Journal of Dairy Science Flashcards
Invited review: Assessment of reserves in relation to insulin sensitivity and metabolic phenotyping in dairy cows body condition score and body fat
Ghaffari et al., 2023
- The mass of subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue (AT) changes significantly during the transition period; however, metabolism and intensity of lipolysis differ between subcutaneous and visceral AT depots of dairy cows.
- Several studies have shown that AT insulin resistance develops during the prepartum period, especially in overconditioned cows.
- We discuss the role of AT lipolysis, fatty acid oxidation, mitochondrial function, acylcarnitines, and lipid insulin antagonists, including ceramide and glycerophospholipids, in cows with different body condition scoring.
- Nonoptimal body conditions (under- or overconditioned cows) exhibit marked abnormalities in metabolic and endocrine function.
- Overall, reducing the number of cows with nonoptimal body conditions in herds seems to be the most practical solution to improve profitability, and dairy farmers should adjust their management practices accordingly
Invited review: Muscle protein breakdown and its assessment in periparturient dairy cows
Sadri et al., 2023
*Mobilization of body reserves including fat, protein, and glycogen is necessary to overcome phases of negative nutrient balance typical for high-yielding dairy cows during the periparturient period
*The functional integrity and quality of skeletal muscle are maintained through a constant turnover of protein, resulting from both protein breakdown and protein synthesis.
* Based on animal models and human studies, it is now evident that MPB occurs via the integration of 3 main systems:
o autophagy-lysosomal,
o calpain Ca2+-dependent cysteine proteases,
o and the ubiquitin-proteasome system
* Available information on the direct measures of MPB primarily comes from stable isotopic tracer methods and those of indirect measurements from assessing expression and activity measures of the components of the 3 MPB systems in muscle biopsy samples.
* Other indirect approaches (i.e., potential indicators of MPB), including ultrasound imaging and measuring metabolites from muscle degradation (i.e., 3-methylhistidine and creatinine), seem to be applicable methods and can provide useful information about the extent and timing of MPB.
Effect of Vit D source and amount on vit d status and response to endotoxin challenge
Blakely et al., 2023
- Supplementing vitamin D increased concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in serum compared with CON, but the increment was greater for CAL compared with CHOL
- Feeding CAL also increased serum Ca and P compared with CHOL
- Supplementing vitamin D increased plasma P concentrations post-LPS challenge compared with CON, but plasma concentrations of Ca, Mg, fatty acids, glucose, β-hydroxybutyrate, haptoglobin, tumor necrosis factor-α, and antioxidant potential did not differ among treatments post-LPS challenge.
- Last, supplementing vitamin D increased granulocytes as a percentage of blood leukocytes post-LPS challenge compared with CON.
- Supplementing CAL as a source of vitamin D to dairy calves was more effective at increasing serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, Ca, and P concentrations compared with feeding CHOL
A meta-analysis of effects of 3-nitrooxypropanol on methane production, yield, and intensity in dairy cattle
Kebreab et al., 2023
- Models including only 3-NOP dose resulted in a significant reduction of 32.7%, 30.9%, and 32.6% for CH4 production (g/d), yield (g/kg dry matter intake), and intensity (g/kg energy-corrected milk), respectively, at an average 3-NOP dose of 70.5 mg/kg dry matter (DM).
- The greater the NDF content in the diet, the lower the reduction efficiency for a given 3-NOP dose. For 10 g/kg DM increase in NDF content from its mean (329 g of NDF/kg of DM):
1. the 3-NOP effect on CH4 production (g/d) was impaired by 0.633%,
2. the 3-NOP effect on CH4 yield (g/kg dry matter intake) by 0.647%,
3. and the 3-NOP effect on CH4 intensity (g/kg energy-corrected milk) by 0.723%. - The analysis based on leave-one-out cross validation showed an increase in NDF and crude fat content reduces efficacy of 3-NOP and an increase in 3-NOP dose increases efficacy.
1. A 1% (10 g/kg) DM decrease in dietary NDF content from its mean may increase the efficacy of 3-NOP in reducing CH4 production by 0.915%.
