Nutritional Management for Transition Dairy Cows

The importance of a successful transition from late pregnancy to early lactation is well accepted . Health problems during the transition period can easily erase the entire profit potential for an individual cow in that lactation, through increased costs for veterinary treatment and lost production potential (Drackley, 1999). The incidence of health problems on US dairy farms today remains staggering. From epidemiological data and field observations, the combined incidence rate for dystocia, milk fever, retained placenta, metritis, ketosis, displaced abomasum, fatty liver, and lameness results in only 50% of all cows calving without health problems (Ferguson, 2001). Realistic goals for well-managed farms may be that 60% of cows calve without one or more of these problems (Ferguson, 2001). Because many, if not all, of these periparturient health problems are interre lated (Curtis et al., 1985; Markusfeld, 1987; Correa et al., 1993; Emanuelson et al., 1993; Peeler et al., 1994), using the categories of healthy and problem cows may provide a better indication of transition period management than focusing on a single disorder.