‘


in this period. Cows with excessive body condition losses will have irregular heats, longer time to first ovulation and may fail to conceive, these cows will also be less persistent in milk production. Cows yielding more than 30 litres and which have yet to conceive at 80 to 100 days post calving should, if practically possible, be housed to ensure both a stable diet and high levels of management.


Grazed grass supplying M + litres


Newly calved


May June July


August September


15.0 18.0 16.0 9.0 4.5


10 8


10 13 18


Source: Milk from Grass/Advanced Nutrition


Figure 3: Body condition score targets, maximum


Dry cows


Newly calved Early lactation Mid lactation Late lactation Growing heifers Heifers at bulling Heifers at calving


Source: Advanced Nutrition


Condition score 3.5 3.5 3.0


3.25 3.5 3.0


2.75 3.5


Early


lactation 8 6 8


11 16


Remember if you don’t measure and monitor, then you can’t manage


Dry cows at grass need to be carefully managed and monitored. It is important to maximise dry matter intakes in far off dry cows as this will help rumen capacity after calving and help increase intakes in the freshly calved cow. This obviously then helps lift energy at the critical time and reduces the risk of future issues. Avoid introducing them to a high straw diet for the last few weeks – they won’t be able to adjust properly and intakes will be driven even lower leading to increased use of fat deposits and greater condition loss. Dry cows with a body condition score more than 3.75 at two weeks prior to calving are more prone to depressed intakes, weight loss, fatty liver, ketosis, high non-esterified fatty acid levels, calving problems and reproductive issues. When a cow loses body fat reserves around calving the liver takes up fat and processes it, leading to fatty liver and ketosis. Growing and bulling heifers are your herd’s future, they must of maintained a condition score 2.75 to ensure they conceive by 15 months in order to achieve the 24 month age at first calving target.


’


Figure 2: Buffer required to meet energy requirements Month


Buffer, kg DM/head/day


Dry Heifers at bulling


4 4 4 4 4


2 2 2 2 2


Measuring and monitoring When you have high yielding dairy cows then you are dealing with a high risk animal that needs to be fine-tuned and carefully managed. It is key to manage cows carefully throughout the lactation cycle and well managed grazed grass will pay dividends for your herd margins and profit. However, you need to introduce a plan to ensure you don’t introduce long-term costs. Remember if you don’t measure and monitor, then you can’t manage.


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