The transition period - the three weeks before and after calving - is the highest-risk time for dairy cow welfare, with metabolic diseases causing significant suffering in poorly managed herds.
The transition period represents a time of profound physiological stress with major welfare implications. Cows experiencing hypocalcemia cannot stand, are at risk of trauma, and feel profoundly weak and unwell. Ketosis causes loss of appetite, weakness, and potentially neurological signs. Displaced abomasum causes chronic pain and appetite suppression requiring surgery to resolve. The simultaneous demands of late pregnancy, parturition, and onset of lactation create metabolic pressure that the modern high-production dairy cow's physiology struggles to manage. Good transition management - focusing on appropriate pre-calving nutrition and monitoring - prevents much of this suffering.