Dry period, special needs cows and treatments

Jan Hulsen grew up on a pig and dairy farm. He studied veterinary Dry period, special needs cows and treatments brings together all the

thoroughly enjoying working as an agricultural vet for three years, I

practical information about the most important period in the cow’s lactation

started to focus on knowledge transfer and consulting.” This led to a

cycle, the group of cows that require most attention and the jobs that have

move into journalism, marketing and communication and business

the greatest impact on the health, welfare, production and job satisfaction of

management.

cow and farmer.

With his company, Vetvice, Jan created the Cow Signals® concept and wrote the successful Cow Signals series. Vetvice operates in

Eighty per cent of the time a farmer spends directly

30 countries, giving lectures and training courses on Cow Signals,

on his cows goes on twenty per cent of his herd.

Hooves, Fertility, Calves, the Dry Period and Transition, and Building

This twenty per cent consists of special needs cows

for the Cow.

- dry cows, new heifers, newly calved cows, lame

Vetvice focuses on the management aspects of the dairy farm. Besides

cows, weak cows and sick cows. Targeting this work

good animal husbandry, it pays particular attention to the wellbeing

efficiently saves a lot of time and makes the farmer’s

of the people working with the animals and productivity. Vetvice

work much more enjoyable. Dry period, special

advises and trains livestock farmers in shed-building, organising

needs cows and treatments discusses how to go

labour and disease-resistant animal management.

about all these aspects in practice.

Written in a practical way, Dry period, special needs cows and

Dry period, special needs cows and treatments

medicine, with a short foray into agricultural education. “After

Dry period, special needs cows and treatments

treatmentsexplains how to guide the cows through a healthy and problemfar fewer problems, because seventy-five per cent of health problems occur in the first month after calving.

organise and implement actions and treatments. So that your cows and Vetvice’s advisors and trainers, whose knowledge, insights and creativity have contributed in no small part to this book.

Jan Hulsen

Dry period, special needs cows and treatments also explains how to heifers stay healthy or recover fast. And so that you, the farmer, can work

Front row: Nico Vreeburg, Wiebe Veenstra, Arjan van Genugten, Jan Hulsen, MSM.

www.drycowmanagement.com

• Enough knowledge and skill • Pleasant and safe working conditions • Having the right materials to hand

• • • •

From left to right: Back row: Joep Driessen, Bertjan Westerlaan, Bert van Niejenhuis, Marcel Drint, Dr. Tom Vanholder.

www.vetvice.com

The right tools for the job

The time and the will

safely and get plenty of job satisfaction every day.

www.roodbont.com

• Clear tasks, responsibilities and authorities • Easy identification of the cow and the associated task • Agreed, easy to understand procedures

C

free dry period, calving, and start of lactation. The outcome: more milk and

Knowing what to do with which cow

o Pr py ot rig ec h te t d

“A sick cow takes up as much time and resource as 40 healthy ones...”

About the author

www.cowsignals.com

Jan Hulsen

The task is scheduled in at the right times Enough time in the daily routine Everyone understands why the task and the work have to be done The results of the work are visible

C

o Pr py ot rig ec h te t d

Dry period, special needs cows and treatments Jan Hulsen

Contents

4

Introduction

4 Newly-calved cows, special needs groups,

care area

34

What special needs cows need

4

Special needs groups

35

What people caring for special needs cows need

5

Monitoring newly-calved cows

36

Nipping problems in the bud

37

1 Preparation, drying off and treatment

6

The most serious conditions in newly-calved cows 38

7

Care plan

39

Drying off

8

Cows that can no longer stand up

40

Drying off and health

9

Procedures and treatment plan

42

Facilities

Drying off and mastitis

10

How to insert intramammary preparations

11

5 Planning and organisation

44

12

Daily schedule

45

13

Weekly schedule

46

Writing protocols

14

Peak periods

47

Standard procedures and protocols

48

16

Automatic separation

50

17

Treating safely and effectively

51

Nutrition during the dry period

18

Rule 1 Effective Action

52

Feeding and feed intake

19

Gates and driving

53

2 The dry period The big picture

Housing for dry cows No stress

20 21

Housing for calving Stress-free cow driving

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Monitoring and control

3 Calving

o Pr py ot rig ec h te t d

Preparing to introduce heifers Arrival of heifers

When to intervene Calving signals

6 Action and treatment

54

22

See and do

55

24

Treatment plan

56

25

Pain and inflammation signals

57

Giving an injection

58

26

Injecting veterinary medicines: procedure

60

27

Points to remember when giving injections

61

28

Intravenous injections and infusions (in the blood)

