Products & Services

Dry Cows

 Start Her Right, Keep Her Healthy

You can rely on Floradale's commitment to provide quality feeds and service to meet the needs of your pre-fresh animals.  From 'far away' to 'close up' dry cows; one or two groups; from conventional, dietary cation anion difference (DCAD), low calcium and/or high straw feeding options, we offer a full line of products and programs to help maximize your bottom line.

Pre-fresh objectives  
The recommended dry period between lactations is 45-60 days.  This provides a period of rest and regeneration for the cow, and in particular her mammary gland.  The 'far away' dry cow feeding program should control energy intake to minimize changes in body weight and condition.  The 'close up' dry cow feeding program (typically the last 2-4 weeks prior to calving) should prepare the cow/heifer and her rumnen microflora for parturition and the onset of lactation.

Dry cow grouping strategies, feeding options
A two-step/two group dry cow feeding program generally means that 'far away' and 'close up' animals are kept separate and fed different diets.

For 'far away' dry cows, FFM Dry Cow Premix and good quality roughages are always a good fit.  For 'close up' dry cows/heifers, we offer a variety of feeding options for pre-fresh animals. 

Prestart Dry Cow Supplement is an economical and palatable blend of proteins, minerals, vitamins and yeast in a pelleted form that is fed to prepartum cows and heifers. In a two group dry cow feeding program, Prestart can be fed to the ‘close-up’ group for approximately 21 days prior to calving. It is available either plain or medicated with Rumensin and may be top-dressed or mixed into a Total Mixed Ration (TMR).

Excel Dry Cow Supplement is a palatable blend using anionic products to acidify the diet is a negative DCAD option.

CalStart-X 31% Dry Cow Supplement is a palatable blend of proteins, minerals, vitamins, yeast and X-Zelit in a pelleted form that is fed to prepartum cows and heifers in the ‘close up’ dry cow period (approximately 14-21 days prior to calving). It is available either plain or medicated with Rumensin ® and may be top-dressed or mixed into a Total Mixed Ration (TMR). When fed with good quality roughages in a prescribed nutritionally balanced program, it is designed to prepare cows and heifers for calving and the onset of lactation. 
CalStart-X 31% Dry Cow Supplement now contains X-Zelit (Sodium Aluminosilicate), so you no longer need to feed it separately. X-Zelit stimulates optimal calcium balance around calving.

A one-step / one group dry cow feeding program generally means that 'far away' and 'close up' animals are grouped together and fed the same diet from 'day of dry off' to 'day of calving'.  A high straw/low energy diet using FFM Dry Cow Premix with protein commodities is an example of this approach.

All of these feeding options can be customized (if needed) and offered as component-fed or total mixed rations (TMR).

For more detailed feeding and management guidelines or to discuss which option is best suited to your dairy operation, please contact your Floradale Feed Mill Limited representative.