Eureka! Institutional Repository

The research and the presentation of the subject of the dry period of the cows is the center of the present dissertation. The paper begins with a general mention to the cow as animal. Firstly, we present the elements that define the cow and differentiate her as an animal, while making in this first part also a reference to her genealogical tree. Special emphasis is placed upon the pregnancy of the cow because during this period the cow begins with the milk production in order to cover the nutritional needs of the embryo. Furthermore, during the last two months of the pregnancy, namely from the seventh until the ninth month, the dry period, which is the central topic of this paper, takes place. After the reference to the pregnancy, we analyze the use of the animal by the industry in order to cover the nutritional needs of humans. In addition, there is also an emphasis placed upon the milk production of the cow. More specifically, the phases of the milk period of the animal and the special features of each phase are analyzed. In the same chapter there is an allusion to the special techniques that prove beneficial for the best performance of the animal, in order to achieve the biggest milk production possible. In the next chapter there are also some comments about the use of the cows from the Greek cow-nurturing companies and the Greek dairy production market. Having shown the importance of the pregnancy for the milk production of the cow, the paper moves on with the next chapter which underlines the specific nutrition that should be followed by the cow during her pregnancy. There is a specific reference to the substances and the nourishing elements that the cow should intake in order to achieve the largest milk production performance, while we don’t omit to mention all those elements whose presence either on a redundant or a deficit grade can prove harmful not only for the milk production of the animal but also for its health. After that follows a mention to the illnesses that can infect a cow’s organism during her pregnancy and to the safety measures that have to be taken for the prevention of these illnesses. The last part of the dissertation is focused on the dry period of the cow. At first, the effect that this period has on the milk production of the cow is mentioned, an effect that concerns not only this specific period, but also the next, affecting the amount of milk production. Moreover, the chapter focuses on the consequences of the dry period for the cow’s health and ends referring to the ways with which people have to handle this period in order to best confront its consequences to the organism and the milk production of the animal. The dissertation finishes by summarizing the conclusions to which it comes.