62

29

Handling cows

63

30

Organisation the use of veterinary medicines

64

Problems during calving

31

The farm pharmacy

65

Caring for a new-born calf

32

Condition Scoring

66

The cow has calved

33

Rumen Fill Score Card

67

Careful use of veterinary medicines

68

Improving all the time Calving Assistance

Index

Contents

70

3

The dry period

CHAPTER 2

The dry period

o Pr py ot rig ec h te t d

The dry period is the key time for a number of health problems affecting the start of lactation, milk production and fertility. So you need to set aside enough time in your daily schedule to focus on feeding and looking after your dry cows.

The success factors in terms of housing are easy to identify: a well-formulated, tasty ration for every cow based on good feed analyses, no stress, fresh feed and water always accessible, space and a comfortable cubicle.

Getting to the bottom of problems

Milking robot farm with stress-free calving line: the close-up group at the back, then the calving pen, and newly-calved and weak cows at the front right behind the milking robot.

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If you have all the success factors in place every day, success is pretty much assured. So if your results are worse than expected or if there are problems, first check the basics.

If you can’t identify any aspect of the success factors that needs improving, take an in-depth look at possible causes of the disappointing results. Don’t forget to consult your feed advisor and your vet and tap into their expertise.

The solutions will often be very specific to your farm at that particular moment.

Management indicators and targets

16

Milk fever

Mastitis up to d14 Retained placenta Uterine infection Abomasal displacement Clinical ketosis Subclinical ketosis White vulval discharge

Take action if: More than 10% of fresh cows (incl. heifers) More than 10% More than 5% More than 10% More than 5% More than 5% More than 10% More than 10%

A paddock is a practical solution for giving dry cows plenty of exercise and space, provided it is not too wet. Watch out for mastitis from ambient bacteria: use teat sealants when drying off.

Dry period, special needs cows and treatments

The big picture

In practice:

Length of dry period

Tasks for dry cows:

The tasks for dry cows are as follows: Daily: - 2 inspection rounds: check cows, water, feed and cubicles - check fresh cows according to your farm’s standard procedure Weekly: - dry off, introduce, move - score condition and health

o Pr py ot rig ec h te t d

• 8 weeks for every cow: this is a reliable and simple system. It fits in well with the period of effectiveness of most drying-off antibiotics. Any longer is pointless and increases the risk of the cow becoming too fat.

• First dry period 8 weeks, older cows 6 weeks: this requires more organisation and for two weeks it delivers more milk, fewer dry cows and (depending on the farm) fewer metabolic problems in newly-calved cows. Fits in with systems with one dry group. Take care with withdrawal periods of dry cow antibiotics.

• A shorter dry period or continuing to milk: yields a bit more milk in this lactation but much less in the next one. The benefits are fewer metabolic problems around calving and in newly-calved cows, and no use of drying-off antibiotics. This seems to be a good system for cows that are overweight.

This dry period is often too short for second calf cows.

Roughly speaking, there are two systems for the dry period: - a 6-8 week dry period with two groups. First the cow goes into the far-off group where she receives a bulky ration (with plenty of fibre) that is low in energy and protein. Two to three weeks before calving, she goes into the close-up group. In this group she still eats a lot of fibre but the ration is richer in energy and protein.

This could also be done in one group with a system in which individual cows are given 1-2 kg of concentrate per day.

- a 4 - 6 week dry period in one group. This system is simple and means fewer feed transitions. It works well in herds with high milk production in the second half of lactation (persistency) and little variation in BCS.

Treatment and improving management

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What do you notice about this dry cow? What do you do?

This dry cow is lifting her hind leg, probably because she has digital dermatitis. Check her in the hoof-trimming crush and treat her.

If she has digital dermatitis or heel horn erosion, start a treatment plan for all your dry cows and draw up a new prevention plan.

