![Dairy cattle lying in the pasture.](/extension.umd.edu/sites/extension.umd.edu/files/styles/optimized/public/2024-09/MMM_Sept_2022_Transition_web.jpg?itok=vrC-4oTJ)
Understanding the Transition Period
Niraj Suresh and Fabiana Cardoso, Animal & Avian Sciences, University of Maryland
The transition period in dairy cows is a critical phase that spans from the last three weeks before calving to the first three weeks after calving. This period is marked by significant physiological, metabolic, and behavioral changes that prepare cows for the demands of lactation. Proper management during this time is crucial to ensure optimal milk production and overall health.
Prepartum Phase: Key Changes and Challenges
During the prepartum phase, cows experience rapid fetal growth, mammary gland development, colostrum synthesis, and significant endocrine changes. These changes prepare the cow for the increased energy demands after calving. However, cows also face a drastic reduction in dry matter intake (DMI), decreasing by approximately 30% during the last week before calving. This reduction, influenced by factors like body weight, parity, gestation days, body condition score (BCS), health, dietary digestibility, farm management, and climatic conditions, poses a major concern as it leads to negative energy balance (NEB) and negative protein balance (NPB).
Tips for Managing
- Monitor body condition score (BCS) regularly.
- Ensure balanced nutrition to support fetal growth and mammary gland development.
- Minimize stress by maintaining consistent groupings and avoiding overcrowding.
Postpartum Phase: Nutritional and Metabolic Adjustments
After calving, cows' nutritional demands spike due to rapid milk production. The NEB, which begins a few days before calving, becomes more pronounced postpartum and typically lasts until the fifth week after calving. High-producing dairy cows prioritize nutrients for mammary gland function, exacerbating NEB. Consequently, cows mobilize body fat, leading to increased production of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and potential immunosuppression.
Focal point
- The transition phase is the last 3 weeks before calving and the first 3 weeks after calving.
- The cow undergoes significant changes, with metabolism being a key focus due to its potential effect on the cows health due to a drastic increase in energy demand.
- Proper management of nutrition and the cows environment are essential to ensure the health of the cow, a safe calving, and optimal milk production.
- Some of the most significant diseases seen in dairy cattle occur during this phase due to the metabolic changes.
![A portrait of a calf's face is standing in front of a fence.](/extension.umd.edu/sites/extension.umd.edu/files/styles/optimized/public/2024-09/MMM_Sept-2024_Transition_image3.jpg?itok=PNOqrmp4)
Metabolic and Health Implications
Cows in NEB are more prone to body fat mobilization, weight loss, reduced BCS, and fatty liver disease. The mobilization of lipid and protein reserves, particularly adipose tissue, negatively impacts cow performance.
Tips for Monitoring Metabolic Health:
- Keep detailed health records for each cow.
- Conduct regular blood tests to monitor NEFA and BHB levels.
![Cows standing and a calf lying on a white background](/extension.umd.edu/sites/extension.umd.edu/files/styles/optimized/public/2024-09/MMM_Sept-2024_Transition.jpg?itok=tPxsdO4c)
Strategies for Transition Period Management
Adopting effective dietary strategies, such as well-balanced diets, controlled energy diets, and negative DCAD (dietary cation-anion difference) diets, along with proper lot management and climate control, can mitigate the negative effects of the transition period. These practices help maintain DMI, manage NEB, and prevent metabolic disorders.
Key Management Strategies:
- Implement a well-balanced diet tailored to the needs of transitioning cows.
- Control energy intake to prevent excessive body fat mobilization
- Monitor for signs of metabolic disorders such as ketosis and fatty liver
- Maintain optimal environmental conditions to reduce stress.
Immunological Challenges and Disease Management
The transition period also brings immunological challenges, making cows susceptible to metabolic disorders like ketosis, fatty liver, displaced abomasum, and retained placenta. Approximately 75% of dairy cow diseases occur within the first month after calving, leading to significant economic losses. Effective nutritional management and feeding strategies are essential to maximize cow potential and ensure health during this critical period.
![Infographic on the stages of transition](/extension.umd.edu/sites/extension.umd.edu/files/styles/optimized/public/2024-09/MMM_Sept-2024_Transition_image4.jpg?itok=1yzznKCU)
This article appears on September 2024, in Volume 5, Issue 2, of the Maryland Milk Moos newsletter.
Maryland Milk Moo's, September 2024, Vol. 5, Issue 2
Maryland Milk Moos is a quarterly newsletter published by the University of Maryland Extension that focuses on dairy topics related to Nutrition and Production, Herd Management, and Forage Production.
Want to subscribe?
Email dairyextension@gmail.com. In the body of the text, type subscribe, and include your first and last name and email address.