BOTTLENECKS BEFORE EXPANDING NUMBERS
MINIMISE
The quest is on to maintain herd income during this period of volatile milk trading, writes Advanced Nutrition’s vet nutritionist, Debby Brown. Introducing more cows is one solution, however, it’s often a strategy that incurs the same bottlenecks regardless of initial herd size
W
hile the parlour and milking cow accommodation are frequently adjusted or expanded to accommodate more
cows, it’s the youngstock replacements, together with dry and transition cows that are often forgotten. In fact even without herd expansion, priority is always given to the milking cows simply because they are seen to be bringing in the money. But when the other areas are not managed carefully enough, you will be missing out on milk yields that your cows are capable of. Long term, that’s not sustainable.
1, Dry and transition cows
What happens during lactation – yield, fertility and lameness incidence, is influenced by the dry cow and transition periods. Consequently, these areas should take priority for space allocation, environment, feed and water supply. If these areas are set up correctly then cows will calve down well, produce milk, have minimal body condition loss and subsequently get back in calf and suffer less lameness problems. Please take note of the following optimum recommendations.
A - Space
Introduce deep, soft-bedded surfaces • Sand-based cubicles
• Deep bedded yards • Cubicles should be at least 1.22m wide and 2.75m long • Establish stable social groups; fix the cohort groups at dry-off if possible
• Build the shed capacity for 130% to 140% of average; avoid overstocking even during surges in numbers
B - Environment • Good ventilation • Dry, clean bed • Minimise humidity • Fresh air
C - Feed supply • At least 76cm a cow feed space • Feed rail at least 130cm from cow standing
D - Water supply • 15cm to 20cm a cow trough space • Maximum 20 cows/trough • 2.5m to 3m area around trough without obstructions
98 THE JOURNAL FEBRUARY 2015 • Minimum of two troughs/group 2, Youngstock
As mentioned in previous issues of The Journal, getting heifers off to the best start will pay dividends later on. Heifers cost on average £2000 a head to reach first calving, therefore, numbers successfully reared can make a major difference to your farm’s profit potential. Heifers calving down at 22 to 23 months are more likely to reach second lactation and spend 48% of their lives producing milk, compared with heifers calving at 32 to 36 months – they spend just 18% of their lives in milk.
Increasing cow numbers will naturally lead to more calves being born. More space will be required to ensure losses are minimised within the rearing period. However, all too often the numbers increase within the same housing which leads to either over-stocking or reduced ‘down’ time for cleaning, ideally once a week and the result - health issues, lower growth rates and more deaths. Longer term, these heifers are likely to suffer delayed first calving and reduced production in first lactation.
A - Number of replacements required Firstly, consider heifer numbers required to produce enough replacements, followed by how and when expansion is occurring. The actual number will be determined by age at calving and herd replacement rates; those two factors are also the largest factors influencing heifer costs to maintain a profitable milking herd size. Table one summarises the numbers of heifers that must be maintained at various levels of herd replacement rates and ages at first calving.
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