Dry cows

Robin Hall

With the autumn calving almost finished, newly calved cows are coming back into the milking herd. All our milking cows have a break, or 'dry period', prior to calving again. This allows them a well-earned holiday and a chance to focus their resources on the gestation of the calf. The duration of the dry period is normally about 8 weeks, although at Plaw Hatch it is often 12 weeks or more. With a predominately natural, grass-based diet it can be difficult to sustain the lactation. This is because we do not feed imported protein-rich food to the cows. Therefore, when the milk production of a cow falls below a certain threshold towards the end of the lactation, they will be 'dried-off' and can rest until the next calf is born.

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