As dairy farmers move into the winter housing period, effective nutrition planning and herd management are becoming increasingly important for maintaining animal health, milk production and reproductive performance. With spring-calving dairy herds returning indoors and fodder shortages affecting some regions, farmers are being encouraged to focus on heifer development, dry cow nutrition and late-lactation management.
According to independent ruminant nutritionist Brian Reidy of Premier Farm Nutrition, the transition into winter requires careful attention to grazing management, forage quality and balanced dietary supplementation. Although settled weather conditions may allow grazing to continue in some areas, farmers need to avoid excessive grazing that could leave pastures with insufficient closing cover and delay turnout the following spring.
With November marking an important transition in dairy farming systems, three areas require particular attention to ensure cows and replacement heifers remain in good condition throughout the winter.
Heifer Nutrition: Building Strong Replacement Dairy Cows
Proper heifer development is essential for improving future herd productivity. Well-grown replacement heifers enter their first lactation with better body development, allowing them to balance milk production, body condition maintenance and reproductive performance more efficiently.
During the winter housing period, heifers require sufficient protein and digestible fibre to support skeletal and frame development. An imbalance between protein and energy can result in excessive fat deposition rather than the desired structural growth.
Reidy recommends maintaining a diet containing approximately 16% crude protein on a dry matter basis throughout the winter. Since many grass silages this year contain relatively low protein levels, generally between 10% and 13%, concentrates may need to provide additional protein.
Where concentrates are supplied at approximately 1.5–2 kg per animal per day, a formulation containing 19%–20% protein can help complement lower-protein silage. The target should be to achieve more than 0.8 kg of daily liveweight gain while prioritising frame development rather than weight gain alone.
Farmers should also identify underdeveloped replacement heifers early in the housing period and consider separating them into groups with adjusted feeding programmes. This allows animals to achieve appropriate growth targets before the breeding season.
Dry Cow Management: Preparing for the Next Lactation
Dry cow management is another major priority as spring-calving herds approach the dry period. The objective is to maintain body condition, support calf development and prepare cows for a smooth transition into their next lactation.
Reidy recommends drying off cows at a body condition score of approximately 2.75–3.0, helping avoid the need for substantial body condition adjustments during the dry period.
A balanced dry cow diet should provide adequate energy and protein to maintain body condition, support mammary tissue development and meet the nutritional requirements of the developing calf.
Mineral supplementation is particularly important during this stage because mineral imbalances can contribute to metabolic disorders around calving. Testing grass silage for mineral composition can help farmers identify deficiencies and potential mineral antagonists that interfere with nutrient absorption.
Pre-calving concentrate supplementation can also help prepare the rumen microbial population for the higher-energy diet required during lactation, supporting a smoother nutritional transition after calving.
Protein supply deserves particular attention. Low-protein silage may affect colostrum production and quality, potentially compromising the transfer of antibodies to newborn calves. Appropriate protein supplementation during the weeks before calving can therefore support both cow and calf health.
Late Lactation: Maintaining Body Condition and Milk Quality
Nutrition during the final weeks of lactation can significantly influence a cow’s body condition before drying off. Thin cows may benefit from increased supplementation during late lactation, allowing them to regain condition while they are still producing milk.
Improving dietary supplementation can also help maintain milk yield and quality, potentially supporting better milk returns until drying off.
Later-calving cows that remain in milk throughout the winter may require a higher plane of nutrition to sustain production. Their feeding programmes should be adjusted according to expected milk yield, body condition and forage quality.
Silage analysis is particularly important when formulating late-lactation diets. Poor-quality second-cut silage may require additional supplementation to maintain animal performance and prevent excessive body condition loss.
Farmers should also monitor lameness as cows return indoors, as mobility problems during winter can affect subsequent production and reproductive performance. Adequate access to clean drinking water is equally important, particularly when animals are consuming dry silage.
Winter Nutrition Planning Is Essential for Herd Performance
The recommendations highlight the importance of managing dairy cow nutrition throughout different stages of the production cycle rather than relying on a single feeding strategy.
From developing replacement heifers to preparing dry cows for calving and maintaining late-lactation performance, balanced nutrition and regular monitoring can help farmers improve herd health and productivity.
With forage quality varying between farms, silage testing, appropriate concentrate formulation and individual animal assessment remain essential tools for effective winter dairy management.
As the industry moves towards the next spring-calving season, proactive winter feeding strategies will play an important role in supporting milk production, reproductive efficiency and long-term dairy herd performance.
The recommendations are based on insights from Brian Reidy, independent ruminant nutritionist at Premier Farm Nutrition, whose column appears in the Farming Examiner.
