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Managing cows at dry-off has changed

A veterinarian says today’s high-producing milk cows should be managed differently during dry-off than cows from more than a decade ago.

Dr. Linda Tikofsky with Boehringer Ingelheim tells Brownfield the dairy industry has increased production greatly through genomics, nutrition, and cow management, and that’s led to cows being dried off at a higher production level than ever before. “My grandfather probably dried cows off at twenty or thirty pounds. Now, it’s not unusual to see cows that are at the end of their lactation, you know, sixty days from calving and making more than 100 pounds.”

Tikofsky says dry-off is one of the most uncomfortable times in the cow’s lactation cycle. “You’ve got udder engorgement, pressure, we overwhelm that teat end sphincter and have leakage and actually may set ourselves up for more mastitis infection.”

Tikofsky says in the past, lower-energy rations before dry-off, and reducing the number of milkings helped the cow, but now there are nutritional supplements that can make it easier for the cow. “We drop production even 10% a day for a few days prior to dry-off, those cows are going to dry-off in a much more comfortable state.”

Tikofsky says some of the supplements reduce blood pH levels. “By dropping that blood pH, we reduce glucose uptake by those mammary epithelial cells and we kind of naturally lower milk production.”

Tikofsky recommends producers work with their veterinarians and nutritionists when considering feed additives to assist with dry-off.

AUDIO: Dr. Linda Tikofsky from Boehringer Ingelheim discusses cow dry-off challenges with Brownfield’s Larry Lee.