Dry Period
Cows & Buffaloes
Drying Off a Cow — The Last Milking Week Done Right
Updated 06 Oct 2026 • By Falah Nutrition Desk, Animal Nutrition Advisor
Every cow needs about two months without milking before she calves again, and how you take her from milking to dry decides whether the dry period heals her udder or infects it. Done right, drying off takes one careful week. Done carelessly, it is the week mastitis gets in.
Common Signs
- A cow still giving 6-8 litres a day two months before her due date
- Udder tight, dripping or leaking in the days after milking stops
- A swollen, hot quarter in the first fortnight of the dry period
- Cows that calve with a hard or uneven udder after a sloppy dry-off
- Milk fever or a weak start next lactation after an unplanned, too-short dry period
Possible Causes
- Milking continued too long, leaving less than 45 days dry
- Gradual drying over weeks keeps the udder half-active and the teat canal open longer
- Teats not dipped after the final milking, leaving the canal open to bacteria
- Full lactation ration continued, so milk production refuses to stop
- Dirty, wet bedding in the first dry days when the teat canal has not yet sealed
What the Farmer Should Check
- Count back: is the planned dry-off date 60 days before the expected calving?
- In the final week, has the concentrate been cut and green fodder reduced to bring yield under 5 litres?
- Was the final milking complete, followed by a teat dip and any dry-cow treatment your vet prescribed?
- Is the cow in a clean, dry pen and checked twice a day for a hot or swollen quarter in the first two weeks?
- Is the dry-period ration (not the milking ration) started straight after the last milking?
Feed Guidance
The drying-off week is a feed-down week: stop concentrate, limit lush green fodder and let the cow fill up on dry fodder and water so yield falls below about 5 litres, then stop milking completely rather than skipping days. Once dry, she moves to a true dry-cow ration — GOKA Dry Feed with good roughage keeps her and the calf growing without pushing milk. From 21 days before calving, GOKA Transition −21 prepares the rumen and the body for the next lactation. Use the feed calculator to set the dry-cow quantity for her weight rather than guessing from the old milking amount.
Relevant GOKA Products
Pregnant Cows & Buffaloes (Dry Stage)
Healthy dry period, trouble-free calving
Pregnant Cows & Buffaloes
20 days of feeding, 300 days of benefits
When to Contact a Veterinary Doctor
Ask your veterinary doctor about dry-cow treatment or teat sealant at the final milking, especially for a cow with a mastitis history. A hot, swollen quarter during the dry period is an emergency, not something to wait out.
Get Feed Guidance from Falah Enterprises
Free, personal guidance for your animal - tell us the details on WhatsApp or call us.