As cooler weather moves into parts of the country, a greater percentage of dry cow rations will shift away from pasture to more purchased or stored feeds. Although there are exceptions, many dry cows tend to be the forgotten family members of our dairy herds.

They are not being milked or grown, and consequently the value of dry cow management is often underestimated. But, just like Olympic athletes, dry cows should be pampered and prepared for their upcoming lactation.

An old saying that I grew up hearing was, “We’ll feed that to the dry cows.” This statement often followed a poor decision related to mature hay or hay baled too wet. No, dry cows don’t have the same high nutrient requirements that milk cows do, but this does not mean we should be feeding them trash.

How does your dry cow ration compare to the NRC dry cow requirements found in Table 1*?

So what should you give your dry cow for Christmas?

See the wish list below:
• A balanced palatable ration offered in clean, dry feedbunk that promotes optimal dry matter intake so that she will be ready to transition into the lactating herd trouble-free.
• A clean, dry place to lie to reduce the odds of new cases of mastitis.
• A solid, clean place to stand while she eats so she does not develop any new foot problems.
• A set of trimmed, healthy, well-balanced hooves.
• A proper body condition score between 3.25 and 3.5.
• A clean water trough.  PD

—Excerpts from Virginia Tech Dairy Pipeline, December 2008

*Tables and photos omitted but are available upon request to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

M. Chase Scott
Extension Agent
Virginia Tech