Optimizing Facilities for

Transition Cow Success

Ken Nordlund, DVMUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison

DAIReXNET

Dec. 14, 2010

Nordlund

McGuirk

Oetzel

Cook

Food Animal Production Medicine Group

Dopfer

Topics

What is Transition Cow Index (TCI®)?

Surveys of industry management practices

– Wisconsin freestall

– Western open lot

Application to new barn construction

What is TCI®?

Acronym for Transition Cow Index®

System of evaluating transition cow management programs

Basis is that sick fresh cows produce less milk

Actual milk yield on 1st test date is compared to expectations

Milk yield and various fresh cow diseases

▬ Healthy X Digestive disorder

■ Ketosis ▲Displaced abomasum

Edwards & Tozer. 2004. JDS 87:524-531

Onset of common dairy cow diseases

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Milk fever Retainedplacenta

Metritis Off feed LDA Ketosis Clinicalmastitis

Enteritis

Day

s in

milk

Median DIM at diagnosis

Median DIM at 1st Test

Modified from Østergaard & Gröhn. 1999. JDS 82:1188

Transition Cow Index®

AgSource DHIA data from half-million cows for 2 yrs

Matched 4,000 herds with Posilac purchase records

Used “historical” data in mixed model to predict expected 1st test milk between 5-40 DIM

TCI = difference between expected and actual 1st test milk yield

Two forms

– TCI-D® : units are lbs of daily milk on 1st test date

– TCI® : units are lbs of 1st test 305-day projected milk

Transition Cow Index® (TCI®) or (TCI-D®)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Breed

PosilacMilking

frequencyCalving month

Days

dry

Prior SCC

Etc.Abort?

Prior milk

- TCI

+ TCI

- TCI-D

+ TCI-D

Prior

lactation

length

Nordlund, Proc AABP, 2006

Owned by WARF, the technology transfer unit of the University of Wisconsin

Licensed to AgSource, the Wisconsin-based DHIA service since 2006– Can access through DairyOne in New York

and AgSource services in the Southwest US

Licensed to Valacta in Quebec in 2010 TCI-D® has been licensed for use across

the US and may become more available

Availability of TCI®?

What is the association of TCI®

with subsequent survival and milk

yield?

-20,000 -10,000 0 10,000 20,000

1.0

0.9

0.8

0.7

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0.0

Association of TCI with survival to next lactationP

rob

abil

ity

Records of 194,402 cows in

4,025 herds

TCI

20,000 lbs TCI associated with 48% increased survival rate, or 2.4% per 1,000 lbs

TCI® and subsequent milk yield

What is the association of TCI with subsequent milk production?

Cumulative milk is “actual” milk produced before subsequent dry-off or culling, not standardized to 305 days

Data from 193,235 cows in 4,011 herds

TCI® and subsequent milk yield

Regression equation

Cumulative milk = 23,484 + (1.31 x TCI)

Each lb TCI associated with 1.3 lbs milk in the lactation

Economics of 1,000 lb TCI®

Reduced turnover rate of 2.5%– $1500 Replacement - $500 Cull = $1,000– 2.5% x $1,000 = $25 per cow per year

Increased milk yield of 1,300 lbs– 1,300 lbs milk = $97 income over feed cost

(IOFC) at $0.15/lb milk and IOFC 50% of gross

Sum = $122 IOFC per cow per year Does not include any estimate of reproductive benefits or reduced disease treatment costs

Topics What is TCI®?

Surveys of industry management practices

– Wisconsin freestall

– Western open lot

Application to new barn construction

Using TCI® in field studies

TCI is not dependent upon disease event records

Can be calculated for any herd with archived DHIA records

Reflects preventive programs, detection & treatment programs, and early lactation nutrition

Allows herd transition management to be characterized in an objective manner if daily milk weights are accurate

Wisconsin Freestall Survey

Transition mgt practices of 50 larger Wisconsin freestall herds using AgSource DHI testing services

Stratified random selection representing range in annual herd avg TCI score from -4,000 to +2,500 lb

Herd average size ~600 cows (range 300 – 1,600)

Financial support from Pfizer Animal Health

Distribution of Herd Average TCI Values

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%-4

,500

-4,0

00

-3,5

00

-3,0

00

-2,5

00

-2,0

00

-1,5

00

-1,0

00 -500

0

500

1,00

0

1,50

0

2,00

0

2,50

0

3,00

0

3,50

0

4,00

0

4,50

0

TCI, lbs 305-day projected milk

% o

f Her

ds

4,011 Herds

Freestall Risk Factors Evaluated

Routine management practices – Posilac, dry rx, Orbeseal, vaccines, milking freq, etc

Cow-level data – BCS, hygiene, avoidance in prefresh and postfresh pens

Nutritional data – prefresh and postfresh rations

Pen move policy and stocking density Housing information – freestalls, pens,

feedbunks Herdsman interview – screening, dx and rx

protocols

Wisconsin Freestall Study

Significant risk factors for herd average TCI, p<0.05

Bunkspace, prefresh pen and fresh pen Freestall base (sand vs mattress) Freestall size, area Move to calving pen (≤2 days vs 3+ days) Screening method (4 categories)

Prefresh bunk space was the single most significant risk factor for TCI

Stall Factors

Stall surface (ls means)Mattress barns (-) 675 lbs TCISand barns (+) 560 lbs TCI

Dimensions (width x length including available forward lunge)

Movement into calving pens 3-10 days prior to due date associated with lower TCI than movement ≤2 days

Maternity or calving pens

How about the rations?

