It’s autumn and your cows are nearing the end of their lactation. They may only have 60 days to go. And you’ll be wanting them to keep milking as long as possible. Provided that they are also putting on body condition. Here are 10 Quick and Easy Ideas and action steps you can take with your animal health to make sure they do just that.

1. Balance high quality, protein rich, autumn pasture with ”chocolate cake” or starch.
2. Keep dry matter intakes at 3.5% liveweight right until the day before you dry off.
3. Milk low condition score cows once a day instead of twice a day. Keep them close to the shed to give them more time to graze. Less walking will also help to reduce their energy needs.
4. Consider offering cows a small amount of straw [physical or scratchy fibre] which will help to offset acidosis that can cause lameness and/or laminitis
5. Visualize your cows at planned start of calving. Work back from there. What will you need to feed them from now until you dry off to make sure they will reach your target calving condition score.
6. Wean cows slowly onto maize silage if they haven’t had any starch or sugar for a while. You need to give the rumen bacteria time to adjust to their new diet.
7. Make sure your team get their allotted time off so they can recharge their batteries and stay focused right to the end of the season.
8. Invest in your own education as well as theirs.
9. Take a look at space and cow comfort issues. They can affect the way a cow milks out for example. And therefore her likelihood of getting mastitis
10. Remember your rising two year olds . Size and height are important. They need to be able to compete with the older cows after they calve and get their fair share of feed, water and minerals.

Do these 10 things and your cows will stay healthy, put on weight and keep milking for you!.

Go here to find out how Jane can help you achieve your preventative animal health targets.