FEED & NUTRITION

Paying special attention to transition cows from the close-up or maternity pen to the fresh pen usually pays big dividends for the dairy producer.

Numerous studies confirm the periparturient period (immediately before and after calving) is when dairy cows are at greatest risk of developing diseases and involuntary culling. Cows transitioning from dry to lactating status face physiological, metabolic, endocrine and environmental changes.

Dairy cows need water to turn feed into milk – a product that is already nearly 90 percent water.

Various additives, including micro-organisms, enzymes and chemical compounds, have been added to forages to maintain or improve the nutritive value of a crop as silage.

Forage particle size is a “hot” topic on dairy farms. Nutritionists, veterinarians and dairy farmers are asking how long forage fibre needs to be.

Although both disease-causing (pathogenic) and non-disease-causing bacteria, and fungi (yeasts and molds) can be brought in with the harvested crop or can flourish during storage or at feedout, there are plenty of potential opportunities for the TMR to acquire, and ultimately your high-producing dairy cows to ingest, these organisms or their metabolite products.