Dairy Cow Care: Irish Farmers Share Insights on Transition Health

Irish dairy production typically uses seasonal calving and pasture-based systems. During the dry period, cows are kept indoors and fed mostly grass silage. This setup presents unique opportunities for managing transition cows. A recent study aimed to understand disease occurrences and management practices reported by farmers. The goal was to link these findings with herd size and calving patterns to guide future research and national advice. The study surveyed 3, 899 dairy farmers, with 525 responses used for analysis. Results were shared for all participants, categorized by herd size, and for the two main calving systems: spring (84. 3%) and split-calving (12. 9%). Disease rates were highest for cows within three weeks postpartum (58%), late-season calvers (48%), and multiparous cows (52%). Milk fever and retained placenta treatments affected over 3% and 1% of herds, respectively. Conversely, grass tetany and ketosis affected less than 1% of herds overall. Commonly reported management practices included monitoring body condition (73%), mineral supplementation (61%), and calcium supplementation at calving (61%). However, strategies like low potassium diets (20%) and specific mineral balance diets (6%) were less commonly used. Smaller herds were more likely to keep records of milk fever treatments. In conclusion, the survey highlighted milk fever as a significant health issue on Irish dairy farms. Future efforts should focus on encouraging farmers to adopt proven prevention strategies and optimize current management practices.