Dry Cow Mineral Nutrition
Adequate energy, fibre and protein for dry cows go without saying; despite very few dry cows would enjoy a good balance of these. Mineral nutrition for dry cows is probably far less practiced or understood. However, demand for minerals post-calving is very high for bodily functions, fertility and production. None more so than calcium.
Following from last month’s article on trace minerals, and they are all fat-soluble, so when fed during the dry phase when there is no production demand, cows will deposit trace minerals in body fat reserves. Once calved, and drawing on body fat reserves to meet energy requirement, the cow will be mobilising not just fat, but fat well impregnated with trace minerals.
Macro minerals, phosphorous, magnesium and calcium mostly, when supplied during the dry phase are similarly stored, this time in skeletal bone, also for reabsorption on demand post-calving. The demand for milk production post-calving and minerals required to meet this demand, cannot be consumed in feed or even mineral fortified grain mixes in the quantities needed. A rule of thumb is cows need supplemented minerals early lactation to complement those drawn from body reserves to meet lactation/fertility demands for the first 100 days, then supplemented plus what is absorbed from feeds will meet lactation needs during the second 100 days. Finally, supplementation during the third 100 days will begin the process of storing minerals for early lactation next time round.
This needs to continue through the dry cow phase. None as important as calcium! Cows have a calcium requirement of 80 gm during the dry period. On a ryegrass based diet (hay, silage or pasture), their intake of calcium is around 25 – 30 gm. Well shy of their requirement. Although we cannot get the full deficiency of calcium into a loose-lick product due to palatability, we can near double what dry cows currently ingest on a ryegrass based diet.
Hi-Cal Dry Cow Loose-Lick contains all the minerals in our standard Dairytech Loose-Lick, with additional calcium. The remaining deficiency of calcium can be achieved through feeding of some legume forage; however, this has limited potential in many dairying areas.
We developed our Loose-Lick Mineral product range to assist in meeting this important aspect of both growing heifers and dry cow nutrition in situations where stock are not attended to on a daily basis. These products are designed to encourage controlled daily intake, are rain resistant and a low cost method of administering mineral nutrition in an absentee scenario.
We have seen significantly increased fertility and higher milk protein tests post-calving when calcium requirement has been met in dry cows and springing cows.
