Promoting Dairy Cow Gut Health During Summer Heat

Livestock experts continue to stress the importance of gut health, especially for cows looking to calf. But that can be challenging during the summer.

Dr. Katie Bradley, Dairy Adult Cow Research and Development Leader at Purina Animal Nutrition, says heat stress this time of year is another stressor on top of everything impacting your transition cow. She said it’s vital producers think about what strategies they are going to execute over the next couple of months.

“We can do things like make it even more nutrient dense of the diet, but it's also a lot of management, making sure that the cows comfortable that she has adequate bedding, that she has fans and sprinklers on her, to help her manage that heat load and really manage through that extra challenge.”

We've Got To Let The Bugs Do Their Job

Dr. Kevin Dill, Director of Dairy Technical Innovation at Purina Animal Nutrition, added heat stress will impact rumen inefficiency, which he stressed will have a negative impact on the microbial population.

“Which results in fewer nutrients being available to support those animals needs," Dill noted. "So, I think it's important to remember when we talk about the requirements for these animals, we're really talking about getting those nutrients from the fermentation in rumen of the diet that we put in front of that animal, and then post rumenly, we'll get absorption of additional nutrients from that diet. So, the gut health is about the bugs and we've got to feed and manage those animals to allow those bugs to do their job.”

Photo: Glenn Vaagen