• Overview
• Agri Feeds
  • Dairy Feeds
  • Beef Feeds
  • Calf Feeds
• Technical Advice
  • Prevention of Sub-Acute Ruminal Acidosis (SARA)
  • Balancing Spring Grass
  • Dry Cow Management
  • Managing Dry Cow Body Condition
  • Heifer Replacement
  • Feeding Breeding Heifers in the late Autumn/early Winter period
  • Drying Cows off Early
  • Herd Health & Fertility
  • Recommended Feed Additives
• Other Services

Herd Health & Fertility

Cows that calve in May and June normally are hard to get back in calf. These cows tend to be kept indoors on poor quality silage before calving. After calving they get put out to grass on low levels of concentrates. This will exacerbate reproductive problems in these late calvers.

Rumen acidosis is very stressful on cows. The main sign of this is when milk fat levels drop to or below protein levels. Cows that were cycling will stop and pregnancy rate to services will drop dramatically.

This can be avoided by keeping enough fibre in the diet i.e. buffer feed, use concentrates high in fibre, introduce hay/bailed silage.

Cost effective milk production may dictate a grass only diet but long term problems like herd longevity, repeats and poor performance must be taken into account.

Any form of stress during this key period must be avoided.

Vaccination programmes for B.V.D Lepto. IBR and salmonella can break down if stressors like under feeding or acidosis are not rectified. Outbreaks of these diseases can occur in vaccinated herds.

Cows must be contented and stress free if output and herd health are to be maintained.

Grass is an essential component for profitable milk production but management must be flexible when conditions change.