Nutritional management in cattle is inseparably linked to welfare - nutritional deficiency and excess both cause significant welfare harm.
Cattle nutritional welfare is compromised at both extremes: deficiency causes wasting, immune suppression, and specific nutrient-deficiency diseases; excess causes metabolic disease, obesity, and the downstream consequences of disrupted metabolism. The transition period in dairy cows - the few weeks around calving - is when nutritional management failure most acutely manifests as welfare harm: hypocalcaemia causes recumbency and muscle weakness; ketosis causes depression, anorexia, and neurological signs; displaced abomasum causes severe pain. These conditions are largely preventable through careful nutritional management, body condition optimization, and appropriate supplementation. Monitoring nutritional welfare requires regular body condition scoring, disease recording, and working closely with a veterinary nutritionist.