Dry Cow feeding and Management : ____________________________ Proper dry cow management provides the foundation for a successful lactation. Management goals for the dry period include: • Properly nourishing the developing calf. • Maintaining optimum body condition. • Preparing the mammary gland for the next lactation. • Minimizing digestive, metabolic, and infectious diseases. When setting goals for the dry cow program, there is no one program that will fit all farms, nor even all the cows on one farm! The dairy producer must rely on skill and knowledge of the herd to properly adjust management programs. Previous milk production, body condition at dry-off, and herd health history all must be considered when putting together a successful dry cow program. The Transition Cow: During the transition from lactating to dry, and from the dry period to lactation, the dairy cow is under enormous stress both physically and metabolically. Excessive stress during these transition periods, especially just prior to calving, is associated with: • Increased herd health problems. • Reduced feed intake and milk yield. • Reduced reproductive efficiency. • Increased susceptibility to metabolic and digestive disorders. • Increased incidence of mastitis. Feed intake from 3 weeks before calving to 2 weeks after calving decreases by about one third around 7 to 10 days before calving. Following calving, if the cow is fed properly and develops no health problems, feed intake increases steadily. If the cow is not fed and managed properly before calving, when feed intake naturally declines, then you might expect a much slower increase in feed intake following calving. A properly formulated transition cow, or close-up ration, should contain higher nutrient density than the regular dry cow ration so that the desired level of nutrient intake is maintained despite the 20 to 40 percent reduction in intake. Switching from a lower quality forage during the first 50 days or so of the dry period to a higher quality forage for the transition ration will help get the cows rumen adjusted to postpartum forages and promote greater forage intake Crude protein content should be increased to 14 to 15 percent and concentrates increased to .5 to 1.0 percent of the cows body weight. This level of grain will help the cows rumen adapt to the high-grain diets fed during lactation. If cows are over-conditioned , or there is a history of ketosis in the herd, feed 6 to 12 grams of niacin (vitamin B6) per cow daily. Feeding the Early Dry Cow: Four primary goals for feeding the dry cow through the first 40 to 50 days after dry-off include: • Maintaining optimum dietary fiber content. • Limiting energy intake. • Avoiding an overfeeding of crude protein. • Meeting mineral and vitamin requirements. The dry cow ration should provide adequate, but not excessive, amounts of required nutrients. Overfeeding energy or protein should be avoided. Excessive energy intake leads to over-conditioned dry cows and increased incidence of metabolic disorders at calving. Fiber Requirement during Dry Period Include one percent or more of body weight as coarse, dry roughage in the ration. Although a cow should eat a minimum of one percent of her body weight as coarse roughage, daily forage dry matter intake should be closer to 1.6 to 1.8 percent of body weight. Feed to approximately meet the requirements of cows for energy and protein (and of course other nutrients such as minerals and vitamins), without greatly exceeding energy requirements. Obesity at calving is a well-known risk factor for health problems and suboptimal productive performance. Likewise, extreme under-nutrition may adversely affect postpartum outcomes. Feed dietary formulation, ranging from limit-feeding of moderate-energy diets to ad libitum feeding of high-roughage low-energy diets. Requirements for metabolizable energy for dry cows and first-gestation heifers are quite modest and can be met with surprisingly (perhaps) low-energy diets. High-bulk diets, if formulated and fed to meet nutrient requirements of cows, decrease body fat mobilization, blood ketones, and liver fat accumulation postpartum. Bulky feeds such as straw must be processed so that cows do not sort the TMR. The conclusions here are in agreement with the concept of the ‘biological sense’ of ‘priming the system’ for subsequent metabolic adaptations and production rather than attempting to suppress these adaptations by high energy feeding during the dry period. Controlling energy intake to near the cows’ requirements also is consistent with observations in other animals and humans. Pig producers consistently limit feed intake during gestation to avoid excessive loss of body condition after farrowing, with subsequent loss of fertility. Medical recommendations for human pregnancy generally advocate modest gain in excess of fetal and maternal reproductive tissues, to avoid complications with delivery, vitality of the newborn, and health of the mother. Over-conditioning usually occurs during the last 3 to 4 months of lactation when milk yield declines, but grain intake is not reduced. Overfeeding grain or corn during the dry period, or prolonged dry periods, can cause excessively fat cows. Although not related directly to feeding management, research indicates that the optimum dry period length is approximately 60 days. Problems associated with fat cow syndrome include: • Abomasal displacements. • Off-feed problems; intake fluctuations. • Milk fever. • Ketosis. • Retained placenta. • Udder edema. • Increased susceptibility to metritis and mastitis. • Downer cows There is continued need to evaluate these concepts under both research and field settings, particularly with regard to reproduction and longevity. On the basis of available scientific data as a whole, however, it can be concluded that requirements for energy (and other nutrients) should be met but not greatly exceeded during the dry period. Careful feeding management is necessary, of course, to ensure that formulated nutrient intakes are actually achieved in practice.
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 05:23:48 +0000
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