Dairy Cow Welfare: Transition Period Management

The transition period - three weeks before to three weeks after calving - is the highest welfare risk period in a dairy cow's life, with metabolic diseases causing significant suffering.

Key Facts

Transition period diseases including milk fever, retained placenta, ketosis and displaced abomasum commonly co-occur
Negative energy balance is a key driver of metabolic disease in early lactation
Subclinical ketosis affects 30-50% of dairy cows in the first weeks after calving
Transition cow management including body condition scoring, feed formulation and monitoring reduces disease rates
Sick cows in the transition period have significantly reduced subsequent lactation performance and welfare

Welfare Considerations

The transition period is the welfare crucible of dairy cow production. Multiple metabolic challenges converge around calving, when immune function is suppressed and energy demands are at their peak. Proactive management including appropriate dry cow nutrition, monitoring for subclinical disease and prompt treatment of clinical cases dramatically reduces suffering. Farms with well-managed transition periods have lower disease rates and better cow welfare across the full lactation.

What You Can Do

Support dairy farms that monitor and report transition disease rates
Learn about the welfare science of transition cow management
Advocate for transition period management to be included in dairy welfare assessments
Choose dairy products from farms with demonstrably good herd health indicators