A look to transition beyond the fresh pen: the impact of transition cow management on subsequent lactation and reproductive performance

The quality of the transition period is decisive for the success of the subsequent lactation cycle. Cows with a poorer transition produce less milk, take longer to become pregnant, and are more likely to lose pregnancy and to be culled from the herd, causing substantial economic losses. Investments in infrastructure, personnel, and nutrition focused on prevention and treatment of postpartum health problems, when effective, often result in an excellent return of investment because it minimizes the economic losses related to long-term effects of postpartum disease. Reduced feed intake, exacerbated inflammation, and oxidative stress seem to account for a large portion of the long-term consequences of an impaired transition period on cow performance. Thus, management strategies that counteract these features are potentially beneficial to transition health and subsequent performance. In this presentation, we will explore the supplementation of omega-3 fatty acids to fresh cows as a strategy to quickly change the fatty acids composition in circulation and to regulate postpartum inflammation; and the supplementation of organic trace minerals to transition cows as a strategy to enhance antioxidant capacity, immunity, and feed intake. Direct and indirect effects of these dietary supplements on reproduction of dairy cows will be discussed. Finally, we will explore additional factors affecting feed intake during the transition period, the importance of monitoring body condition score over time to access transition quality, and novel utilization of rumination activity information collected by wearable sensors.

Keywords: transition period, nutrition, health, fertility, culling.