Chapter 2: The dry period

Note down all cases of disease and ask yourself the following question: is this a herd signal, and do I need to adjust any aspects of the feed, the management or the housing?

One case of milk fever tells you that there are also five cows with subclinical (i.e. not visible) milk fever.

In problem situations, discuss the best treatment strategies with your vet. He or she will draw up a treatment plan and provide training, advice and support.

The best way to introduce improvements and solve problems is in the form of a project.

Set a target, involve everybody you need to have on board, earmark time and hold structured meetings and discussions. The farm manager is responsible for achieving results, but he or she does not necessarily need to chair the meeting or be the project manager.

17

Nutrition during the dry period

Nutrition management

A well-mixed, tasty, bulky ration with the right nutritional values.

And all the dry cows can feed at the same time. Although this pile of feed is too much for one day.

Starting points for rations for dry cows: Far-off: 9 MJ/kg dry matter 12-13% digestible crude protein

o Pr py ot rig ec h te t d

A dry cow needs to be able to eat all day long and not take in more energy than she needs. So feed her “ruminant feed� with plenty of tasty fibre. Have this formulated by a feed advisor, possibly in consultation with the vet. Provide a well-mixed ration with fresh, tasty ingredients every day.

Then check how the ration is being eaten and digested by monitoring: - eating behaviour: eager to eat - rumen fill: average of 3.5-4, no variation between cows - manure: well-formed (normal, not too thick), no variation between cows Inadequate feed intake and therefore loss of BCS results in metabolic problems around calving and at the start of lactation. The far-off group is even more susceptible to this than the close-up group.

The above aspects are responsible for 80% of the effects of nutrition during the dry period. The remaining 20% consist of aspects like the cation/anion balance and ration additives such as minerals, yeasts, amino acids and fats.

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What does this manure tell you, and what do you do?

18

A Practical ration in some regions: 1/3 dry cow grass silage, 1/3 maize, 1/3 straw, supplemented with minerals or concentrate.

Cows take two to three weeks to adjust to a radical change in their ration. This relates to feed intake (cow) and fermentation and digestion (rumen + intestines).

No milk fever, not much colostrum

At the front of the picture you can see very thin manure, in the middle what looks like a pile of custard, and at the back a heap of manure that looks like horse manure. First off, this tells you that these close-up cows are not all eating the same ration. Diet sorting causes more fights for dominance and therefore reduced feed intake among lower-ranking animals.

Secondly, the thin manure is too thin and the heap of thick manure is too thick. Thin manure can be caused by rumen acidosis, and thick manure is usually associated with too low energy intake.

On this farm this can cause various problems in recently calved cows. These problems are not caused by incorrect rations but by feed sorting.

Make sure all the cows can feed at the same time and pay more attention to mixing the ration.

Close-up: 10.5-11 MJ/kg dry matter 13-14% digestible crude protein

Prevent hypocalcaemia (milk fever) around calving time with a dry-off ration containing less than 1,5% potassium, enough magnesium and less than 10 kg colostrum production at calving.

Too much potassium is a major cause of milk fever. Potassium is mainly found in grass and silage feed. So dry cows need a low-potassium, high-fibre grass and silage feed. This calls for targeted fertilisation and mowing in a late stage of growth.

You achieve low colostrum production with a low protein content in the close-up ration (13-14%), possibly supplemented with anionic salts.

Heifers are less susceptible to milk fever because they produce less colostrum and are better at obtaining calcium from their bones.

Dry period, special needs cows and treatments

Feeding and feed intake

Water

Feeding

Feed exactly the same quantity at exactly the same time every day. Measure the quantities precisely and always mix the feed for the same length of time and in the same order. Keep a record of the quantities loaded, the times and the quantities discharged, evaluate this information and use it. Do not accept any variations. Supply the feed four times a day, always at the same times. So that there is always appetising feed available at each feeding place. With a concentrate feeder you can feed heifers and dry cows concentrate individually.

Eating at the same time

Ten per cent of your dry cows should be able to drink simultaneously, and a dry cow needs to be able to drink 10 litres of water in one minute.

o Pr py ot rig ec h te t d

Dry cows always need to be able to feed at the same time.

The average abdomen width of dry HF cows is 75 to 82 cm.

So the ideal feeding place should be 80 cm or wider and the minimum should be 75 cm. Smaller breeds need slightly less space (Jersey: 65 cm).

