Key Nutrition

31/10/2025

08/09/2025

Close Up dry cow feeding 🐮🌾

Prevent metabolic issues post calving by ensuring that close up dry cow nutrition is managed correctly.

• Forages- feeding low potassium, low DCAD forages is crucial. Ideally using straw/whole crop alongside low potassium, high fibre silage.
• Analyse forages to ensure diet is balanced for energy and protein.

Extracal Pre Calver System
• High level of anionic salts to reduce DCAD- to prevent clinical & subclinical milk fever.
• Anionic source of calcium provided- important for Muscle function, Immune function, Colostrum & milk production & ensuring that anionic salts work effectively.
• Good quality protein from soya for colostrum quantity and quality.
• Vitamin and mineral pack, including Vitamin E and Selenium, important for cow and calf health.
• Available in a mineral pack, nuts or blend.

Our nutritionists formulate dry cow diets on a farm-to-farm basis to ensure the right solution is found for each herd. Contact us for more information on pre calving rations.

14/08/2025

It’s the time of the year when many autumn calvers are focusing on their ‘close up’ dry cow group- arguably the most important group of cows on the farm! 🐮🐄🥛

Management
• Cows & heifers should be moved to a ‘close up’ group 3-4 weeks pre-calving
o Allows for suitable concentrates/minerals to be fed in preparation for calving
• Dry Matter Intakes- two weeks pre-calving DMI can decrease by up to 30%. It is therefore vital that every measure is taken to minimise any further reduction to DMI.
o Ensure cows have plenty of feed space & monitor rumen fill
o Ensure TMR is always available and palatable
• Comfort- ensure cows have plenty of lying space- important to minimise lameness, injury and stress.

Getting cows off to a good start after calving is dependent on correctly managing cows through the dry period and is crucial for milk production, health and fertility.
Follow along for more on dry cow nutrition. For more information, contact Key Nutrition on 028 8673 7209.