Transition cow management has got to be of a high standard, and as many autumn calving herds have started calving down, this should be an area of concern for farmers.
The transition period is defined as the three weeks prior to calving to the three weeks post-calving, and is a key determinant of the future productivity and performance in dairy cows.
If this period is not managed correctly, it can lead to higher disease incidence, poorer production and reproduction and higher herd removal rates.
The majority of farmers observe the highest incidence of disease within the first three weeks after calving, with milk fever posing the biggest threat post-calving.
Transition cow management
To ensure a successful calving, cows should be calving down at a body condition score (BCS) of 3 to 3.25. Anything below this target should be closely monitored at calving.
Cows at or above target BCS should be fed 90% of their daily energy requirement for two to three weeks before calving, and cows that are below the target BCS should be fed 100% of their daily energy requirement.
The transition period can be a stressful time for cows, so a prevention approach to reduce the occurrence of production-related diseases is wise, rather than dealing with issues once they have transpired.
Cows with milk fever are eight times more likely to develop mastitis early in lactation, and negative energy balance in late-pregnancy is more likely to develop a displaced abomasum (LDA) in lactation.
Dry cows will need 0.4% of dry matter (DM) magnesium in the diet from at least four weeks pre-calving, while the lactating cow will require 0.3% of DM magnesium for approximately four months post-calving.
The risk of milk fever is reduced if dietary calcium levels can be maintained below 0.5% of DM before calving.
Avoid pre-calving feeds high in phosphorus like palm kernel, and only supplement with phosphorus if cows have a diet consisting of low-phosphorus feeds like fodder beet.
At least 12,000 units/100g of vitamin D should be included in the cows diet while including trace minerals such as copper, zinc, selenium, manganese, iodine and cobalt with protected sources included where required.
To dust these minerals onto silage, it is advised to dust them on at a rate of 60g/cow twice a day to make sure the cow is getting topped up throughout the day after each milking.
