Economic Review of Transition Cow Management

John Fetrow VMD, MBA, DSc (hon)

Emeritus Professor of Dairy Production Medicine

College of Veterinary Medicine

University of Minnesota

This presentation is copyright 2017 by the author. Do not distribute in any way without permission.

Transition Period• Traditionally has been considered to be from three weeks prior to

calving to 3 weeks after calving.– This is the most critical window of time, but

• It is becoming apparent that transition actually starts at dry-off and extends at least one month after calving.– 90-day period that is critical for success– Far-off dry cows and pre-partum heifers, Close-up and Fresh Periods

• Period of significant stress on all cows• Sets the stage for health, future productivity and reproductive

performance

90-Day “Transition”Far Dry Period

Close-up DryPeriod

CalvingFresh/ Early

Lactation

-60 -21 0 30

Slide courtesy of Dr. Mike Overton

Transition period

• significant hormonal, metabolic, immunologic, and physiologic transitions– late pregnancy (fetal growth)

– parturition

– initiation of lactation

• most of the disease events in a cow’s life– may set the stage for diseases later on

– infertility, mastitis, lameness

• much of culling happens in transition period

Dairy Cows Experience Dramatic Metabolic Changes During Transition

• Key issues:

– Large increase in glucose demand by the

uterus/fetus and then mammary gland

– Dramatic changes in hormone levels

– Large changes in feed intake

– Negative energy balance

– Negative protein balance

– Hypocalcemia

– Immunosuppression

Slide courtesy of Dr. Mike Overton

Dystocia

Displacedabomasum

Poor production

Culling

KetosisFatty liver

MetritisRetainedplacenta

MastitisPoor

fertility

Lameness

Pneumonia

Transition problems do not occur in isolation

NutritionHousing Comfort

VaccinationTreatment

Care

Impact of disease

• It is tempting to think of a disease as though it were like a traffic accident– Everything was fine until the accident and then

there are bad consequences: costs, continuing illness, death, disability, etc.

• Transition cow disease does not work that way– Often, there is dysfunction in the cow well before

the clinical case is recognized.– Often, the causes of the disease are in place well

before the actual clinical case is recognized.– Management mistakes create the conditions that

lead to the disease.

Transition problems

• Transition problems are part of a complex and interacting system, where many factors affect the risk and severity of disease.

• It is not useful to think that a particular disease occurs in isolation

• Preventing disease requires an understanding of the system and interventions that fix the system

• Good management can reduce the risk and impact of transition cow diseases

Mastitis

Retained FetalMembranes and Metritis

Ketosis/Fatty Liver

Milk Fever

Displaced Abomasum

Lameness

Decreasing DMI

Around Calving

Insufficient Vitamins, Trace Minerals, or Anti-Oxidants

High DCAD or

Low Mg diets

Negative Energy + Protein BalanceIncreasing NEFA

Immune Suppression HypocalcemiaLost Muscle Tone

Insufficient Dietary Effective Fiber

Rumen acidosis

Slide from Dr. Jesse Goff

Transition cow problems

• There are many contributing causes of transition cow problems, but many of the causes are mediated by three common pathways

1. Negative energy balance around calving• And likely negative protein balance

2. Hypocalcemia• Both clinical and more importantly subclinical

3. Immune suppression• Partly due to the first two, but also mediated by

hormonal changes, stress, management errors, and other nutritional deficiencies (selenium, vitamin E)

1. Negative energy balance

• Energy is needed for maintenance, fetal growth, lactogenesis and lactation, and immune functions– Reduced dry matter intake around calving adds to the

problem– If physiologic systems that respond to negative energy

balance have been down-regulated during the dry period, the cow may not be able to respond to the sudden increased need for energy at parturition and early lactation

• Result: ketosis, fatty liver, poor production, retained placenta, metritis, mastitis, other infectious diseases, delay in reproductive cycling, and increased risk of culling and death.