In a pen with three rows of cubicles behind the feeding rack, (three-row pen), not every cow will have an eating place if there are as many cows as there are cubicles. In a two-row pen, it is more likely that every cow will have a feeding place.

Condition scoring

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Is this newly-calved cow getting enough to eat?

The “hunger groove” (rumen fill) has sunk right in and you can see a “warning triangle”. This tells you that this cow has hardly eaten anything over the last 4 to 12 hours.

You can also see that the abdomen line is running upwards and the rumen is not bulging out at the bottom of the abdomen. This is because the rumen and the intestines contain very little feed. This tells you that this cow has not been eating enough for at least a week.

Chapter 2: The dry period

Work out the body condition score of every dry cow once a week.

- BCS unchanged: OK. - BCS has risen: the ration is too rich or the cow is selecting and eating the energy-rich part of the ration.

- BCS has dropped: the cow cannot feed enough because she can’t get to the feed, other cows are eating the energy-rich part of the ration, or the cow needs more feed because she is carrying twins or has been pregnant for longer than the records show.

19

Housing for dry cows

Housing requirements for dry cows

Basically, the housing requirements for dry cows do not differ much from those of lactating cows. But the dry cow needs more room to lie down in because of her bigger abdomen. It is therefore even more important to make sure all cows can feed at the same time.

To ensure peace and access to food, the animals need plenty of space to be able to avoid each other. There is always a lot of social disruption going on because the composition of the group changes weekly and a dry cow is always hungry to a greater or lesser extent. Space also reduces stress during calving and movement encourages calcium and energy retention. Both result in more problem-free calving and better milk production.

If possible, provide a winter lighting regime: long nights and short days. After calving the cow experiences a lengthening of the day, which stimulates her appetite and vitality.

o Pr py ot rig ec h te t d

OK

Straw pen, hygiene and bedding

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A straw pen gets wet from manure and urine and gets trodden down by cows walking and standing on it. Provide clean, hard floor by the feeding barrier. This is where the animals stand and walk most and deposit half their manure and urine.

Other factors causing wet floors are flies and agitation. Both cause the cows to stand, walk and stamp more.

The ground dries with ventilation, especially when humidity is low. Keep the walls open and install fans.

A wet straw pen is almost impossible to get dry. Scattering plenty of sawdust, milled flax or rape seed straw may help.

Keep on top of wetness by adding litter in good time.

Starting points for a straw pen: 10 m2 straw pen per cow or more (excl. passageways) and 1 kg straw/m2/day.

Cubicles

A dry cow without an udder can still stand up in a cubicle if the floor provides sufficient grip and the cubicle is spacious enough. Starting points for an HF cow: length of cubicle 3.25 m, width 1.35 m (centre to centre), knee bar 1.9 m from the back edge, neck rail 1.25 m above the ground: adjust to size.

Tend to cubicles 2x daily.

20

Too wet

A litter pen is dry enough if the cows aren’t getting dirty. Look at their hooves, hocks, udders and flanks. Dirtier cows mean more stress and a higher risk of mastitis. Hooves that stay wet for a long time become soft. They wear more quickly and are not able to carry as much weight.

Once the cow starts to bag up it becomes more and more difficult for her to lie down and stand up. She will be standing for a long time in a cubicle so her hooves will be carrying a lot of weight, or she will be lying down much too much and eating too little.

Dry period, special needs cows and treatments

No stress

Stress-free

Stress is a collective name for agitation and frustration. It results in lower feed intake, aggressive behaviour and reduced resistance. Stress develops during times of change, if things around the cow irritate her or if she wants to do something she can’t do.

Prevent or minimise stress and give the animal time and space to adjust: - do not move, move in groups or move to an adjacent group; - relaxed cows that are familiar with the pen, feed and people; - everyone working calmly and correctly; - every animal needs feed, water, light, air, rest, space and health.

It takes a cow 1 to 3 weeks to get used to a new situation.

If possible, move the cows as a group and not individually. Drive them to the other group peacefully and without stress.

o Pr py ot rig ec h te t d

Heifers are more vulnerable

Heifer behaviour is quite different from that of older cows.

