Drying off should be relatively straightforward, but if you are not prepared for it and haven’t done your homework, it can cause some difficulties for the following lactation.
Farmers need to start questioning which cows will have to be dried off early and which cows will have to be culled based on this year’s milk recording data.
Other important questions to ask include:
- What dry cow treatment approach to use at drying off?;
- How will milk yields be reduced in the last one to two weeks before drying off?;
- How will cows be managed for the first three weeks after drying off?.
Most farms will have completed a scan or have data from health detection systems to determine the expected calving date of each cow.
Knowing that date of calving for each cow is essential for feeding the cow and is vital in order to ensure that cows are given enough time dry ahead of calving.
Drying off
Cows need a minimum of six weeks dry, but in reality, eight weeks is the optimal amount of time for a cow to be dry for, in order to sufficiently prepare her for the next lactation.
We are now nearing the start of November, which means that drying off for a lot of herds could be starting in a couple of weeks time.
Some cows will need to be offered a longer dry period, like cows that are finishing up their first lactation and cows that are under condition.
A lot of these cows may need 10 to 12 weeks to recover from their first lactation or to put on more condition.
Cows should have a body condition score (BCS) from 3.0 to 3.25 at drying off and if there are cows below this condition, they should be highlighted for early drying off.
Also, cows that have issues with lameness should also be dried off early to give them a chance to heal ahead of calving.
Cows that have had history of high somatic cell count (SCC) throughout the year or have had issues with mastitis should also be selected for early dry off.
High cell count and problems with mastitis indicates that the cow has infection within the udder, and giving them more time at dry off will allow udder tissue to repair and rejuvenate.
Cows should be dried off as soon as their production reaches 9L or less/day and farmers should cease milking cows producing 12L or less/day at the drying-off date.
Farmers should take action with cows producing more than 12L/day, to reduce production to 12L/day or less by the drying-off date, which may involve reducing feed intake and changing routine.
