The building blocks of a productive lactation begins with good foundations laid in the dry period. More and more is expected of modern dairy cow and in order to ensure an effective transition from the dry-cow period, we need to assess late lactation cows and plan accordingly.
While much emphasis is placed upon the importance of early lactation management, it is often the case that once cows are confirmed pregnant, they are seen as a much lower priority. Now is the time to plan ahead for autumn calving herds thinking of drying cows off within the next few months.
Managing Milk Yield at Grass: Grass intake significantly influences milk production in grazing herds in late lactation. Milk yield potential depends on both dry matter and nutritional quality of grass. Therefore, the following grazing strategies must be implemented in order to achieve success at dry off:
- Full-time grazing: 12–15 litres/day
- Part-time grazing: 8-12 litres/day from grass, with additional litres from silage and/or concentrates
Ensure the feeding systems on farm are correctly setup on feed to yield systems which will ensure the energy allocation is correct. This will ensure body condition is kept constant through dry off.
Managing body condition score (BCS) in late lactation is a critical component of dry-off preparation, helping to ensure cows calve in optimal condition and reducing the risk of metabolic issues during the dry and early lactation periods.
The target BCS at calving is typically 2.5 – 3.0, subject to breed and production system. Late lactation presents a valuable window of opportunity to correct cow condition before entering the dry period, where energy requirements are significantly reduced.
Under-conditioned cows may require access to higher-quality pasture or continued supplementation to build reserves, whilst over conditioned cows should be managed to avoid excessive weight gain, increasing the risk of calving difficulties and metabolic disorders such as ketosis or fatty liver disease.
Regular condition scoring throughout late lactation, where possible, enables timely intervention and ensures cows are entering the dry period within the optimum BCS range.
Rumen fill score is also an indicator of adequate fibre and feed intakes for late lactation cow. This will greatly reduce the incidence of left displaced abomasum (LDS) once calved. In ideal circumstances we cannot depict the rumen outline (danger triangle) on the left side of the cow, as shown below.
Maximising rumen fill in late lactation and subsequently in the dry period will allow for improved dry matter intake in early lactation. This will help to reduce negative energy balance and exploit peak yield potential.
For tailored advice on managing cows in late lactation, please contact your local Fane Valley Feeds Advisor or call 028 8224 3221.
