All cows are not the same at drying off!
As we approach
drying off, it is tempting to think of all the cows to be dried off as one
group, and therefore to treat them all the same.
But they are
not all the same!
One of the
major differences is that not all of the cows will be producing the same amount
of milk at the time of drying off – in fact, if there is a reasonable sized
group of cows to be dried off, their individual production may vary
considerably.
The Countdown
Downunder Farm Guidelines give us three recommendations relating to dealing with
cows according to their production approaching drying off.
Countdown Downunder Farm Guideline
16.1 says –
“Dry-off cows as soon as their
production reaches 5 L or less per day”.
A cow producing less than 7 L/day is
trying to dry herself off. Continuing to milk these cows will often prevent teat
plug formation at drying off and renders them much more prone to new infections
during the dry period and at the following calving.
Also, cows producing less than 5
L/day may significantly increase the Bulk Milk Cell Count (BMCC), even when they
do not have mastitis, due to cells concentrating in the reduced volume of milk.
Countdown Downunder Farm Guideline
16.2 says –
“Cease
milking cows producing 12 L or less per day at drying-off.”
Cows producing
12 L/day or less can be dried off abruptly by simply ceasing to milk them.
They need no
special attention or management with respect to their level of production prior
to drying off.
Countdown Downunder Farm Guideline
16.3 says –
“Take steps
for cows producing more than 12 L/day, to reduce production to 12 L or less by
the drying-off date. These steps involve reducing food intake and changing
routine.”
Cows that are still producing more
than 12 L/day of milk approaching drying-off can pose a problem for farmers and
will require special management.
Reducing the
plane of nutrition prior to drying-off can reduce milk yields by up to 30% and
is a more effective management tool for reducing milk yields of high producing
cows than once daily milking.
In high
producing cows it is recommended that most, if not all, supplementary feed
(especially concentrates), ceases at least one week before drying-off. This
requires a balance in the ration to achieve the reduction in milk yield while
maintaining sufficient energy for a cow that is 7-8 months pregnant in order to
maintain body condition.
Water must not
be restricted to dry cows off – this breaches animal welfare codes, and
furthermore, veterinarians in some districts have reported outbreaks of
Salmonellosis associated with restricting water intake.
Management
changes, such as grazing cows in different mobs or unfamiliar paddocks or
altering their routine, such as milking them at a different time, can accelerate
drying-off.
However, do not
use skip-a-day milking to dry cows off. Once-a-day milking should also be
avoided unless it is absolutely necessary in order to reduce production prior to
drying off - wherever possible, cows should be milked as usual at each milking
until drying-off.
Intermittent
milking provides a stimulus to the cow to continue to produce milk and impedes
the development of the teat plug to seal the quarter in the dry period. Research
has shown that the risk of mastitis is greatly increased if cows are milked
every second day.
There may be
potential to consider a role for the use of a teat sealant in high producing
herds or cows – your vet can best advise you on this aspect.
So, all cows
are NOT the same. In fact, with respect to production, we have three different
groups of cows, and three different ways of dealing with them.
One group of
cows in particular – the higher producing cows – require special management and
planning over and above the remainder of the group. This group is also the group
at greatest risk due to an inadequate drying off procedure.
Clearly there
is a role for careful planning and appropriate nutritional and veterinary advice
to deal with higher producing cows.
Words 670
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