Dry Period Management - Shortened or Conventional Dry Period?

ČERMÁKOVÁ, J., DOLEŽAL, P., KUDRNA, V. & TYROLOVÁ, Y. Dry Period Management - Shortened or Conventional Dry Period?. In NutriNET 2013. Nitra: Slovak University of Agriculture, 2013, s. 15-20.{INTLINK}
ČERMÁKOVÁ, Jana, DOLEŽAL, Petr, KUDRNA, Václav a TYROLOVÁ, Yvona., 2013 Dry Period Management - Shortened or Conventional Dry Period?. In NutriNET 2013. Nitra: Slovak University of Agriculture, s. 15-20. ISSN
Year2013
CathegoryOthers
Internal link13105.pdf
Abstract

It is challenge for modern dairy farmer successfully manage transition period of dairy cows. The transition period has been often accompanied by decreased dry matter intake whereas milk production of high-yielding dairy cows increases dramatically at the beginning of the lactation. The energy deficit results in negative energy balance and ultimately in impaired health and reproductive function. Therefore new management and feeding strategies would be desirable to increase voluntary dry matter intake after calving and ease transition the cow from dry-off period to the lactation period after calving. With the objective to study the effects of shortened dry period length and type of a diet on feed intake and lactation performance, 29 high-yielding dairy cows were randomly divided in two balanced groups. The control group of cows (C, n=14) assigned to traditional dry period of approximately 57 days was fed a diet corresponding with nutrition requirements of dry cows. Approximately three weeks before planned calving 3 kg of concentrate mixture per cow and day was added into their diet The cows of experimental group (S, n=15) assigned to shortened dry period (35 d) were fed a late lactation diet until calving. After parturition all cows in both groups (C and S) were fed the same lactation diet responding their lactation requirements. Prepartum dry matter intake of cows in the group S was about 4,11 kg per cow and day greater (17,11 kg) compared that of cows in the group C (13,00 kg). After calving, however, the average dry matter intake was 21,48 kg per cow and day in the group C and 20,77 kg per cow and day in the group S. Cows assigned to shortened dry period produced about 3,34 kg per day (8,3%) less milk and had flatter lactation curves during the first 100 days of lactation. The milk composition (fat, protein, lactose, and urea) was not affected by the treatment.