2. A 1% (10 g/kg DM) decrease in dietary crude fat content from its mean enhances the efficacy of 3-NOP on CH4 production by 3.080% at a given dose and NDF level.
The effect of 3-NOP dose on CH4 intensity was similar to its effect on CH4 production, whereas the effect of dietary NDF content was slightly lower. Expanding the previously published models with the newly available data published from trials since then improved model performance, hence demonstrating the value of regularly updating meta-analyses if a wider range of data becomes available.
Effect of source and amount of vitamin D on serum concentrations and retention of calcium,
magnesium, and phosphorus in dairy cows
Poindexter et al., 2023
- Feeding 3 mg compared with 1 mg of CAL (calcidiol) increased serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (CAL1 = 94 vs. CAL3 = 173 ± 3 ng/mL).
- In comparison, the increment in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 from feeding 3 mg compared with 1 mg of CHOL (cholecaldiferol) was small (CHOL1 = 58 vs. CHOL3 = 64 ± 3 ng/mL).
- Feeding CAL increased prepartum concentration of P in serum compared with CHOL (CHOL = 1.87 vs. CAL = 2.01 ± 0.02 mM), regardless of the amount fed, but neither source nor amount affected prepartum Ca or Mg in serum.
- Feeding CAL increased prepartum apparent digestibility of Ca compared with CHOL (CHOL = 26.6 vs. CAL = 33.5 ± 2.8%) but treatments did not affect Ca retention prepartum.
- Neither source nor amount of vitamin D affected Mg and P apparent digestibility, but CAL decreased the concentration of P excreted in urine during the prepartum period (CHOL = 1.8 vs. CAL = 0.8 ± 0.3 g/d).
- Calcidiol tended to increase the amount of Ca secreted in colostrum (CHOL = 9.1 vs. CAL = 11.2 ± 0.9 g/d) and Ca excreted in urine postpartum (CHOL = 0.4 vs. CAL = 0.6 ± 0.1 g/d) compared with CHOL.
- Collectively, feeding CAL at 1 or 3 mg/d compared with CHOL in the last 24 d of gestation is an effective way to increase periparturient serum P concentration and postpartum serum Ca of dairy cows fed a prepartum diet with negative DCAD
Effect of prepartum source and amount of vitamin D supplementation on lactation performance of dairy cows
Poindexter et al., 2023
- Incidence of postpartum diseases did not differ among treatments.
- Feeding CAL (Calcidiol) compared with CHOL (Cholecalciferol) increased yields of colostrum and colostrum fat, protein, and total solids, resulting in an increased amount of net energy for lactation secreted as colostrum (CHOL = 7.0 vs. CAL = 9.0 ± 0.7 Mcal).
- CAL3 increased milk yield compared with CHOL3 (CHOL3 = 34.1 vs. CAL3 = 38.7 ± 1.4 kg/d) but milk yield did not differ between CAL1 and CHOL1 (CHOL1 = 36.9 vs. CAL1 = 36.4 ± 1.4 kg/d).
- the percentage of cows receiving CHOL1 and CAL3 that became pregnant was smaller than that of cows receiving CHOL3 and CAL1. However, pregnancy per AI and pregnancy by 300 d in milk did not differ among treatments.
- Overall, CAL3 increased milk yield compared with CHOL3, whereas in cows fed 1 mg/d (CAL1 and CHOL1), the source of vitamin D generally had no effect.
Production, physiological response, and calcium and magnesium balance of lactating Holstein cows fed different sources of supplemental magnesium with or without ruminal buffer
Lobo et al., 2023
- Mg source and buffer affected DM intake and feed efficiency;
o cows fed CaMg(OH)2 had a similar feed efficiency regardless of ruminal buffer inclusion;
o however, when cows were fed MgO, the inclusion of buffer reduced feed efficiency. - No effects on body weight and milk yield were observed.
- Buffer addition tended to increase the concentrations of fat, protein, and solids-not-fat, without affecting the yields of these milk components.
