Sick Cow Problems Are People Problems

A Management System for the Periparturient Cow

Abstract

I have been asked to share with you our system for management of the periparturient cow, as well as the people involved in that same system. Up front and for the purposes of our discussion here, let's get a definition or two out of the way. To my way of thinking, a "transitional cow" is a cow that is between lactations. Our job is to help her make the transition from one to another as smoothly as possible, thereby creating the most opportunity for her success in the following lactation. For me, a pre-parturient cow is any pregnant cow on the farm that is not in milk. We break these cattle down into a couple of sub-groups, specifically "drys" and "springers". As I speak of "dry cows", I am referring to cattle that are between the end of their just-completed lactation and 21 days pre-partum. At 21 days prior to calving in our system, a dry cow becomes a "springer" or a "maternity cow". She is grouped, handled, and fed as such. A "fresh" cow in our system, is a cow in the first 30 days of lactation. While seemingly obvious and elementary, these definitions are the fundamental benchmarks for our system, and thus important to have them clearly defined.