HealthyLife: Maximising lifetime daily yield

While individual daily yields or even lactation yields are useful metrics, they do not account for time to first calving, fertility or longevity which contribute to full lifetime productivity. A more complete metric is ‘lifetime daily yield’ (LDY) which averages out total milk produced over every day a cow has been alive. Two cows with similar lactation yields can have very different LDY. For example, Cow A entered the milking herd at a young age, had short calving intervals and was healthy enough to last five lactations, but Cow B was older at first calving, had poor fertility and didn’t finish her third lactation. We all know which of these cows we want in our herds, but improving LDY isn’t just down to luck – there are management practices that can maximise productivity and profitability on your farm.

The average LDY in the UK is ~12.5 kg of milk per day of life, but with planning and management there are herds achieving over 20kg of milk per day of life. The factors with the greatest influence on LDY are: age of first calving, daily milk yield and longevity.

Age at first calving: Successful heifer rearing is built on strong early growth, maintaining a high health status and optimal rumen development. Focus on elevated nutrition to enable heifers calve down between 22 to 24mths at 90% of mature bodyweight. This not only reduces the number of unproductive days, but the accelerated growth during early life increases first lactation yield and improves organ development which creates healthier, more robust cows. To set lifetime performance use a high-quality milk powder. Milkivit Energiser is highly recommended as it has a high fat content to support optimal development, resilience to disease and longevity.

Milk yield: Maximising milk yield starts before lactation begins, with transition cows. Managing dry cows effectively reduces the risk of metabolic disorders, particularly milk fever, while promoting milk production and persistence. Focus on a good dry cow diet containing 1.2kg of metabolizable protein, a high fibre/low potassium silage and properly balanced minerals such as HealthyLife Dry Cow which is specifically tailored for the forages offered in Northern Ireland. HealthyLife Transition Pack is a top-up containing added methionine and choline to further enhance dairy cow health and performance.

Longevity: Increasing the lifespan of your cows has the greatest effect on LDY – aim for an average of at least 5 lactations. Cow longevity is improved by focusing on herd health and cow comfort. Set your cows up for a long, healthy productive life from the start by promoting growth pre- and post-weaning. Ensure a healthy transition period to help cows cope with metabolic stress and reduce involuntary culling. Manage negative energy balance to reduce the negative impact on fertility and production. Focus on improving rumen function and gut health.

Improving LDY encompasses so many areas of cow production, which can seem daunting, but on the other hand, focusing on small improvements will pay big dividends. Speak to your local Trouw representative for more information and practical ways to improve your herds lifetime daily yield.