Dairy cow lactation transition

The transition from the dry cow period to lactation has an enormous impact on dairy cows. During this period, cows go through three physiological adaptations: immune adaptation, digestive adaptation, and metabolic adaptation to support the next lactation and pregnancy. Getting through this transition without excess stress is crucial for healthy lactation.

How to recognize

Poor metabolic and digestive adaptation during the transition period results in metabolic stress, which impairs the adaptation of the immune system and increases the incidence of metabolic diseases that drive:

Increased risk of developing sub-clinical or clinical ketosis
Increased risk of fatty liver
High incidence of milk fever, increased incidence of retained placenta, and infections of the reproductive tract.
Increased incidence of mastitis
Increased risk of hindgut acidosis
High incidence of leaky gut
Poor production and fertility
High early culling rates (during the 100 days in milk)
Decreased cow longevity

The impact on the farmer

Good management of the transition period, along with a well-balanced diet, will increase a cow’s lifetime daily yield and the number of lactations per cow by improving fertility, increasing milk yield per lactation, and reducing involuntary culling. Not only will this improve a farm’s financial performance, but also result in sustainable milk production, now and in the future.

Our offering for cow management

HealthyLife

The HealthyLife program focuses on a cow’s transition to lactation. It is a practical, science-based program that helps farmers increase cows’ lifetime daily yield and the number of lactations by improving fertility, increasing milk yield per lactation, and reducing involuntary culling.

NutriOpt

The NutriOpt dairy model helps the farmer to ensure a balanced diet for healthy cows by defining your feeding strategy based on the processes taking place along the whole gastrointestinal tract. It is a dynamic model and provides a unique combination of nutritional and ruminant-specific parameters to ensure optimal rumen function.

Reviva

Reviva is an easily digestible, tasty energy drink for cows that quickly rehydrates and replenishes mineral loss after calving. Reviva is a complementary feed containing added vitamins that help support a cow during this critical period.

Do you need more information?

HealthyLife dairy research shows the importance of managing the balance between production level and longevity well in order to strongly reduce involuntary culling and increase both longevity and profitability on your dairy farm.

Go to our HealthyLife platform

Our approach