WITH rising feed costs , make sure dairy cows achieve ideal body condition earlier in the dry period through correct feeding to optimise cow and calf health and milk yields .

Jimmy Goldie , Carr ’ s Billington ’ s chief technical officer explains that the company ’ s simple , yet effective , dry cow management programme can achieve the right balance of dry matter intake from forage and concentrate to deliver the optimum amount of energy , while also building on reserves of essential micronutrients ready for cow and calf health .

“ We also focus on the liver health status during the dry cow period , as this is as important as rumen and gut health .

“ The liver is where the first wave of the immune system kicks in , so if we can get the balance right here , we can help to reduce calving inflammation , providing a reservoir for increased and persistent milk production . Liver health is also linked to embryo survivability in the first three weeks after insemination ,” he says .

Mr Goldie recommends providing a dry cow feed that increases the level of beneficial amino acids and antioxidants in the liver cells , while supporting fat synthesis and transportation into the milk produced .

“ All the ingredients in our new and improved high-performance dry cow feed Transform-Pro™ , have been designed to help promote a high-yielding and low-intervention lactation , as well as a vigorous calf ,” he adds .

Transform-Pro™ has been carefully formulated by Carr ’ s Billington ’ s leading nutritionists and highly digestible undegraded protein ( DUP ) status from AminoMax™ , combined with high starch levels and high fermentable energy . It also exclusively incorporates MecoVit ®, which offers a unique combination of rumen-protected microencapsulated nutrients .

“ It ’ s crucial that precise levels of calcium , phosphorus , magnesium , vitamin D3 , bioavailable Zinc , Copper , Safmannan ®, selenium yeast , and anionic salts are provided to dry cows to help boost natural defences against metabolic diseases and diseases that new-born calves are most susceptible to ,” concludes Mr Goldie .

To find out more about how Carr ’ s Billington can help optimise transition cow and calf health visit any Carrs Billington Store .

P138-22-4-National-PR-Farmers Mart

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