- Magnesium source and buffer did not affect ruminal fluid, blood, urine, or fecal pH; however, buffer supplementation increased urinary pH.
- Treatment with CaMg(OH)2 increased blood concentration of HCO3−, total CO2, and base excess compared with cows fed MgO.
- In summary, we provide evidence that CaMg(OH)2 could replace MgO without affecting performance, overall physiological response, or Ca and Mg balance of mid-lactating dairy Holstein cows.
Methods for detecting heat stress in hutch-housed dairy calves in a continental climate
Dado-Senn et al., 2023
- There were strong, positive correlations between animal-based indicators and Tdb (dry bulb temperature) or THI1–8, with the strongest association observed between unshaved skin temperature and Tdb (r = 0.80).
- The threshold at which RR and RT began to rise was at a THI of 69 for both or at a Tdb of 21.0 or 21.5°C, respectively.
- Together, these outcomes indicate that Tdb is an appropriate measurement to detect thermal discomfort for calves in a temperate summer climate and individual hutch housing.
- Monitoring of calves is warranted before ambient temperature reaches 21.0°C, corresponding to RR of 40 breaths per minute and RT of 38.5°C, to promote calf comfort and reduce the risk of hyperthermia-related welfare and productivity consequences.
Grazing season length and stocking rate affect milk production and supplementary feed requirements of spring-calving dairy cows on marginal soils
Cahill et al., 2023
- Neither grazing season nor stocking rate had a significant effect on daily or cumulative lactation milk and fat plus protein production per cow (5,039 and ±440 kg, respectively).
- Increasing SR resulted in increased milk fat plus protein yield per hectare based on increased grazed pasture utilization.
- These results add further credence to the important additive contributions of both extended grazing and SR intensification to achieve high levels of grazed pasture utilization and milk production per hectare while reducing supplementary feed requirements within spring-calving grazing systems
Comparison of 2 types of milk flow meters for detecting bimodality in dairy cows
Wieland & Sitka, 2023
- Good agreement between bimodality detected by the on-farm milk flow meter and BIMLC.
- Using BIMLC as the gold standard, diagnostic test statistics for bimodality detected by the on-farm milk flow meter indicated
o Sensitivity [0.73 (0.54–0.86)]
o Positive predictive value [0.83 (0.63–0.93)],
o Specificity [0.94 (0.85–0.98)],
o Negative predictive value [0.90 (0.81–0.95)].
Farm-level risk factors for digital dermatitis in dairy cows in mountainous regions
Weber et al., 2023
- Results of model 1 (i.e., aspects related to BDD introduction) revealed that access to mountain pastures during the summer season (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval: 0.12, 0.04–0.35), participation in dairy shows (0.32, 0.11–0.94), and the number of new animals introduced into the farm during the last 2 yr (1.28, 1.12–1.52) were significantly associated with the occurrence of BDD.
- Model 2 (i.e., aspects related to BDD establishment) showed that cows kept in freestalls were at higher risk for BDD compared with those kept in tiestalls (20.65, 1.59–649.37). Furthermore, number of days between diagnosis and treatment of a BDD lesion (10.31, 3.55–81.21) and the amount of concentrate feeding (median 5 kg) per cow and day (7.72, 2.46–6.47) were positively associated with BDD occurrence.
Phenotypic analysis of heat stress in Holsteins using test-day production records and NASA POWER meteorological data
Rockett et al., 2023
o The results showed that average, minima, and maxima ambient temperature and dewpoint temperature as well as 4 different types of temperature-humidity index (THI) values from NASA POWER were highly correlated to the corresponding values from weather stations (regression R2 > 0.80).
o However, the NASA POWER values for the daily average, minima, and maxima wind speed and relative humidity were poorly correlated to the corresponding weather station values (regression R2 = 0.10 to 0.49).
