Cows dry up: objectives and good practice
Successful drying up : an important stage in successful lactation
Successful drying up means a good start to lactation, improved reproductive performance and reduced risk of postpartum disease. The dryiing up period has many objectives::
- Give the mammary gland a rest
- For better lactation: the drying up period allows the mammary gland to rest and regenerate. This helps to restore milk production capacity for the next lactation.
- Mastitis treatment: dry up allows existing mammary infections to be treated and new infections to be prevented by administering treatments. This is essential to maintain the health of the herd and the quality of the milk produced.
- Reduction in leucocytes
- Foetal growth
Drying up is a vital period for optimising foetal health and growth. Nutritional management during this period supports foetal development through good colostrum production, prevents metabolic diseases and promotes a healthy placenta with good circulation of nutrients and oxygen between mother and foetus. By providing the cow with a restful environment and adjusting her diet accordingly, we promote the healthy development of the unborn calf and prepare the cow for another successful lactation.
Reconstitution of fat and bone reserves
Drying up enables the cow’s body condition to be managed and adjusted, ensuring that she is neither too thin nor too fat when she calves. Good body condition is essential for the cow’s health and future milk production. Drying up also contributes to the cow’s well-being by giving her a period of physical and physiological rest. This can reduce stress and improve the animal’s life expectancy.
Best practice in dry cow management
There are a number of best practices for managing dry cow management:
Dry cow cycle
The calving preparation stage: a critical phase
This stage determines the start-up and therefore the entire lactation. The feed cost of dry cows should not be an obstacle! Deltavit can help you with several feed solutions:
- Ensure that nutrient intake corresponds to requirements: feed unit, PDI and mineral coverage.
- Ensure good antioxidant coverage: to meet the challenges associated with this period (e.g. strengthening the immune system, reducing oxidative stress, preventing metabolic disorders, etc.). Find out more about the Axion dry cow core and Feedstim® Rumi.
- Control hypocalcaemia: work on dietary cation-anion and calcium levels.
Did you know? Effective management of hypocalcaemia helps prevent postpartum complications and contributes to the rapid recovery of the cow after calving. Uncontrolled hypocalcaemia can considerably weaken the cow, making her more vulnerable to infection and affecting her general well-being. Besides, a cow without hypocalcaemia is more likely to produce sufficient quality colostrum. Deltavit offers intervention products such as the calcium bolus for calving and Calcibest® P in liquid form.
- Help the liver function properly: DeltaPass FL (choline chloride, methionine).
Did you know? The proper functioning of the liver is vital because it plays a role in the animal’s energy metabolism (energy reserves, fatty acids). It helps detoxify the blood and synthesises proteins that are vital for cows and calves. The liver stores and regulates essential nutrients (vitamins, minerals).
- Improve feed efficiency with Deltalevures: live yeasts