“The transition period is a make or break moment”, according to Jeroen Pasman, herd manager at a 1400-cow dairy farm in Russia. He has lived and worked on large dairies in The Netherlands, Germany, and the USA. “Nearly 80 percent of disease incidents happen during the transition period. If the 3 weeks before and the 3 weeks after calving run smoothly for your cows, you’re good.”
How To Manage and Monitor Dairy Cows During the Transition Period
Preventive Cow Management with CowManager
With CowManager’s Transition Monitor, underperforming cows are identified early on. The app notifies you when a cow is eating or ruminating less and could therefore be at risk. This way, you can provide early support to minimise the chances of excessive negative energy balance. Pasman: “When a cow shows clinical symptoms of disease, it’s already too late. Thanks to the Transition & Nutrition Monitor, you’re aware of possible risks at an early stage.” In other words, CowManager allows you to help keep your cows healthy, as opposed to helping them recover from an ailment.
Rely On Technology During the Transition Period
According to Pasman, identifying a cow that is at risk without the use of technology is a very time-consuming task: “On large dairies the number of fresh cows you need to monitor can easily reach 150. Thanks to CowManager, the cows you need to monitor on a daily basis are far less. The data recognises symptoms you would never be able to identify on your own. In addition, problems in the fresh cows group are usually side effects of issues that have gone on for much longer. Early identification of cows at risk can save you a lot of time, trouble and money.”
Insights Into Heat Stress and Group Behaviour
The Nutrition Module includes a Heat Stress Monitor and a Group Monitor, that provide you with alerts on eating and rumination behaviour, as well as activity levels. This allows you to assess individual cows as well as compare them to one another. Are they not eating well? Are they experiencing heat stress? You will receive an alert.
During the transition period, you always need to make sure the cows are cooled properly. Pasman: “A dry cow is a heavily pregnant cow. Extra stress could be detrimental to her health, and that of her calf. The negative effects that arise could have an influence for multiple generations. A troubled and unhealthy transition period can have serious consequences for the cow’s offspring.”