Key points of feeding and Management of Dairy cows during dry period

Dry dairy cows (or dry cows) refer to the parturient cows 15 days before calving from stopping milking to calving. The feeding goal of this stage is to ensure fetal development, fat recovery and nutritional reserve.

The body condition of dry dairy cows should be maintained at a medium level, cows are too fat, easy to give birth, and most postpartum loss of appetite, easy to cause ketosis. Therefore, more hay should be fed within 10 days after stopping milk, and then the diet should be adjusted according to the cow's body condition, breast swelling and appetite. If the cow is in poor condition and the breast is not swollen, it can be fed with concentrate properly; on the contrary, if the cow is in good condition and the breast is swollen, it can not be fed with concentrate. In general, the amount of dry matter in the diet should be controlled at 2% of the cow's body weight, in which the concentrate feed should be 0.6% of the body weight. The ratio of concentrate to roughage is 35:65, and the general body weight is 600kg. The diets for lactating cows during dry period are: concentrate 4kg, silage corn 20kg, green hay 5kg. In order to improve the health of dairy cattle, the diet should also be supplemented with minerals, vitamins and salt.

In a conditional dairy farm, dry cows can exercise 2Mel for 3 hours a day, which is conducive to delivery and can also prevent postpartum placenta retention, paralysis and limb and hoof disease.