Extension > Agriculture > Dairy Extension > Transition cows
Transition cows
Nutrition factors causing low colostrum production
Adequate quality colostrum will improve calf health, growth and lifetime performance.
Freshening the first calf heifer: opportunities and challenges
Adapt to physiological and behavioral changes.
Management
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Cool new ways to really listen to your cows
Are there other ways we could more directly listen to our cows, every day, on the farm?
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Highlights from the Dairy Science Annual Meeting.
Jim Salfer shares highlights from the Dairy Science Annual Meeting.
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Transition cows 2010
Marcia Endres shares take-aways from the Transition Cow: Biology and Management conference.
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A fresh cow paradigm shift: take action before treatment is needed
Shift from a treatment mentality to a prevention mindset.
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Keys to a successful fresh cow monitoring program
Select key performance indicators that measure change quickly, on which you can and will act.
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Assisting with calving
Outline of the typical steps involved. Specifics vary, but the pattern of activities remains the same.
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Transition cows: What are some of the basics?
3 weeks before calving to 3 weeks after – the most stressful in the life of a cow. (253 KB PDF)
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Monitoring transition cow programs
The preventable economic losses from failures in transition cow program are significant. – Minnesota DHIA
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Post-partum cow processing
Detailed management protocols, from milking set-up to sample handling.
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When to assist with calving
Properly timed assistance can reduce the stress of calving time for both the cow and the herdsperson.
Nutrition
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Can you guess your cow's NEFAs?
For fresh cows, successful feeding strategies maintain energy intake, avoid metabolic stress, reduce negative health event risk and maintain liver health.
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Effects of early lactation dietary starch amount on first calf heifer performance and health: A pilot study
The study indicates no difference in postpartum dry matter intake between the low and high starch treatments.
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New U of MN research shows anionic dry cow diets increases milk production
Special attention to dry cow mineral balance can reduce metabolic problems and increase milk production
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Top 10 strategies for higher peak milk yield
Getting cows off to a good start and successful navigation through early lactation is critical to the health and performance of the cow. Here are 10 strategies to improve early lactation performance for higher peak milk yield
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Trace mineral supplementation important during dry period
The effects supplementation have on the newborn calf and subsequent lactation performance.
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Evaluating forage options for dry cows
Properly fed cows transition more smoothly, have fewer health problems, and are more productive.
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Moderate energy dry cow diets may improve postpartum health
Cows will consume 40-80% more energy than required during both far-off and close-up periods.
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Transition cow program not working? – New research may provide insight
How cows adapt to changes of calving determines productivity, health, profitability. (36 K PDF)
Facilities
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Facility design for the transition cow
Managing transition groups differently can have an impact on herd health and performance. (130 KB PDF) – University of Wisconsin
Other transition cow resources we recommend
- Transition Management Facility – University of Minnesota
- Optimizing transition cow diets (140 K PDF) – The Ohio State University
- Managing the transition cow – University of Illinois
- Feeding and managing the transition dairy cow (97 K PDF) – North Dakota State University
- Reduced age at first calving: effects (339 K PDF) – The University of Arizona
- Behavioral needs of the transition cow and considerations for special needs facility design (618 K PDF) – University of Wisconsin
- Recommendations for housing pregnant, lactating and sick cows (1.2 MB PDF) – Kansas State University
- Drenching fresh cows – University of Illinois
