New ways of drying off: experiences with AHV StopLac

Drying off dairy cows presents many farms with challenges: the transition from lactation to dry-off must be smooth to avoid stress for the animals and maintain their health. Cows with high milk yields in particular need targeted support to minimize udder pressure and milk loss. Reiner and Rita Hauschild from Germany, who have been working with AHV since 2021, tried StopLac – with convincing results.

Successful practical application on a dairy farm

The 200-cow Hauschild farm has been using AHV StopLac since August 2024 to optimize dry-off. The cows are milked in the milking parlor. Since the introduction of StopLac, there is no need to change groups or feed before dry-off. It is also not necessary to suspend milking times. This saves the cows a lot of stress.

“The more milk a cow produces, the longer the udder pressure and involution phase takes,” explains Rita Hauschild. ‘A cow producing 36 liters of milk used to need about five to seven days for the udder to become completely empty and soft.’

Less milk loss, better health during dry-off

Using StopLac has brought several advantages: daily group changes are no longer necessary, and, most importantly, no cow leaked milk – a common problem when drying off. “StopLac helps us enormously to make the dry period stress-free and to stabilize udder health,” reports Hauschild.

Another advantage is the constant feed intake: the cows maintain their usual feeding frequency, which ensures a balanced energy supply in the transition phase. This supports regeneration and optimally prepares the animals for the next lactation.

StopLac: where science meets practice

AHV StopLac has been specially developed to temporarily reduce milk production, relieve udder pressure and ease the transition to the dry period. By adjusting rumen fermentation, it minimizes stress and promotes metabolic stability.

It is easy for the farm to use, as Rita Hauschild explains: “We dry our cows as usual, either with antibiotics or just with a sealant. The cows are put into the dry cow shed and we give 4 StopLac boluses with the AHV applicator no later than 1 hour after the last milking. After that, we leave these cows at the feed barrier for about half an hour so that they eat something straight away. The next day, there is a slight oniony smell in the shed,” notes the farm manager.

The impression with individual animals with a very high milk yield when drying off: “After calving, the milk yield in these animals sometimes increases a little more slowly. However, they make up for it later or even produce more milk. I don’t think that’s such a bad thing, because the cows don’t fall into an energy hole after calving,” says the dairy farmer.

Particularly encouraging: even cows with high milk yields went through the dry period without any health setbacks.

Conclusion: StopLac comes highly recommended

“With StopLac, we were able to significantly optimize the dry period,” summarizes Rita Hauschild. ”Our cows mastered the dry period without any problems, there was no uncontrolled milk loss, and the animals had a stable start into the next lactation. The cell count is no worse than in cows without StopLac. StopLac is a real innovation, especially for farms with high milk yields.”

StopLac is now available for purchase. Contact your local AHV Farm Advisor for more information today!