3 THI thresholds for milk yield, 1 for fat yield, and 2 for protein yield. All thresholds marked a change in rate of decrease in production yield per unit THI, except for the first milk yield threshold, which marked a greater rate of increase.
o The first thresholds for milk yield ranged between 47 and 50, the second thresholds ranged between 61 and 69, and the third thresholds ranged between 72 and 76 THI units.
o The single THI threshold for fat yield ranged between 48 and 55 THI units.
o Finally, the first and second thresholds ranged between 58 and 62 THI units and 72 and 73 THI units for protein yield, respectively.
A genomic assessment of the correlation between milk production traits and claw and udder health traits in Holstein dairy cattle
Schneider et al., 2023
- The heritability on the liability scale of the disease traits was low, between 0.02 for laminitis and 0.19 for interdigital hyperplasia. The heritabilities for milk production traits were higher (between 0.27 for milk energy yield and 0.48 for fat-protein ratio).
Most of these estimates were not significantly different from zero, only mastitis showed a positive one to milk (0.18) and milk energy yield (0.13), as well as a negative one to fat-protein ratio (-0.07).
he genomic analysis revealed significant SNPs for milk production traits that were enriched on Bos taurus autosome 5, 6, and 14. For digital dermatitis, we found significant hits, predominantly on Bos taurus autosome 5, 10, 22, and 23, whereas we did not find significantly trait-associated SNPs for the other disease traits.
This detailed investigation of genetic correlations reveals additional knowledge about the localization of regions with shared genetic effects on these trait complexes, which in turn enables a better understanding of the underlying biological pathways and putatively the utilization for a more precise design of breeding schemes.
Feeding behaviors collected from automated milk feeders were associated with disease in grouphoused
dairy calves in the Upper Midwest United States
Perttu et al., 2023
- Total milk intake (mL/d), drinking speed (mL/min), interval between visits (min) to the AMF, calf age (d), and rewarded visits were significantly associated with dairy calf health status.
- These results indicate that as total milk intake and drinking speed increased, the risk of calves being sick decreased. In contrast, as the interval between visits and age increased, the risk of calves being sick also increased.
Feeding behaviors collected from automated milk feeders were associated with disease in grouphoused
dairy calves in the Upper Midwest United States
Perttu et al., 2023
- Total milk intake (mL/d), drinking speed (mL/min), interval between visits (min) to the AMF, calf age (d), and rewarded visits were significantly associated with dairy calf health status.
- These results indicate that as total milk intake and drinking speed increased, the risk of calves being sick decreased. In contrast, as the interval between visits and age increased, the risk of calves being sick also increased.
- This study suggests that AMF data may be a useful screening tool for detecting disease in dairy calves.
Modeling the economic impacts of mobility scores in dairy cows under Irish spring
pasture-based management
O´Connor et al., 2023
- The analysis showed that a 17% decrease in farm net profit was achieved in the worst outcome (wherein just 5% of the herd had optimal mobility) compared with the perfect herd
This was due to reduced milk yield, increased culling, and increased treatment costs for mobility issues compared the ideal scenario.
Pegbovigrastim treatment resulted in an economic benefit in a large randomized clinical trial in grazing dairy cows
Barca et al., 2023
Overall, PEG treatment (first PEG dose 9.4 ± 0.3 days before the calving date and a second dose within 24 hours after calving ) increased the partial net return, resulting in an economic benefit per cow per year of $210 ± 100.
* The cost of treatment of clinical mastitis was lower for PEG treated cows compared with control cows ($9 ± 3). The largest nonsignificant difference was seen for the cost of culling; additionally, PEG treatment numerically reduced the cost of culling by $145 ± 77.
Transition cow nutrition and management strategies of dairy herds in the northeastern United States: Part III—Associations of management and dietary factors with analytes, health, milk yield, and reproduction
Kerwin et al., 2023
- Our results indicate that pen- and herd-level management factors are associated with blood biomarkers, health, milk yield, and reproductive performance.
