Survey of Nutritional Management Practices and Metabolic Disorders in West Virginia Dairy Herds

Abstract

Sixteen farmers, representing three major dairy counties in West Virginia, were interviewed to determine current dairy management practices. Herd health records were used to determine the incidence of metabolic and digestive disorders. All feedstuffs used on these farms were sampled for chemical analyses. The total number of cows on the 16 farms surveyed was 1870 with an average herd size of 117 and 6387 kg milk produced per cow per year. Fourteen of the 16 farmers used forage testing services, obtained professional advice on feeding and nutrition, and attempted to feed according to production. Eleven of sixteen farmers increased grain 2 weeks prior to calving and all gradually adjusted the intake of grain to cows recently freshened. Ration imbalance problems included both excesses and deficiencies of energy, protein, phosphorus, and calcium. Excess calcium, phosphorous, and crude protein were correlated (P