Many farm businesses believe that a successful transition is one where there are only a few down cows.
What if there was more to it than that? How do we know if cows are being affected by a poor transition but aren’t showing as down cows?
Here are some points to consider
How fast do cows get back to ‘normal’ rumination post calving?
In well-transitioned herds, their rumination minutes drop at calving but bounce back within two days. Figure 1 below shows a cow that took 10 days to get back to full rumination – this would be a sign she was affected by sub- clinical milk fever. When this happens, the risk of developing ketosis and rumen acidosis increases significantly.
For cows in the colostrum mob without wearable technologies, observe appetite and motivation to eat. Are 70% of the colostrum cows at rest chewing their cud?
Retained Foetal Membranes and Somatic Cell Count challenges
The ability for the cow to push the placenta out post-calving is a muscle contraction that requires calcium. Similarly, the ability of the muscle at the end of the teat to contract requires calcium. If there is a higher number of retained foetal membranes or an elevated somatic cell count, this could be a sign that the springer cows’ nutrition needs to be improved.
Not-in-calf-rates
Given the wide range of flow-on effects that come from the calving period, any slight challenges that occur at this time can contribute to a higher not-in-calf rate (NICR). Figure 2 shows a herd example of how transition issues (metabolics, mastitis) can have a big impact on NICRs.
Feed conversion efficiency
Looking at your Farm Insights Report, is there room to improve your feed- converted-to-milk number? Or are there times of the year when you feel like you are putting a lot of feed in but not getting the milk production out? Feed conversion efficiency is heavily influenced by springer cow transition due to energy metabolism, rumen adaptations and mineral imbalances. All of these aspects can be addressed with a sound nutrition programme in the weeks before and after calving.
Support available
If any of the above are relevant for your herd, know that there is technical support and an extensive range of nutritional additives from Nutritech that are proven to help improve cow health and performance through the transition period. These include the NutriMin® Springer Cow Balancer range, Levucell®SC and Levucell®SB live yeasts, Rumensin™, JumpStart Starter drench and Diet Check ration balancing programme. Each recommendation is dependent on the specific needs of your herd.
For more information or support with your springer cow transition diets, contact your local TSR.
Article supplied by Nutritech