PROTECTING AGAINST FACIAL ECZEMA WITH ZINC
Facial eczema, both clinical (symptomatic) and subclinical (non-symptomatic), is a major cause of production loss in dairy herds throughout New Zealand. Subclinical cases are thought to be 10x higher than clinical cases within the herd, which means many farmers don’t realise facial eczema is a problem until it’s too late. Facial eczema is caused by […]
MINERAL DEFICIENCIES IN SPRING PASTURE
Spring brings heavy demands for our dairy cows, with calving, peak milk, and successful mating all crucial milestones for a profitable season, and all in a climate that is becoming increasingly volatile each year. In an ideal world, our dairy herds would have access to ample amounts of high-quality pasture containing sufficient nutrients, vitamins, and […]
COW AND CALF NUTRITION INEXTRICABLY LINKED
The lead up to another calving period means the next few weeks offer an opportunity to meet the nutritional demands of your cows. Good nutrition ensures optimum levels of productivity for the cow during the coming lactation, and early nutrition for the calf during the final weeks of gestation and the first weeks of life […]
EARLY LACTATION A STRESSFUL TIME FOR COWS
Early lactation, spanning both calving and mating, is a stressful time for cows as energy demand is very high at a time when cows may struggle to eat enough to supply that demand. It is critical to ensure optimal rumen performance is achieved to meet the energy needs for production and reproduction, while at the […]
SUPPORTING COW AND CALF HEALTH FOR OPTIMUM PRODUCTIVITY
The arrival of another busy calving period means the next few weeks represent a critical time for cows and calves alike. Both need the best nutritional support possible to meet upcoming milestones successfully and ensure optimum levels of productivity throughout the seasons. Supporting your cows’ productivity Energy demands for cows are at an all time […]
TRANSITIONING WELL, DELIVERS RESULTS
Minerals and the Transition Period
The Transition cow mob, more commonly referred to by farmers as the springer cow mob, has the potential to respond to a higher level of thought and attention. Making key decisions around feeding and supplementation of this mob can have a bigger impact on a dairy farm’s profitability than any other single set of management decisions made throughout the rest of the season. A well transitioned cow will normally produce more total milk, have less disease issues, and a better reproductive outcome, than cows that don’t receive as much attention around this time.
Most experts agree that the transition period begins 21 days prior to the day the cow gives birth, into 21 days of lactation. For any cow this is a period of vast metabolic change. During this time their hormone levels are going through rapid developments as the body gets ready to mobilise many of the key minerals required, as well as preparing her body to mobilise the vast amounts of energy required during birth and lactation. Transition is normally the single highest stress period a cow will experience each year.
A TIME NOT TO DO THINGS BY HALVES
Both the period prior to calving and the period after calving are equally important to ensure the cow will produce at her potential, remain healthy and conceive again when mated. In my experience farmers will tend to either concentrate on the period leading up to calving or the period after – most commonly the period after calving gets most attention. And this can create a problem. In this article we will concentrate on the transitioning of cows only, rather than heifers (first calvers) where the focus need only be on ramping up the feed rate prior to calving. Transitioning cows is a very different process, a cow that is not transitioned correctly leading up to calving is a cow that will calve with her metabolic processes operating well short of full potential. She will be more exposed to both clinical and subclinical metabolic disease through either being calcium deficient or lacking the ability to mobilise sufficient calcium, ketosis, fatty liver disease, or possibly a combination of these problems.