October is often a stark month on dairy farms, with more rainfall and difficult grazing conditions. This can result in larger week-on-week declines in milk yield after steady performance during August and September.

This decline in milk yield performance can, often, dominate farmer-discussion group meetings during October.

In some respects, falling milk yields during October are as predictable as death and taxes and a natural part of the lactation cycle of a spring-calving dairy herd.

ADVERTISEMENT

Body Condition Score

Keeping a close eye on the Body Condition Score (BCS) of the herd is of far greater importance during the next two months.

While most herds are registering very good BCS now, excessive BCS loss over the next eight weeks will have a carryover effect into next year.

After the lush regrowth in recent weeks, autumn grass can be relatively low in dry matter, and focusing too heavily on grazing residuals from high-autumn pre-grazing yields can erode BCS, particularly from younger, less dominant cows in the herd.

Usually at this time of year, with cows on longer walks and wet conditions, an increase in lameness cases can also contribute to rapidly reducing BCS of affected cows.

Challenging

Replacing lost BCS in autumn is both difficult to do and costly to achieve. Studies show that the extra-energy intake required to replace the lost BCS is considerably greater than the energy gained from mobilising that BCS in the first case.

Restoring BCS usually requires more higher quality supplements to be fed back during winter, which is not a luxury most farmers have this year.

It is far better not to allow the herd to lose BCS now, and minimise the number of thin cows in the herd. The first step in this respect is to monitor herd BCS during October and November and identify thin cows quickly; these should be preferentially managed.

Targets

The target average Body Condition Score at drying off is three, with the ideal range from 2.75 to 3.25. Similar to liveweight, the range in BCS is just as important as the average.

Pulling out any thin cows below that 2.75 mark early for once-a-day milking, initially, followed by an early dry off and extended dry period, will protect their BCS.

If there isn’t an underlying health issue, these are usually either very young or very old cows, so minding them during autumn and winter is important to set them up for next season.