Tip of the Month – November 2017

Lactation Graph

Since DelPro version 4.5 it is not only possible to see the lactation graph for one cow, but also for the whole herd. Go to the tab “Animal”.

We (you and I) are not only curious to see how much your cows produce but also to how it is graphed. How high are the peaks of the cows? How long do they keep it going? Is there a big difference in the curve between heifers and older cows?

In the case that cows peak at around 40-50 days, you can assume that the cow might produce a lot less in the second half of its lactation.

Questions you can ask yourself: Is the peak high enough with cows or heifers? What went wrong? Do they go down quickly after the peak? => Do they get the right ration, the right amount of feed at the right time?

Should I use a different ration when they’re set dry? Does the young cattle get the care they need to excel as heifer or cow?

A very interesting graph!