Dry-off is one of the busiest events in a cow’s lactation. We stop milking, change diets, move groups, administer dry-cow therapy—and vaccinate—all within a couple of days.
A recent Journal of Dairy Science study asked a simple question: what happens if we vaccinate 11 days before dry-off instead of two days before?
The answer was surprisingly practical.
What changed?
Moving vaccinations nine days earlier resulted in:
- Lower inflammation during the early dry period.
- A temporary reduction in milk production before dry-off.
- Improved performance throughout the next lactation—but only in multiparous cows.
Compared with cows vaccinated two days before dry-off, mature cows vaccinated 11 days before dry-off produced:
The temporary milk drop before dry-off was modest. Mature cows produced about 2–4 kg less milk per day for roughly one week, while first-lactation cows dropped for only a few days.
Why does that matter?
Many high-producing mature cows are simply carrying too much milk into dry-off. A temporary reduction of 2–4 kg per day may reduce udder pressure and milk leakage, making the transition easier.
The interesting part is the trade-off: a small reduction in milk for one week before dry-off was associated with nearly two kilograms more milk every day during the next lactation in mature cows.
As promised.
Less Noise. Better Decisions.
— Jon