition group where they are introduced to an increased energy and protein diet.

UDDER HEALTH

With an increasing pressure to reduce antibiotic use in the dry period, shed hygiene is becoming ever more important during the dry period. Factors which promote a hygienic environment include:

1) Adequate lying space (1 cubicle per cow).
2) Adequate feed space.
3) Adequate ventilation.
4) Adlib fresh clean water.

In addition to this, most Irish dairy farms use a bedding conditioner on cubicles. A good bedding conditioner should meet the following criteria:

• Highly absorbent to control bacteria growth.
• Be kind on both the farmer and animal’s skin.
• Absorbs ammonia odours to help air quality and reduce stress on the animal’s lungs.
• Easy to apply in a low volume per square meter.
• Contains effective antibacterial properties.

A good example is Sanitise Bedding Conditioner, which is designed to promote a dry hygienic environment in the bedding of all livestock. This product goes above and beyond traditional methods due to its low application rate as well as the inclusion of high quality essential oils, antibacterial properties, and a unique hoof conditioner. Click here to view our Sanitise Bedding Conditioner.

For further advice on any of the above areas discussed, contact your local Agritech distributor or sales representative.