2. Hypocalcemia• Very common problem in dairy cows at calving

– Sudden increased demand for calcium with colostrum and milk production

• Clinical disease may be fatal if not promptly treated• Subclinical hypocalcemia may lead to immune suppression,

retained placenta, metritis, and poor production and reproduction

• Associated with improper nutrition in dry cows and early lactation– If physiologic systems that respond to negative calcium

balance have been down-regulated during the dry period, the cow may not be able to respond to the sudden increased need for calcium at parturition and early lactation

3. Immune suppression

• Suppressed immunity increases the risk of several peri-partum diseases• Less vigorous detachment of the placenta and increased

retained placenta• Metritis• Mastitis• Respiratory infections

• Lower energy intake reduces immune responses to challenges

• Hypocalcemia and hypomagnesemia impairs immune system function

• Higher cortisol levels in stressed cows suppresses immune responses

Feed intake for cow with and without metritisCows that will get metritis are eating less before the diagnosis

Huzzey, Veira, Weary, von Keyserlingk: Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 90 pp3220-3233; 2007

clinical metritis detected

Feed intake for cow with and without metritisCows that will get metritis were eating less feed before calving!

Huzzey, Veira, Weary, von Keyserlingk: Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 90 pp3220-3233; 2007

clinical metritis detected

Effects of Periparturient Diseases on Long Term Reproductive Performance

Diseases

Disease Outcome

Yes No

AOR

(95% CI)MIC, d

Pregnant

305 DIM,

%

AOR

(95% CI)MIC, d

Pregnant

305 DIM,

%

Stillbirth 1.6(1.4, 1.8)

187.3± 5.2

52.3 Referent 152.6± 1.0

73.7

Ketosis 1.8(1.4, 2.4)

191.7± 9.7

42.4 Referent 153.5± 1.0

73.3

Metritis 1.2(1.2, 1.3)

168.5 ± 2.7

66.3 Referent 151.8± 1.1

73.8

Mastitis 1.3(1.2, 1.3)

167.7± 1.7

68.7 Referent 147.0± 1.2

74.9

Slide courtesy of Dr. Ricardo Chebel

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

0 100 200 300

Pro

po

rtio

n n

onp

regnan

t, %

Impact of mastitis on abortion and pregnancy rates

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Risco et al.,

1999

Chebel et al.,

2004

Moore et al.,

2005

Pregn

anc

y los

s, %

No Mastitis Mastitis

28 to 35 d

30 to 45 d

45 to 135 d

DIM

Median days to conception:

Control = 114

Mastitis = 134

Santos et al. Anim. Reprod. Sci. (2004)

Effect of mastitis – P < 0.001

Slide courtesy of Dr. Ricardo Chebel

Effect of lameness early in lactation on reproductive efficiency

• Lame cows within 30

DIM had prolonged

(34 vs. 29 d) anovular

period (Garbarion et al.,

2006)

• Lame cows within 70

DIM had longer

interval to pregnancy

(149 vs. 119 d) (Bicalho et

al., 2007)

Slide courtesy of Dr. Ricardo Chebel

Mastitis

Retained FetalMembranes and Metritis

Ketosis/Fatty Liver

Milk Fever

Displaced Abomasum

Lameness

Decreasing DMI

Around Calving

Insufficient Vitamins, Trace Minerals, or Anti-Oxidants

High DCAD or

Low Mg diets

Negative Energy + Protein BalanceIncreasing NEFA

Immune Suppression HypocalcemiaLost Muscle Tone

Insufficient Dietary Effective Fiber

Rumen acidosis

Slide from Dr. Jesse Goff

Three final pathways

• Negative energy balance (and protein)

• Hypocalcemia

• Immune suppression

• These can each be reduced with good management during the transition period

Economic analysis• The purpose of an economic analysis is to

inform the decision maker.

• Decisions are made for many reasons.– economics is only one of the reasons

• For most dairy decisions, the economic analysis need only provide a close estimate of the order of magnitude of the economics.– Models are tools; even imperfect models can

provide useful information.

For many purposes, a rough estimate is good enough for managerial decision making.

Types of economic impactvalues depend on market and price conditions

• Clinical disease– Cost to find sick cows and treat them

• Lost milk production

• Death and culling

• Poor reproduction

• Impact of one disease on the development of other diseases

• Poor milk quality and lost quality payments

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19

Healthy (22)

Sick (24)

RP/MET (10)

DA/KET (13)

Milk production post partum for normal and sick cows

0

5

10

15

20

25

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19

Healthy (22)

Sick (24)

RP/MET (10)

DA/KET (13)

0

5

10

15

20

25

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19

Healthy (22)

Sick (24)

RP/MET (10)

DA/KET (13)

Slide from Dr. Mike Hutjens U of I

Much of the economic impact may be “invisible”: Much of the loss comes later with lower production, poor reproduction, and culling.

