How you feed and manage your herd during the dry cow period will influence subsequent yields and fertility, along with conditions which manifest post calving, such as milk fever, metritis, ketosis, and displaced abomasums. Research indicates a single case of milk fever is estimated to cost circa €312 when veterinary costs and consequential production losses are accounted for. In addition, sub-clinical cases are estimated to cost > €100, which is often a more prevalent issue.
For Longford dairy farmer, Mervyn Moorhead, feeding a dry cow mineral throughout the dry period has proven to be an essential component in building up mineral reserves and allowing the cow to calve down without any issues.
“We have been using Dry Cow Elite for the last 20 years and we are very happy with how it has performed. What we have seen is that the calves are very healthy, the cows are cleaning straight away, and we have had no milk fever problems.”
Dry Cow Elite – Your Benefits
Key macro minerals required by the dry cow include high availability magnesium and trace elements such as organic selenium, chelated and hydroxy copper and zinc. Our Welmin™ Dry Cow Elite goes further than other dry cow supplements in terms of bolstering the cow’s immune system ahead of the rigours of calving through the inclusion of supplemental B vitamins, ImmunoWall yeast, and high levels of key vitamins A, D3 and E. This complete package is crucial in order to increase health and immunity, minimise retained placenta levels, and aid the uterine involution (cleansing) process post-calving.
Addressing the bioavailability challenge
Agritech’s Welmin™ Mineral Range has also been at the forefront in addressing the bioavailability challenge; a challenge which has led to secondary mineral deficiencies becoming more prominent in modern livestock operations. These deficiencies are a result of antagonists binding with key minerals in the rumen, ultimately causing them to pass through the animal unabsorbed.
It is now widely accepted that the inclusion of elements from multiple sources significantly enhances the absorption of each element. We have embraced this superior approach as our mineral range includes copper, selenium, iodine and zinc from multiple sources to ensure optimum bioavailability of these key elements.
Intellibond C is also included in many of Agritech’s mineral mixtures, which is a highly available source of copper. Intellibond C is not soluble at neutral rumen pH which results in a rumen by-pass trace element that gives increased trace mineral stability in the intestine. Copper from Intellibond C is released slowly over the full length of the small intestine, resulting in more efficient copper absorption and thereby improving overall intestinal health.
More Information
For further information on dry cow mineral provision, contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor or view more of our technical articles.
Learn more about our Welmin Dry Cow Elite.