Transition Management. A topic often discussed in the farming press and on farm, but are we truly able to accurately track the effectiveness of transition from the dry pen to the milking herd, in those crucial weeks pre and post calving?

With 80% of your cows lactation performance determined by the success of the dry period and those crucial weeks immediately after calving, can we afford not to closely monitor and track transition performance?

The team at Davidsons Dairy Tech have a tailored solution to help track and inform your herds transition performance, the Transition Management System (TMS). The system has already been in use for 10 years, in conjunction with Premier Nutrition, and to date has gathered data from over 361,000 cows. The TMS monthly assessments will now be managed in house, with the latest member of the Dairy Tech Team, Fraser Glasgow managing monthly assessments on farm, supported by the team of consultants.

Graduate Fraser Glasgow, who has recently joined the Davidsons Dairy Tech Team

 

The monthly on farm assessments will track any cow or heifer within 30 days of calving, and continue to monitor her health and performance up to 30 days after calving. The data collected will include important transitional measures such as lameness, rumen fill, metabolic issues and changes in body condition.

The TMS also keeps a close eye on environmental and nutritional factors that play a crucial role in transition success, such as monitoring stocking density levels, feed presentation, water trough
cleanliness and bedding quality.

Dung siving to assess fibre digestion

The monthly assessments are then shared with the farmers and their Dairy Tech consultant to discuss transition performance for that month. Comparisons are made from previous months opening up conversations around areas for improvements, whether immediate alterations or looking further down the line at how future investment in facilities can be planned for the benefit of the herd.

The true financial cost of any metabolic issues seen on farm is also tracked, to ensure that the TMS supports herd health and performance improvements but ultimately aids the financial success of transition. By tracking all of this information on a monthly basis, farms using TMS are making informed decisions, on a regular basis, striving for transition perfection.