Where most dairy herds lose performance (and don’t realise)

Not all performance losses are obvious. In fact, the biggest losses in dairy herds often happen quietly and aren’t picked up until much later. By the time they show up in the tank or fertility figures, the cause has already passed.

The Critical Period: Early Lactation

The first few weeks after calving are where most performance is won or lost.

During this time:

• energy demand increases rapidly

• intake lags behind

• cows enter negative energy balance

Why This Matters

If cows can’t meet demand:

• Milk yield drops below potential

• Fertility is delayed

• Recovery takes longer

And these effects carry through the entire lactation.

The Hidden Impact

What makes this challenging is that it’s not always visible at the time.

Everything may look fine day-to-day.

But weeks or months later, you see:

• lower than expected yields

• poorer fertility results

• inconsistent performance

• Where Things Go Wrong

  Common issues include:

  • forage inconsistency

  • ration imbalance

  • transition management gaps

• What To Look For

  Ask yourself:

  • Are cows hitting expected yield early in lactation?

  • Is recovery consistent?

  • Are fertility targets being met?

  If not, this period is worth reviewing.

If you want help reviewing where performance may be slipping in your herd, JMC Genetics can help.

www.jmcgenetics.co.uk

info@jmcgenetics.co.uk