We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
In a previous article, we reviewed the fact that hypocalcemia (milk fever) and ketosis are by far the two most important diseases to consider for early-lactation cows.
I consider these to be “iceberg diseases,” meaning that we only see the tip of the iceberg (typically about 2 to 5 percent of all dairy cows that calve exhibit clinical symptoms for each disease). See Figure 1 below left.
On the other hand, various research studies show, on average, the subclinical rates of these two diseases may average about 40 percent each in today’s dairy cows.
Keeping your fresh cows healthy is critical for both a profitable lactation and for timely rebreeding. To achieve this, some forward planning and proactive interventions will be required and should start as early as during the last third of a cow’s previous lactation.
This is when the pregnant cow’s body score needs to be assessed and action taken accordingly. On a scale of 1 (extremely thin) to 5 (extremely fat), your aim is to dry her off at an ideal body score of around 3.5.
Reproductive performance starts long before the cow is confirmed pregnant. While producers rely on metrics to evaluate their reproduction program, many factors – like nutrition, environment and health – directly contribute to an animal’s ability to conceive and maintain the pregnancy.
One factor that continues to have direct impact on herd performance and profitability is uterine health.
The most profitable cow on the dairy is the fresh cow. The most productive cow on the dairy is the fresh cow. The more fresh cows a dairy has at any given time, the higher the herd’s milk average will be.
On many dairies, however, preparing the close-up cow for her subsequent lactation is often an area that is overlooked. Poorly functioning rumens and metabolic diseases will rob the cow and the dairy farmer of the most efficiently produced milk of the lactation.
High grain prices have many dairy producers and their nutritionists sharpening their pencils, looking for ways to reduce feed costs. One option is to replace a portion of the supplemental corn grain with high-quality corn silage that provides highly digestible fiber and contains more energy in the forage fraction, compared with silage made from grain corn hybrids.
Today, more than ever, smart nutrient management is critical to overall feed value and efficiency of the dairy operation. The cost of keeping cows productive is more intense and challenging than ever, and getting the most from the ration is critical, no matter what the production goals are.
Today, more than ever, smart nutrient management is critical to overall feed value and efficiency of the dairy operation. The cost of keeping cows productive is more intense and challenging than ever, and getting the most from the ration is critical, no matter what the production goals are.
When cows in two separate milking parlors receive the same diet from the same feed center, how can one set of cows be 0.2 percent higher in butterfat than the other?
That’s the question the manager of a 4,000-plus cow dairy asked one of our regional reps.
Complete evaluation of last year’s crop storage and management is a continual process and provides an opportunity to set goals for areas of improvement during the coming year. Crucial in today’s economy, storing and feeding high-quality forage helps protect profitability and the bottom line of the dairy operation.
The starch content of a dairy ration, how fermentable this starch is in the rumen and the total tract starch digestibility have a huge influence on many facets of a dairy operation.
RSS
