A Devon dairy farm that feeds hay as a standing crop to autumn-calving cows during the dry period has a milk fever incidence of just 1. The Cheriton family introduced this high-fibre diet after shifting from all-year-round calving to an autumn block at Aller Barton near Crediton. Allowing grass covers in some fields to grow to as much as 4,500kg dry matter (DM)/ ha provides cows with rumen fill, but little energy. This, says Rob Cheriton, prevents cows getting over-conditioned and their unborn calves gaining too much size, resulting in easier calvings and fewer metabolic disorders.
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