Dairy Cow Transition Period Welfare

The transition period around calving is the highest risk welfare period for dairy cows, with metabolic disease, pain and immune compromise all common.

Key Facts

The transition period spans approximately 3 weeks before to 3 weeks after calving
Metabolic diseases including ketosis, milk fever and displaced abomasum are common in this period
Mastitis and lameness incidence are highest in the first month post-calving
Negative energy balance is the central metabolic challenge as milk production exceeds energy intake
Nutrition management in the dry period significantly affects transition period welfare outcomes
Providing sufficient feed space and lying time during transition is critical
Monitoring with regular blood or urine sampling can detect subclinical ketosis early

Welfare Considerations

Transition period health in dairy cows represents one of the highest-impact welfare intervention points in dairy farming. Multiple concurrent disease risks create compounding welfare burden for individual cows. Proactive nutritional management, monitoring and early treatment significantly reduce suffering. The economic cost of transition diseases also provides financial incentive for welfare improvement.

What You Can Do

Support dairy certification schemes requiring transition period welfare monitoring
Ask dairy suppliers about their transition cow protocols and metabolic disease rates
Choose dairy products from farms demonstrating low disease incidence through welfare audits
Reduce dairy consumption overall, prioritising welfare-certified sources