The three weeks around calving represent the highest-risk welfare period for dairy cows. Metabolic disease, immune suppression, and physical stress combine to create a welfare critical window.
Transition cow welfare represents the most complex and consequential welfare management challenge in dairy production. Multiple metabolic diseases interact and compound in the weeks around calving. Cows that experience ketosis are more susceptible to mastitis, reproductive failure, and further metabolic disorders. The welfare costs are substantial and largely preventable through nutrition management, appropriate body condition at drying off, and close post-calving monitoring. Investment in transition cow management delivers both welfare and economic returns.