First of all, they feed more slowly and take smaller bites, so they need more time in which to feed. And their rumination time is shorter. As a result, they are lower in the pecking order and are easily chased away from the feeding barrier, cubicles and water. They avoid cubicles previously used by a dominant cow.

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Heat stress

Heat stress causes the feed intake of dry cows to drop. Rapid breathing and an empty rumen make them more susceptible to rumen acidosis.

Prevent heat stress with excellent ventilation, good insulation and shading, fans, unlimited drinking water from troughs, evening feeding and an adjusted ration. After the hot period, the cow remains susceptible to rumen acidosis for a week.

Continue to feed her the adjusted ration during that time.

In highly humid conditions heat stress can start at 18ËšC and at low humidity at 26ËšC.

Chapter 2: The dry period

A stressed cow or heifer will be too afraid to lie down so she will tend to overload her hooves. The animal will also eat less and eat faster, making her more vulnerable to rumen acidosis.

Overloading from lying down too little is a major cause of sole haemorrhaging. Lack of energy and rumen acidosis, may also be factors.

A concentrate station in the dry cow group is an excellent way to feed concentrate to animals individually. This also teaches heifers to step into a small, enclosed space with concentrate as a reward, making it easier for them to visit a milking robot.

21

“A sick cow takes up as much time and resource as 40 healthy ones...”

About the author Jan Hulsen grew up on a pig and dairy farm. He studied veterinary

Dry period, special needs cows and treatments brings together all the

thoroughly enjoying working as an agricultural vet for three years, I

practical information about the most important period in the cow’s lactation

started to focus on knowledge transfer and consulting.” This led to a

cycle, the group of cows that require most attention and the jobs that have

move into journalism, marketing and communication and business

the greatest impact on the health, welfare, production and job satisfaction of

management.

cow and farmer.

With his company, Vetvice, Jan created the Cow Signals® concept Eighty per cent of the time a farmer spends directly

30 countries, giving lectures and training courses on Cow Signals,

on his cows goes on twenty per cent of his herd.

Hooves, Fertility, Calves, the Dry Period and Transition, and Building

This twenty per cent consists of special needs cows

o Pr py ot rig ec h te t d

and wrote the successful Cow Signals series. Vetvice operates in

- dry cows, new heifers, newly calved cows, lame

for the Cow.

cows, weak cows and sick cows. Targeting this work

Vetvice focuses on the management aspects of the dairy farm. Besides

efficiently saves a lot of time and makes the farmer’s

good animal husbandry, it pays particular attention to the wellbeing

work much more enjoyable. Dry period, special

of the people working with the animals and productivity. Vetvice

needs cows and treatments discusses how to go

advises and trains livestock farmers in shed-building, organising

about all these aspects in practice.

labour and disease-resistant animal management.

Written in a practical way, Dry period, special needs cows and

Dry period, special needs cows and treatments

medicine, with a short foray into agricultural education. “After

Dry period, special needs cows and treatments

Knowing what to do with which cow

• Clear tasks, responsibilities and authorities • Easy identification of the cow and the associated task • Agreed, easy to understand procedures

The right tools for the job

• Enough knowledge and skill • Pleasant and safe working conditions • Having the right materials to hand

treatmentsexplains how to guide the cows through a healthy and problem-

C

free dry period, calving, and start of lactation. The outcome: more milk and far fewer problems, because seventy-five per cent of health problems occur in the first month after calving.

organise and implement actions and treatments. So that your cows and Vetvice’s advisors and trainers, whose knowledge, insights and creativity have contributed in no small part to this book.

Jan Hulsen

Dry period, special needs cows and treatments also explains how to

heifers stay healthy or recover fast. And so that you, the farmer, can work

The time and the will • • • •

safely and get plenty of job satisfaction every day.

From left to right: Back row: Joep Driessen, Bertjan Westerlaan, Bert van Niejenhuis, Marcel Drint, Dr. Tom Vanholder.

Front row: Nico Vreeburg, Wiebe Veenstra, Arjan van Genugten, Jan Hulsen, MSM.

www.roodbont.com

www.vetvice.com

www.drycowmanagement.com

www.cowsignals.com

Jan Hulsen

The task is scheduled in at the right times Enough time in the daily routine Everyone understands why the task and the work have to be done The results of the work are visible