- For the prepartum period, our results support increasing the proportion of particles on the 19-mm sieve of the Penn State Particle Separator, optimizing bunk space, and not overfeeding metabolizable energy (ME), to decrease the prevalence of elevated postpartum NEFA, BHB, and Hp concentrations, decrease disorder incidence, maximize milk yield, and improve pregnancy risk to first service
- For the fresh period, our results generally support optimizing bunk space, avoiding commingling, increasing feeding frequency, avoiding high physically effective undigested neutral detergent fiber (NDF) after 240 h of in vitro fermentation and high total fermentable carbohydrate diets while optimizing the inclusion of forage NDF, and ensuring adequate diet ME and metabolizable protein to reduce the prevalence of elevated postpartum NEFA, BHB, and Hp concentrations, minimize disorder incidence, maximize milk yield, and improve pregnancy risk to first service.
- At the herd level, our results generally support not vaccinating in the calving pen, minimizing the number of prepartum and postpartum pen moves, and avoiding long stays in the calving pen after parturition to reduce the prevalence of elevated biomarker concentrations, decrease disorder incidence, increase milk yield, and improve reproductive performance.
Selective treatment of nonsevere clinical mastitis does not adversely affect cure, somatic cell count,
milk yield, recurrence, or culling: Meta-analysis
De Jong et al., 2023
Selective CM treatment protocol was not inferior to blanket CM treatment protocol for the outcome bacteriological cure.
In conclusion, this review supported the assertion that a selective CM treatment protocol can be adopted without adversely influencing bacteriological and clinical cure, somatic cell count, milk yield, and incidence of recurrence or culling.
Feeding behavior in relation to ovarian cyclicity in cows with no or a short dry period
De Bruijn et al., 2023
- Cows with a 30-d DP prepartum, regardless of their OLA class, had more visits per meal, higher meal duration, total meal time, total daily feeding time, and lower feed intake and feeding rate compared with cows with 0-d DP.
- During the first 2 d postpartum, cows with OLA (onset of luteal activity) <21 had more visits per day and visits per meal compared with cows with OLA ≥21.
- During the first 3 wk postpartum, cows within the 30-d DP group with OLA <21 had greater meal size, feed intake, and feeding rate compared with cows with OLA ≥21 of this group.
- Cows within the 0-d DP group with OLA <21 had higher meal duration, total daily meal time, total daily feeding time, and meal size, but a lower feeding rate compared with cows with OLA ≥21 of this group
- Concluding from the current study, cows with OLA <21 had a postpartum FB that reflected a cow with faster recovery from parturition and better adaptation to onset of lactation compared with OLA ≥21.* No or a short DP affected prepartum FB, suggesting that prepartum management affects FB.
Methods used by Canadian dairy farmers for on-farm euthanasia and the emotions associated with the decision and the practice of euthanasia
Denis-Robichaud et al., 2023
- The most commonly used primary method of on-farm euthanasia was a firearm (>70%).
- Unacceptable euthanasia methods, such as standard 0.22-caliber long rifle for adult cows or no adjunct method following the use of captive bolt, were used by 25%, 18%, and 58% of the participants for calves, replacement animals, and dairy cows, respectively.
- Ninety-four percent of the participants reported that the farm owner was the person who always or often made the euthanasia decisions.
- In addition, 32% of the participants reported that the veterinarian always examined the animal before performing euthanasia, 51% reported at least one person received training to perform euthanasia, and 16% reported having a decision tree for euthanasia.
- Some participants (17%) were troubled with the responsibility for ending the life of their animals, and 19% perceived other people on the farm to be uncomfortable with performing euthanasia.
- Half of the participants reported that people performing euthanasia on the farm felt at least one related painful emotion or complex feeling, and half reported they had at least one reason to feel anxiety or unease concerning euthanasia.
Management practices associated with Johne’s bulk tank milk ELISA positivity
Imada et al., 2023
- We demonstrated that management of the maternity area is an important factor in the control of Johne’s disease. Although it is believed that the highest risk group for JD infection is calves under 6 mo, the cleanliness scores of older heifers and their exposure to mature cow manure was significantly associated with JD control; farms with highly contaminated weaned and bred heifers and those that had exposure to mature cow manure were more likely to be unsuccessful in their JD control efforts.