Research by Dr. Richard Wallace and others, Univ. of Illinois

days

Diseases may also reduce revenue by reducing the price / value of milk

Economics and clinical disease

• for a defined disease, estimates can be made about the cost of a single case– treatment costs

• drugs, labor, milk discard, veterinary services

– lost milk production– increased risk of culling or death– impacts on reproductive performance– impact on mastitis incidence

• the total cost for all cases can then be based on the incidence of the disease on the dairy if good records are kept

Cost of a case of metritis

Cost of clinical disease: mastitis: €250

Costs Associated with Metabolic Disorders

RetainedPlacenta

DisplacedAbomasum Milk Fever Ketosis

Die 1% 2% 8% 1%

Culled 18% 10% 12% 5%

Milk loss 450 lb 840 lb 1,100 lb 440 lb

Milk dumped 300 lb

Extra days open 19 d 6 d 5 d

Ave $ per case $285 $340 $334 $145

Guard, Hoard’s Dairyman, 1996

(Figures include lost milk production, veterinary charges, extra labor in caring for cows, drugs, and discarded milk)

Lameness = €300/case ($346), 30% of cows lame in 1st 30 DIM are culled

in Euros: €220 €260 €260 €110

Culling

Goal:• < 5 % of milking herd

should leave the dairy before 60 days in milk.

• <3% should die before 60 days in milk.

Transition problems significantly increase the risk that a cow will be culled.

When Cows Leave and Risk of Leaving the HerdMN DHIA data (10/96 – 10/01)

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

20 62 104

146

188

230

272

314

356

398

440

21- Day Period Ending Day

% C

ow

s L

eavin

g T

hat

Left

In

th

e P

eri

od

0.00%

0.04%

0.08%

0.12%

0.16%

0.20%

0.24%

Avera

ge R

isk p

er

D o

f L

eavin

g I

n a

Peri

od

Percent of Those Leaving Risk of Leaving

624,614 Cows Leaving

From ~2,800 Herds

Source: 2003, Godden, Stewart, Fetrow, et al Proceedings of the 4 State Nutrition Conference

Cost of death and culling

Goals for disease rates

• Goals should be set in consideration of the conditions on the individual dairy

– at the simplest level, the goal is “better than now”

• For many diseases, epidemiologic studies and looking at high achievement herd results can guide the determination of goals.

– It is important to have effective disease recording systems• Diseases may not be reliably indentified or recorded on

many dairies.

• Economically, improving disease status from bad to OK is more valuable than going from OK to great.

– work on areas where there are big problems or opportunities

Goals for disease rates

Economics and disease

• It is not particularly useful to calculate the total cost of disease on a dairy– The dairy will not likely achieve “no disease”, so

there will always be costs

• The more interesting question is:– What is the cost of disease above a reasonable

and achievable level of disease on this dairy?• “Avoidable loss”

• Losses at actual levels compared to achievable goal incidence of clinical disease

Calculating the “avoidable loss” due to clinical disease on a dairy

• “avoidable loss” provides an estimate of the benefit of improving management and achieving the dairy’s goals.

• It also provides an upper limit on how much can be spent to achieve the goal.– the dairyman will not want to spend the

whole potential gained value

– improved management may not actually achieve the full goal

Calculating the cost of diseases: loss above goals levels of disease

This $100 loss to clinical disease above the herd’s goal is $100 per cow for every cow in the herd, not $100 per sick cow.

It is an important cost of doing business on the dairy.

Calculatingthe differencebetween a herd’s current disease incidenceand a reasonable and achievable goal.

Remember:This only estimates the loss to excess disease. It does not include the likely larger impact on production from poor transition in cows that never become clinically sick.

Impact of the transition period

• For many dairies, improving transition management could significantly improve production, reduce culling and death, and reduce the incidence of disease.

• There are ways to estimate the economic potential of improvements.

• Managers must work constantly to find ways to improve the transition period.

Thank you very much!