Avoiding the pitfalls of transition cow management

As the transition period is one of the major stress periods in the production cycle, it is crucial to maximise production, health and welfare. Norbrook veterinary adviser Dan Gri ths o ers advice on successful transition cow management.

Nutritional management is “absolutely key” when it comes to the transition period, as cows switch from lower energy requirements pre-calving, to much higher demands in lactation, Mr Gri ths points out.

On some farms there can also be a signi cant number of environmental and social changes, with cows going through many di erent groupings such as far o , close up, calving, fresh cow and the main milking herd. This can be another stress and risk factor so trying to manage and minimise these changes as much as possible is important.

This period is also one of the most crucial times for disease, Mr Gri ths adds. “A lot of cows that don’t make it to the next lactation will be lost in that early lactation period. A lot of that can be traced back to the pre-calving and calving period and how that cow is managed in the immediate post-calving period.”

Potential pitfalls

Heifers coming into their rst calving season will face additional stress; some may be mixing with the milking herd for the rst time as often heifers are not reared with or near the herd, so an appropriate strategy should be in place to manage rst lactation heifers.

Often, Mr Gri ths says, the fresh cow group may overlap with the sick cow group if the farm has only one straw-bedded yard, leading to complications in terms of overcrowding and spread of diseases. “Try where possible to keep the fresh cow group as a fresh cow group and have a separate area for sick cow treatments.”

If the transition period goes poorly, farms can see signi cant impacts, with one of the key issues being dry matter intake. Fresh cows will have a natural drop in DMI in the immediate run up to calving and this can take a while to recover, but if transition management is handled poorly the DMI will drop further and take longer to recover.

Other knock-on e ects may be seen in common diseases – particularly metabolic disease such as milk fever and ketosis. Alongside welfare impacts, the costs of these can be very signi cant, so farms will want to keep the numbers as low as possible.

What products are available?

Norbrook has launched a range of transition cow products to help reduce the risk of milk fever and ketosis, broadening its existing portfolio.

The three available milk fever products include: 1. Calcitrace D3 bolus: This is a reformulation of a previous calcium product from Norbrook, but the addition of vitamin

D3 helps to support calcium absorption in the intestine. “It’s not just providing the calcium the cow needs but also some of the mechanisms to maximise the absorption and utilisation of that calcium,” Mr Gri ths explains. 2. Calcitrace P Liquid: This is another formulation of calcium, this time in a liquid form that can be added to water or hard feed, or put directly into the mouth. It contains a high level of phosphorus, which is an important component of downer cows on some farms. It also provides an alternative for those farms that prefer not to bolus. It’s

worth noting that some of the older Norbrook products that farmers will be familiar with, such as the Calciject range for treating milk fever, are still readily available. 3. Norophos: This bolus contains a high level of phosphorous to really target those farms with phosphorous de ciency, which can present very similarly to milk fever. Downer cows post-calving that have been given the usual calcium treatment and are not getting better may bene t. “The advantage of Norophos is that there are not many phosphorous solutions on the market and it provides farmers with another tool to try to reduce risks.”

The nal product in the range is the Ketonor bolus, designed to reduce the risk of ketosis. Mr Gri ths comments: “It provides a very quick-acting supply of readily available energy to the cow, alongside a host of other goodies in there that help to support the cow in utilising that energy – e.g. cobalt and niacin which are needed for the cow to metabolise glucose and reduce the risk of fatty liver, which is a secondary e ect of ketosis. Also yeast to improve rumen health and vitamins A and E and selenium to improve immune function.”

The more traditional propylene glycol product Ketosaid, which Norbrook also o ers, provides a very similar energy supply to Ketonor, but without the extra additions. Mr Gri ths says there is “de nitely a place for propylene glycol products” but it’s important to note that it is very easily to accidentally overdose or underdose. Overdose is particularly problematic because it’s toxic to the rumen ora. The bolus, however, provides the correct amount for the cow in a measured dose.

For more information on the transition cow range, speak to your vet. FG

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