Evaluation of reticuloruminal temperature for the prediction of clinical mastitis in dairy cows challenged with Streptococcus uberis
Rodriguez et al., 2023
- Alerts based on RRT had a sensitivity of 70.0% (95% CI: 50.6, 85.3) and a specificity of 86.7% (95% CI: 69.3, 96.2).
- The accuracy of CM for a given severity score was 90.9% (95% CI: 70.8, 98.9) for mild cases, 85.2% (95% CI: 72.9, 93.4) for moderate cases, and 92.9% (95% CI: 66.1, 99.8) for severe cases.
- Test characteristics of the RRT alerts to predict initial signs of CM improved substantially after bacterial count in the challenged quarter reached 5.0 log10 cfu/mL, reaching a sensitivity of 73.5% (95% CI: 55.6, 87.1) and a specificity of 87.5% (95% CI: 71.0, 96.5).
- Overall, the results of this study indicated that RRT was affected by the intramammary challenge with Strep. uberis and the RRT-generated alerts had similar accuracy as reported for other sensors and algorithms. Further research that includes natural infections with other pathogens as well as different variations in RRT to determine CM status is warranted.
Histological tissue structure alterations resulting from Staphylococcus aureus intramammary infection in heifer mammary glands hormonally induced to rapidly grow and develop
Baker et al., 2023
- Results indicate that IMI in growing and developing mammary glands reduces mammary epithelial growth and alters mammary gland development by impairing epithelial branching into the mammary fat pad.
Antimicrobial activities of polyhexamethylene biguanide against biofilm-producing Prototheca bovis
causing bovine mastitis
Fidelis et al., 2023
- We observed that PHMB (MIC90: ≥2 µg/mL and MAC90: ≥4 µg/mL) and chlorhexidine gluconate (MIC90 and MAC90: ≥2 µg/mL) presented the highest antimicrobial activity against P. bovis isolates, followed by sodium dichloroisocyanurate (MIC90 and MAC90: ≥1,400 µg/mL), sodium hypochlorite (MIC90 and MAC90: ≥2,800 µg/mL), and povidone-iodine (MIC90 and MAC90: ≥3,200 µg/mL).
- Concerning P. blaschkeae isolates, PHMB (MIC and MAC ≥1 µg/mL) and chlorhexidine gluconate (MIC and MAC ≥1 µg/mL) were the disinfectants that presented the lowest concentration values required to inhibit the isolates.
- These findings suggest that PHMB has the potential to be used for teat and milking-equipment disinfection for the prevention of mastitis-causing Prototheca spp. in dairy herds.
Effects of hindgut acidosis on metabolism, inflammation, and production in dairy cows consuming a standard lactation diet
Abeyta et al., 2023
- Despite minor changes in postabsorptive energetics and leukocyte dynamics, abomasal starch infusions and the subsequent hindgut acidosis had little or no meaningful effects on biomarkers of immune activation or production variables.
Effects of dietary antioxidant supplementation on metabolism and inflammatory biomarkers in heat-stressed dairy cows
Abeyta et al., 2023
o (1) thermoneutral (TN) conditions and fed a control diet (TN-CON; n = 8),
o (2) TN and fed a diet with AP (10 g antioxidant; n = 8),
o (3) heat stress (HS) and fed a control diet (HS-CON; n = 8), or
o (4) HS and fed a diet with AP (HS-AP; n = 8).
There were no effects of AP on body temperature indices or production.
* Circulating serum amyloid A tended to be and lipopolysaccharide binding protein was increased by HS, but neither acute-phase protein was affected by AP. Overall, AP supplementation appeared to marginally alter metabolism but did not meaningfully alter inflammation during HS.
Evaluation of feed restriction and abomasal infusion of resistant starch as models to induce intestinal barrier dysfunction in healthy lactating cows
Piantoni et al., 2023
- The lack of consistent responses in inflammatory biomarkers suggests that FR and abaomasal resistant starch did not meaningfully affect intestinal barrier function. Thus, future research evaluating the effects of hindgut acidosis and FR using more intense insults and direct metrics of intestinal barrier function is warranted.
