Dos and Don’ts of cow transition management before and after calving

By Nelson Barasa

I got a call from Mrs. Zikame, a dairy farmer in western region with a herd of 30 cows, to treat her high milk producing cow that had recently come down due to a suspected case of milk fever and Ketosis. The farmer reported to have given it various concoctions to reestablish its stability, but all in vain. After undergoing treatment, the cow started to gain health but its production levels went down and its return to heat was delayed. .

This is a clear case of challenges farmers face in transitioning their cows. Mrs. Zikame had been recording frequent cases of milk fever and ketosis and had lost several high producing cows to these conditions.

Milk fever or hypocalcaemia is a metabolic disorder caused by insufficient calcium in a cow’s blood. It usually occurs with 24 hours post calving but can still occur two to three weeks post-calving. Cases of milk fever are very common, some cases may go unnoticed since the signs may be mild such as loss of appetite, excitability, nervousness and shuffling of the hind feet. Other cases can be severe with signs such as incoordination, animal’s inability to stand and a progressive loss of consciousness leading to a coma. If left unattended, the animal will die. It is important for farmers to closely monitor their calved cows and notify their vet in case they notice an abnormality.

Ketosis is also a metabolic disorder that occurs in cows when energy demands (e.g. high milk production) exceed energy intake resulting to a negative energy balance. Ketotic cows often have low blood glucose (blood sugar) concentrations. This disorder usually occurs in late pregnancy when the cow’s appetite is at its lowest and the energy requirement of the growing calf nears its peak. The mismatch between input and output can also occur in the first few weeks of lactation, because the cow is not able to eat enough to match the energy lost in the milk. Over conditioning (too much fattening of pregnant cows) predisposes them to Ketosis.

These two conditions can be traced to the transition stage of a cow. Transition stage is a period between two months before calving and two months after calving. Two months before calving is called the dry cow period. Farmers are advised to dry off (stop milking) their cows when they are seven months pregnant. This gives the cow time to recover from intense lactation and build up reserves in preparation for safe calving and resumption of production. Well dried cows usually have higher production than their previous lactation.

How to dry your cows

  • Start reducing frequency of milking two weeks to drying off, around six and a half months of pregnancy.
  • Reduce concentrates feeding to zero during the dry period. This will help reduce milk production to minimize stress when you dry off. Put the animal on medium energy and protein dried feeds e.g., good quality hay and silage.
  • The day you completely stop milking the cow, insert a dry cow therapy medication in all the teats, this helps to clear any mastitis causing agent in the udder.
  • Introduce good quality dry cow milk supplement, this will provide adequate balanced minerals to prevent milk fever.
  • Start reintroducing concentrates three weeks to calving (steaming up).
  • Observe body condition of the pregnant cows, let the cows not grow too fat or too thin. A body score of 3 is recommended. This will help prevent a metabolic condition called Ketosis.

 Don’ts

  • Do not feed dry cows high energy or high protein concentrates during the dry period, these will over condition the cows and predispose them to Ketosis.
  • Do not feed dry cows too much calcium diet e.g. DCP, it will predispose them to milk fever.

How to take care of freshly calved cows

Ensure the cows calve in a clean dry environment.

Appetite for the cows is usually depressed at this period, yet the cow is expected to produce highly and peak its production within its first two months of lactation. Within the same period, it is expected to return to heat and be served. Demand for nutrients i.e. energy, protein and minerals (calcium) is very high. The farmer should provide a very high quality diet with high energy and protein to meet the requirement of the cows. Concentrates, high quality dairy meal and lactation mineral supplementation come in handy.

Feeding should be geared towards maintaining body score and preventing loss of more than10% of the body weight. Good feeding will help prevent milk fever and Ketosis.