Well bred, well fed and well managed

Proper feeding together with condition scores (CS) at calving determine health, breeding and production during the following season.

All animals should get the proper level of feeding and their feed should be properly balanced. Farmers should be aware of the quality of their feed, and also of the condition that is required by their animals for best performance. Silage quality should be assessed, cows should be condition scored, and replacement stock should be closely examined.

Preparation of cows for the following season should begin when cows are dried off in the autumn. They should be at a suitable condition score (CS 3 to 3.5) throughout the dry period. Good quality silage will be adequate for cows, but this may have to be restricted (with some straw), or supplemented with concentrates if cows are too fat or too thin. All cows should get high quality dry cow minerals for six weeks before calving. These minerals should be spread evenly on silage a few times per day.