Prepartum heat stress in dairy cows increases postpartum inflammatory responses in blood of lactating dairy cows
Molinari et al., 2023
- Although milk production was decreased in HS cows compared with CL cows, the incidence of uterine disease and content of total or pathogenic bacteria in vaginal mucus on d 7 or d 21 postpartum was not affected by treatment.
- Whole blood was collected on d 21 and subjected to in vitro stimulation with lipopolysaccharide. Lipopolysaccharide-induced accumulation of IL-1β, IL-10, and MIP-1α was greater in blood collected from HS cows compared with CL cows.
- Our results imply that prepartum HS during late pregnancy has carry-over effects on postpartum innate immunity, which may contribute to the increased incidence of uterine disease observed in cows exposed to prepartum HS.
Effect of animal activity and air temperature on heat production, heart rate, and oxygen pulse in lactating Holstein cows
Talmón et al., 2023
- Results showed that heat production and VO2 were linearly and positively associated with HR, but this relationship largely varied between individual cows.
Within the range tested, O2P (the oxygen pulse, which represents the amount of oxygen that is consumed by the cow per heartbeat) was unaffected by temperature, but we detected a tendency for an interaction of O2P with the temperature range tested during the night versus during the day. - Standing and eating slightly increased O2P (1.0 and 2.5%) compared with lying down and idling, respectively, whereas rumination increased O2P by 5.1% compared with idling.
- The energy cost of eating and ruminating over idling was 223 ± 11 and 45 ± 6 kJ/kg0.75 per day, respectively, whereas the energy cost of standing over lying down was 53 ± 6 kJ/kg0.75 per day.
- We concluded that O2P in dairy cows was slightly affected by both animal posture and activity, but remained unaffected by air temperature within 8 to 32°C.
- Nonlinearity of the relationship between the O2P and air temperature suggests that caution is required extrapolating O2P beyond the temperature range evaluated in our experiment.
Effects of combined addition of 3-nitrooxypropanol and vitamin B12 on methane and propionate production in dairy cows by in vitro-simulated fermentation
Liu et al., 2023
The combined addition of 3-NOP (inhibit methane, but increase hydrogen production) and vitamin B12 (increase proprionate production) significantly increased the concentration of propionate and reduced the concentration of acetate and the acetate to propionate ratio.
The results indicated that 3-NOP combined with vitamin B12 could alleviate rumen hydrogen emission and enhance the inhibition of methane emission compared with 3-NOP alone.
Novel functional mutation of the PDIA3 gene affects milk composition traits in Chinese Holstein cattle
Liu et al., 2023
Protein disulfide isomerase family A member 3 (PDIA3) plays a vital role in modulating various cell biological functions under physiological and pathological conditions
PDIA3 overexpression was also found to positively regulate the synthesis and secretion of alpha-casein, beta-casein, and kappa-casein, whereas knockdown of this gene showed the opposite effects.
Our findings revealed significant genetic effects of PDIA3 on milk composition traits, and the identified SNP and the haplotype block might be used as genetic markers for dairy cow selected breeding.
Cull cow carcass traits and risk of culling of Holstein cows and 3-breed rotational crossbred cows from Viking Red, Montbeliarde, and Holstein bulls
Piazza et al., 2023
Compared with HO, crossbred carcasses were 7 to 12% heavier depending on the breed of sire, were graded + 0.12 to + 0.28 units higher for fleshiness and + 0.26 to + 0.30 units higher for fatness and fetched an 8 to 11% higher price.
Compared with purebred HO, carcasses from crossbreds had 15 to 24% higher value ( euro 84 to euro 133 more per cow), with crossbred cows sired by MO showing the greatest values.
Compared with the HO cows, the crossbred cows had a 37% lower risk of being urgently removed from the herd, which raises welfare concerns and may reduce the salvage value of cull cows.
Because cull cows represent a supplemental source of income for dairy farmers, the greater overall value of crossbred cull cows should be taken into ac-count in evaluating the economic effectiveness of cross-schemes.