Close-up Ration NDF%

y = -3.605x - 611.8

R2 = 6E-05

-5000

-4000

-3000

-2000

-1000

0

1000

2000

3000

25 30 35 40 45 50

P-NDF

He

rd A

vg T

CI

TCI_120

Linear (TCI_120)

Western Open Lot Survey

Convenience sample of 25 herds in Arizona, California, Idaho, & New Mexico in 2008

Average herd size 4,000 cows (range 2,000-11,000)

Financial support from Pfizer Animal Health

Herd Average TCI-D

-20

-15

-10

-5

0

5

10

15

20

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

HerdTC

I-D

, lb

s at

1st

Tes

t

Distribution of Herd Average TCI-D Scores

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%-3

0-2

8-2

6-2

4-2

2-2

0-1

8-1

6-1

4-1

2-1

0 -8 -6 -4 -2 0 2 4 6 810 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30

TCI-D, lbs first test

% o

f Her

ds

4,011 Herds

Open Lot Risk Factors Evaluated

Routine management practices – Posilac use, dry rx, Orbeseal, milking freq

Prefresh cow data – BCS, locomotion scores

Pen move policy and headlock stocking density

Housing information – feedbunks, shade, bedding under shades, cooling, water access space, distance to parlor

Western Open Lot Study

Significant risk factors for herd average TCI, p<0.05

Bunkspace, prefresh pen and fresh pen Locomotion score, %3&4 on 4-pt scale Body condition score outliers, % ≤2.5 & ≥4 Move to calving pen (≤2 days vs 3+ days) Shade (yes,no)

Transition pen bunk space was again the single most important risk factor for TCI

Prevalence of lame cows was negatively associated with herd TCI average

Depth of bedding below shade had negative association with prevalence of lameness

Topics What is TCI®?

Surveys of industry management practices

– Wisconsin freestall

– Western open lot

Application to new barn construction

http://thedairylandinitiative.vetmed.wisc.edu/

How much bunk space?

Primary & secondary peaksin feed bunk utilization

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

110

:52

11:5

2

12:5

2

13:5

2

14:5

2

15:5

2

16:5

2

17:5

2

18:5

2

19:5

2

20:5

2

21:5

2

22:5

2

23:5

2

0:52

1:52

2:52

3:52

4:52

5:52

6:52

7:52

8:52

9:52

10:5

2

11:5

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12:5

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13:5

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14:5

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15:5

2

Time

Pro

po

rtio

n o

f fe

ed

bu

nk

sp

ac

es

fill

ed

13:14 push up

14:12 milking

16:02 all back

16:47 push up

17:44 push up

18:19 push up

21:50 milking

22:12 push up

23:03 all back

0:07 push up

4:47 push up

6:20 milking

6:50 push up

7:46 all back

8:20 feed delivery

9:44 push up

Primary Peak

Secondary Peak

Secondary Peak

Mentink & Cook, JDS, 2006

Feeding space video study

Maximum fill rate of 24-inch headlocks is ~80%

Independent of stocking pressure in pen Minimal space = 30 inches per cow

(30 = 24 inches ÷ 0.80) Standard 2-row pen = 24 inches per cow Standard 3-row pen = 16 inches per cow Overstocking of stalls reduces bunk space

further

30” headlocks, one per cow

Sand or other deeply bedded surface

Effect of stall base on lameness prevalence

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Lame 1 Lame 2

Mat

Mattress

Sand

Lam

enes

s pr

eval

ence

, %

of

herd

Cook, JAVMA, 2002

Summer Winter

Sand / mattress study design Six sand barns (three 4-row, three 6-row) Six mattress barns (three 4-row, three 6-row) No expansion within past 2 years

Cook, et al., JDS, 2004

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1 2 3 1 2 3

MAT SAND

Locomotion Score (1-3)

Dai

ly A

ctiv

ity

(Ho

urs

per

day

)

Lying time Time standing in alley (including drinking) Time Up Feeding Time Up Milking Standing in Stall

Daily Time Budgets and Stall Base

– Locomotion Score Interaction

Cook, et al., JDS, 2004SandMattress

66”

45”

Freestall sizeToo small for modern mature Holstein cows! Dimensions originated in the 70’s (MWPS-5)

Cows have gotten bigger (Hansen, JDS, 2000)

Understanding of ergonomics has improved

Prefresh stalls - mature cow groups = 52” W & 9-10’ LMixed groups with heifers = 48-49” wide

Social turmoil following regroupingKondo & Hurnik, (1990) Appl. An. Behav. Sci 27:287-297

Social turmoil profile of a pen

Weekly entries into pen

Daily entries into pen

etc….

