When served, the date is recorded, the animal marked off the herd list and anticipated calving date calculated. Dry cow management Dry cow management is an important aspect of the breeding management success. Condition scoring of all cows and heifers gives an accurate indication of nutritional status. Targets are set for cows and heifers and feeding adjusted accordingly. Thin cows are fed concentrates and fat cows are fed straw.
All dry cows receive minerals.
Two weeks before calving, cows are introduced to the milking cow ration. Heifers Heifers are served at 15 months of age, usually one month after the cows. In the Young's autumn calving herd this occurs from 1 February onwards. They calf down at around two years old. The cows are calved first to allow the bulk of calving to get underway before the heifers start to calve.