Farm of the week: Rewards of a stress-free life for cows

A re-think on how dry cows are housed and fed has been underway at the Booth family’s Wigglesworth Hall Farm, near Settle, where it has triggered a big improvement in conception rates within 50-70 days after calving.

Edward Booth says: “Fertility was an on-going problem. Although we’ve introduced out-of-parlour feeders to make sure we’re getting enough feed into the higher yielders, the overhaul of the transition period has also made a very important contribution. We’re as strict about how we look after cows when they are dry as we are when they are going through the parlour.”

Based on advice from Genus RMS (Reproductive Management Systems), cows are now dry for 45-50 days and initially fed a diet of equal parts of grass silage and whole-crop, with dry-cow mineral. Dry cows are run in separate cubicle accommodation for the first 21-28 days after drying-off, after which they are moved to newly converted loose-housing until calving.

“It’s a light and airy building that was originally used as a sheep house. We’ve made some considerable modifications to create a high welfare environment for cows in late pregnancy, where they can lie more comfortably and aren’t under any pressure or stress. They’ve got ample trough space, that removes any competition, as well as easy access to water,” says Edward.

The final stage before calving sees cows fed a trough-fed mix of 20kg of silage, 2kg straw, 2kg maize meal and 2kg protein blend plus 120g of magnesium chloride with 150g of dry-cow mineral. Since introducing the new housing and feed regime, conception rates have markedly improved.

John Cook, Genus RMS technical director, says: “Taking out the guesswork and ensuring cows are managed to a rigid and precise regime during the dry period has a significant effect on the cow throughout the whole of the lactation.”

While diet during the last six weeks of pregnancy is important, he believes nutrition is not as crucial as correct environment ...“Providing adequate trough space – 75 cms per head for 21 days pre-calving, until the cow leaves the fresh group – is essential. During the transition period cows need to be in a stress-free environment where comfort and welfare are a priority.”

Genus RMS technician Matt Whitehurst visits daily to identify cows on-heat. He says: “Transition period management is critical – not only to fertility but also to the health and production of the cow as she moves into her lactation. The length of the dry period still varies a lot on many farms and can be as low as 30 days or as high as 60 days. Shorter dry periods are a tempting option when cows are milking well in late lactation but all too often there’s a price to pay.”

He adds: “A lot of dry cows are carrying too much condition and are over-fed in late pregnancy. One way and another, spending time looking at transition management, the length of the dry period and the feeding and housing during that time, is as important as managing the cow while she’s in-milk.”

The cost of hiring RMS is worth it, according to Edward Booth: “If I had to pay a man 1.5 hours a day to find cows and maiden heifers that are bulling and to AI them it would be more expensive than the current RMS service, which is costing us around £12 a day.”

Wigglesworth Hall extends to 250 acres plus 270 acres of rented land, around half of which is an important wetland habitat classified as SSSI.

The farm is down to grass along with 50 acres of spring oats grown as whole-crop which has proved a successful inclusion to the diet over the last two years. There are 180 milkers with 130 head of youngstock. Herd average is 8250kg at 4 per cent fat and 3.2 per cent protein but yield has increased by around 1000 litres over the last year – a combination of feeding, management changes and the genetic improvement of the cows.

The herd is fed a TMR based on a daily intake per head of 32kg grass silage, 5kg whole-crop oats, 2kg maize meal, 2kg pot-ale syrup and 3.5kg of blend.

Cows are fed once a day and supplemented only by out-of-parlour feeders providing milkers with up to 10kg a head per day of concentrate.

“We’re aiming for around 25 litres from the mixed ration. Our best cows are peaking at 50 litres and it was to meet the needs of the high yielders in particularly that we installed the out of parlour feeders three years ago. Without a shadow of a doubt the extra feed has played a big part in increasing the herd average,” says Edward.

Cows are winter-housed in cubicles with rubber mats that are bedded daily with sawdust and limed twice a week.

Longevity, locomotion and good legs and feet are priorities in the herd’s breeding programme and bulls are selected from Genus accordingly.

“We’ve really got to grips with improving the functionality of the replacements coming into the herd and are moving away from the bigger, rangy and more extreme types. They just don’t last long enough,” says Edward.

“Expecting the TMR to feed big Holstein cows giving 30 litres wasn’t working. They had the potential to give more but were being held back– and fertility suffered as a consequence. Cows were milking off their backs and before you know where you are you’re looking at a calving index of 450 days.”

A MATTER OF TIMING

COWS produce milk after they have calved. Thanks to selective breeding and feeding, dairy cows produce a lot of milk for a long time. But eventually lactation comes to an end and the cow is dry.

If the farmer has got it right, she will already be pregnant again and this rest period will last only a few weeks, until the next calf is born. Looking after the ‘dry cow’ is a key element of modern dairy cow management. In a competitive modern dairy operation, the standard dry period is about six weeks. But the farmer can vary it by timing insemination appropriately.