One-time entry into pen

-11 to -20 days-20 to -30 days -0 to -10 days

Traditional close-up pen - Constant social turmoil with frequent entries and continual exits for 20+ days

Stable social groups before calving - Establish social order once, remain intact until calving

For ~55-day dry period, establish series of 5 pens each with cohorts expected to calve within a 10-day window

Open Lots

Cows calve in the last pen of the series where they can be observed

Labor is reduced because “close up” cows do not need to be sorted out of a big “far dry” pen

As the calving pen empties, each subsequent cohort is moved in series toward the calving area

In housed cows, the practices diverge around where calving occurs

Close-up / Calving Pens: Stable social groups of ~10 move onto pack ~21 days before due date. The cows deliver on the pack.

Stable social groups of ~25 assembled at dry off and remain intact until each individual cow begins labor

2-row head-to-tail prefresh pen so that any cow beginning labor can be seen from the feed alley

Optimal transition barns

Bunk space for all cows to eat simultaneously Minimize lameness with deep, soft bedded

surfaces Sand-based freestalls Deep bedded packs

If freestalls, amply sized for mature cows Stabilize social groupings Provide these conditions even during surges in

calvings

Sizing the pens

Traditional method of pen sizing

• Example: 1,600 cow herd

• How many calvings per week?• 7 days in a week divided by 365 days equals

1.9%

• 1.9% of 1,600 cows equals 31 cows per week

• How long is close-up period? 3 weeks!• 3 wk x 31 cows/wk = 93 stalls

Calvings per Week1,600 cow dairy herd

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5

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4512

/10/

2005

12/2

4/20

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1/7/

2006

1/21

/200

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2/4/

2006

2/18

/200

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3/4/

2006

3/18

/200

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4/1/

2006

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/200

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4/29

/200

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5/13

/200

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5/27

/200

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/200

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2006

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/200

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/200

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2006

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No

. o

f co

ws

Avg = 28 per week Range = 15 to 40 (54%-143% of avg)Guideline: “Overbuild” for surges3-wk period:130-140% of wk avg8-wk period: 120% of wk avg

Basic Point

These recommendations apply to the prefresh and postfresh periods, not the entire herd

Each transition stall gets used for a period of 3-7 weeks

Each transition stall is a risk factor for not one, but 7-15 cows per year!

July 2009 – “Okay, let’s build one!”

+530 +1,988

Response of >1,400 lbs TCI®

Each 1,000 lbs TCI® associated with ~$122 income over feed cost Expected benefit $170 IOFC per cow per yr

Costs of “excess & oversized” stalls?

Assumptions: 1,000 cows = 1,050 calvings per year 1,050 / yr ÷ 52 wks = 20 calvings per wk Average freestall = $2,500 per stall Wider, longer stalls = $2,800 per stall “Overbuild” capacity for close-up period of

3 wks at 140% of avg “Overbuild” capacity of fresh pen for 3 wks

at 130% of avg

Costs – 1,000 cow example

Traditional TCI-friendly

Lactation pens Same Same

Far dry pens Same Same

Close up (3 wk) 60 stalls 84 stalls

Fresh (3 wk) 60 stalls 78 stallsAdditional stalls 42 stalls per 1000 cows

Avg cost / stall $2,500 $2,800

Total cost $150,000 $218,400

Added cost $68,400 per 1,000 cows

Costs – 1,000 cow example

Traditional TCI-friendlyAdditional stalls 42 stalls per 1000 cows

Avg cost / stall $2,500 $2,800

Total cost $150,000 $218,400

Added cost $68,400 per 1,000 cows

Amortize $68,400 over 5 yr at 10% interest Annual payment = $26,400 Cow-friendly barn costs an additional

$26,400 more per year for 5 years

Costs Benefits– 1,000 cow example

Added annual payment = ($26,400) yr 5 yr

$26/400 ÷ 1000 cows = ($26) per cow per yr

Herd response suggests >1,400 lb TCI improvement = $170 IOFC per cow per yr

$170 - $26 = $145 per cow per year

(not counting ↓drugs, labor, or barn life>5 yrs)

http://thedairylandinitiative.vetmed.wisc.edu/

http://thedairylandinitiative.vetmed.wisc.edu/

Are you soon

done?

Summary

TCI provides an objective measure of herd-level transition management and fresh cow health

Field surveys using TCI suggest that bunk space, minimizing lameness via better stalls and surfaces, and stabilizing social groups are key management factors

Impact of improved TCI on subsequent survival and milk yield will pay for high quality transition cow housing