Dry period
The rest of several weeks before calving when a cow is not milked.
Also: drying off, dry cow
The dry period is the gap, usually six to eight weeks, between the end of one lactation and the next calving. Milking stops, the udder shrinks and its tissue renews itself ready for the next lactation, and the cow's feed can be matched to the needs of the growing calf. Dry cows are often kept in a separate group, sometimes at pasture. Farmers watch them closely, since udder infections and metabolic troubles such as milk fever tend to appear around the end of the dry period and the start of the next lactation. A cow given too short a dry period usually gives less milk afterwards.