Cow dry period
The dry period is a very important time. On the one hand, it acts as a rest period for your cows’ udders. On the other, it also helps prepare the cows for the new lactation phase. Feeding during this period should be geared towards achieving maximum production in the lactation that follows.
Two phases make up the cow dry period
The rest phase
During this phase, when the cow is at rest, the ageing udder secretory cells die off (between 30 and 35 days). The animal’s needs decrease, and we try to keep the rumen volume as high as possible to facilitate the start of the next lactation period.The preparation phase
This phase sees the regeneration of the udder secretory cells (between 15 and 25 days), with the animal once again building up its production capacity. Energy requirements once again become more important at this time of low feed intake.
So it goes without saying that this period should be of sufficient length. Somewhere between 42 and 60 days, in fact! Therefore, you should aim for the dry period to last approximately six weeks.
Dry period in one or two groups? We have an answer for every business situation.
