Joe Sheehy: Why cows need concentrates for at least six weeks

It is very important to realise that the silage intake of cows drops off by 30-50%, in the four weeks coming up to calving.

After calving, milk yield increases much more rapidly than intake capacity, resulting in a long period of under-feeding.

Peak milk yield is reached about six weeks after calving, while peak appetite is not reached for about 12 weeks.