Production Cycle of a Dairy Cow Essay Example

its own body reserves to meet the demand. The cow will reach peak dry matter intake (D. M. I. ) after approximately 70 days, this creates a time lag between the peak yield of the cow and the peak D. M.

I of the cow, this will cause an N. E.B and therefore there will be a negative live weight change. Therefore the loss of body condition in early lactation is necessary to allow the peak milk production to be produced. The body condition of a cow is measured on a scale of 1 – 5 with 1 being very thin and 5 being very fat.

During early lactation, the cow should have a body condition of 2. 5. If the cow is too thin then there may be problems with conception rates to the first service which affect the calving ratio of the cow which in turn will have a bad effect on the profits of the farmer. Thin cows will have inadequate energy reserves to sustain them through lactation which means the farmer will lose money. To minimize the N.

E. B the cow should be in the correct body condition before calving down, a score of 3. 0 is appropriate. If the cow is too fat she will not have the appetite to eat in early lactation which will affect the peak milk yield. It is key that the food intake is maximized post-calving, therefore, the cow should have ad libitum access to forage at all times, the forage should also be of a high quality in early lactation, this is not as important when you move down the cycle.

To overcome any limitations of forage

concentrates as Molasses and Maize should also be used. A good concentrate mix for a dairy cow should contain starch sources of varying degradability, Molasses is a rapidly degradable source while maize is a slowly degradable source of starch. There are two methods for feeding concentrates, in the parlour and out of the parlour. In parlour feeding systems the parlours are fitted with concentrate dispensing hoppers which dispense into the feed manager. A cow will receive 5kg per milking while a heifer will receive 4kg per milking. Out of parlour feeding is where feed is given out by transponders, in small amounts very often.

Picture  shows an in parlour feeder system. Each cow will require adequate space to feed otherwise there will be overcrowding. Photograph 1 shows an in-parlour feeder.

com Late lactation and dry cow management In the last 2/3rds of the lactation cycle the cow should be gaining weight. The condition score of the cow should be moving towards 3. 0.If the cow is not responding to the feeding and stays skinny then it may be better to dry the cow off earlier, as this could end up having poor repercussions for the farmer later on down the line.

It is considered better planning to have the cow hitting her target score in late lactation rather than in the drying off period. Cows can normally only 0. 25 – 0. 5 B. C.

S during the dry period. The dry period is necessary for the involution (repair and development) of the mammary gland. Correct management of the dry period will ensure that the cow will reach her full potential in the next lactation cycle.A short or absent

dry period reduces the number of secretory cells in the mammary glands. A dry period of 40 days will cause a drop of 250kg of milk in the next lactation while a dry period of 60 days will cause an increase of 125kg of milk in the next lactation, figures

When bringing a cow into the dry period there are two main things to consider;

• Gains in profit are to be achieved if you extend the current lactation of the cow.
• Losses in production and profit in the next lactation result from a shorter dry period.

If the dry period is poorly managed then the cow could suffer from Ketosis, acidosis and calving difficulties.

References

1.  url: http://www. ukagriculture. com/production_cycles/dairy_production_cycle. cfm Diagram 2 url: http://www. delaval.
2. co. uk/NR/rdonlyres/E4C0F661-B5C1-489A-805F-759BE1D70414/0/cd17439. jpg Photograph 1 url: http://www. dairymaster. com/fullpics/s_outofParlour. jpg Dry cow management source url: http://www.
3. ruralni. gov. uk/index/livestock/livestock_dairy/protein_herd/dry_cow_management. htm