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Keep your cows in balance

Make the most informed decisions for your herd. Ensure that your cows are in the correct energy balance. Why does cow weight matter?

Get access to key weight metrics

Tracking a cow’s weight changes throughout the lactation and her lifetime is a useful tool to ensure that each cow in your herd meets its nutrient requirements but does not exceed them. 

Due to cow’s (energy balance) biology, there are four key metrics to keep an eye on: 

  • weight changes:
    • in the dry period
    • in early lactation
    • in late lactation
  • the number of days from calving to a positive energy balance 

With the CowFIT monitoring system, you get objective data on weight change on the level of:

  • individual cows
  • groups of cows by lactation stage and parity
  • whole herd

You can also benchmark your herd’s figures with other dairy farms with the same breed. This benchmarking tool will be further developed in the future to take different production circumstances into account.

Why does correct energy balance matter?

A cow starts milking right after giving birth to a calf. The first part of lactation is a critical period, as there is a deficit in the amount of energy the cow consumes from feed and the amount of energy needed for milking. In this stage, the cow mobilizes her body reserves to support milk production.

At some point, this energy deficit is reversed, and the cow starts to gain weight while her milk production drops, which helps her prepare for the next calf's birth. 

These weight changes are natural and part of a cow’s way of life. However, sometimes imbalances may occur: 

Extreme weight loss in early lactation

Some cows lose too much weight in early lactation. In that case, the period before she is back in positive energy balance and is ready to be inseminated and get pregnant becomes too long. These cows often gain too much body weight in late lactation (becoming too fat).

These weight changes often lead to increased health issues or missed pregnancies, increasing costs and reducing profitability.

Insufficient weight loss in early lactation

However, sometimes we also see that the cow does not lose any weight in early lactation or is back in positive energy balance too soon after calving. That reduces a cow’s productivity. 

Unsatisfactory performance and low milk production are some of the main reasons for involuntary culling. 

70,000 € extra in profit per year

Real-life data from the CowFIT monitoring system installed at a Danish Jersey farm confirm that insights into weight changes are crucial for securing profits. Cows in this herd were losing more weight in early lactation compared to other Jersey herds with CowFIT system.

The farmer promptly reacted and adjusted feeding by adding more energy to the diet. Within a month, the herd's data looked similar to other Jersey herds. The farmer also noticed improvements in yield and the cows’ well-being.

Data shows that the herd’s yield has increased by 17%, generating 70,000 € extra profit per year based on a contribution margin of 20 euro cents per kg of ECM (Energy-corrected milk). 

Through the CowFIT data, I discovered that my cows lost weight during the dry period. To overcome this situation, I changed my feeding strategy. I lost 10 cows in the six months before this change but only one in the six months after.

Søren Røndbjerg,
325 VikingRed cows, Give, Denmark

Avoiding weight changes in the dry period is a top priority

By monitoring weight during the dry period and adjusting feeding strategy accordingly, you can prevent imbalances in the cow’s energy. 

The goal is to avoid any fluctuation in the cows’ weight in the dry period. Weight change in the dry period causes problems in the following lactation, no matter whether the cow gains or loses weight.

CowFIT data shows that cows whose weight does not change during the dry period have a higher yield in the following lactation. 

Data from a herd in which 52% of cows did not change weight over the dry period show that cows not losing weight in the dry period have 6.8% higher yield (874 kg ECM) than those that lose 50 kg (18% cows) and 9% higher yield (1,074 kg ECM) compared to the cows that gain 50 kg.  

Timely access to accurate and objective data on weight changes is crucial. It allows you to act quickly, adjust feed ration composition, and prevent problems. 

Explore how CowFIT monitors cows’ energy balance to deliver reliable data on their weight Learn more