12/16/2023 0 Comments Oxen continue timeline differences![]() ![]() ![]() If cows calve with adequate body reserves, they can cycle within two or three months after calving. Maintaining (or increasing) body condition during the dry period is the key to ensuring cows have adequate body reserves for early lactation. It is generally more efficient to improve the condition of the herd in late lactation rather than in the dry period. From Figure 1, cows tend to maintain weight during this stage of their lactation.Īlthough energy required for milk production is less demanding during this period because milk production is declining, energy is still important because of pregnancy and the need to build up body condition as an energy reserve for the next lactation. It is not until weeks 10-12 that appetite reaches its full potential.įollowing peak lactation, cows' appetites gradually increase until they can consume all the nutrients required for production, provided the diet is of high quality. This is because during the dry period, the growing calf takes up space, reducing rumen volume and the density and size of rumen papillae is reduced.Īfter calving, it takes time for the rumen to “stretch” and the papillae to regrow. The foremost of these is voluntary food intake.Īt calving, appetite is only about 50 to 70 per cent of the maximum at peak intake. There are a number of obstacles to feeding the herd well in early lactation to maximise the peak. Milk yield at the peak of lactation sets up the potential milk production for the year one extra kg per day at the peak can produce an extra 200 kg/cow over the entire lactation. To do this, cows must have sufficient body condition available to lose, and therefore they must have put it on late in the previous lactation or during the dry period. The energy released is used to produce milk, allowing them to achieve higher peak production than would be possible from their diet alone. However to regain body condition in late lactation, she will require additional energy.Ĭows usually use their own body condition for about 12 weeks after calving, to provide energy in addition to that consumed. Figure 1 presents the interrelationships between feed intake, milk yield and live weight for a Friesian cow with a 14 month inter-calving interval, hence a 360 d lactation.įollowing calving, a cow may start producing 10 kg/d of milk, rise to a peak of 20 kg/d by about 7 weeks into lactation then gradually fall to 5 kg/d by the end of lactation.Īlthough her maintenance requirements will not vary, she will need more dietary energy and protein as milk production increases then less when production declines. In an ideal world, cows calve every 12 months.Ī number of changes occur in cows as they progress through different stages of lactation.Īs well as variations in milk production, there are changes in feed intake and body condition, and stage of pregnancy. The cycle is split into four phases, the early, mid and late lactation (each of about 120 days, or d) and the dry period (which should last as long as 65 d). Cows must calve to produce milk and the lactation cycle is the period between one calving and the next. ![]()
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