The effect of antibiotic versus no treatment at dry-off on udder health and milk yield in subsequent lactation: A retrospective analysis of Austrian health recording data from dairy herds
Sigmund et al., 2023
Overall, the abDCT group was determined to have a significantly higher milk yield over 305 d in milk in the subsequent lactation (increase of 6.18%), compared with the noDCT group (increase of 4.29%).
Both groups (abDCT and noDCT) demonstrated a decrease in the first SCC after calving compared with the SCC before dry-off, although the treated cows had a significantly higher reduction.
Regarding the different antibiotic groups, with exception of the rifaximin treated cows, all antibiotic groups showed a significant difference from not treated cows with respect to SCC.
Additionally, we were able to demonstrate that cows with IMI before dry-off had a 2.073 times higher chance of an increased SCC (>200,000 cells/mL) after calving.
Neither the IMG be-fore drying off nor the type of DCT had a significant influence on the probability of developing clinical mastitis within 30 or 90 d in milk.
Only a small number of treatments was accompanied with a bacteriological examination before drying off. However, the existing data in this study indicates that the intramammary infection status before dry-off in combination with different dry cow treatments influences udder health and milk yield after calving.
Voluntary heat stress abatement system for dairy cows: Does it mitigate the effects of heat stress on physiology and behavior?
Grinter et al., 2023
In conclusion, voluntary soaker use related positively to the THI, but no major productive, physiological, or behavioral differences were observed between soaking treatments. Furthermore, we found that voluntary soaker use is highly variable among cows and it was related positively to milk yield, where higher producing cows used the soaker more frequently.
Trust, agreements, and occasional breakdowns: Veterinarians’ perspectives on farmer-veterinarian relationships and use of antimicrobials for Swedish dairy cattle
Grondal et al., 2023
In summary, our study supports that decisions on AMU cannot be reduced to the individual prescriber’s behavior, nor to a strict medical judgment. Antimicrobial use for dairy cattle needs to be understood as taking form in relationships in which both veterinarians and farmers are active parts.
Diagnostic milk biomarkers for predicting the metabolic health status of dairy cattle during early lactation
Heirbaut et al., 2023
To conclude, overall, the routine dairy herd improvement analysis (DHI) + BHB [determined by mid-infrared] + milk fatty acids [determined by mid-infrared] model allowed to predict metabolic status during early lactation from d 9 and 21. Accordingly, these parameters show potential for routine prediction of metabolic status.
Effect of dose and frequency of prostaglandin F2 alpha treatments during a 7-day Ovsynch protocol with an intravaginal progesterone releasing device on luteal regression and pregnancy outcomes in lactating Holstein cows
Holper et al., 2023
The addition of a second PGF treatment on d 7 and 8 of a 7-d Ovsynch protocol increased luteal regression and decreased mean P4 at G2. Cows treated with PGF2 alpha 2 times 24 h apart showed greater P/AI, compared with cows treated with an increased dose of PGF2 alpha.
Associations of parity with health disorders and blood metabolite concentrations in Holstein cows in different production systems
Lean et al., 2023
Lactational incidence (LI) risk of clinical hypocalcemia increased with parity from 0.1% for parity 1 to 13% for parity >= 5 cows. The marked increase suggests profound differences in metabolism with increased parity.
The LI of clinical mastitis was 17.4%. The odds of mastitis increased with parity to 2.5 times greater in parity >= 5 than in parity 1.
The LI of lameness increased with parity; specifically, the odds of lameness was 5.6 times greater for parity >= 5 than parity 1.
Dystocia incidence was 8.7% and greatest for parity 1 cows.
The LI of retained placenta was 7.4% and increased with parity, with the odds for parity >= 5 2.3 times greater than for parity 1.
The LI of metritis was 10% and of endometritis 14%, with the greatest odds in parity 1.
The LI of clinical ketosis was 3.3% with a marked increase in odds with parity.
The prevalence of subclinical ketosis was 26.8% with only cows in parity 1 having lower odds than other parities. Parity >= 5 cows had greater odds (odds ratio = 1.7) of respiratory disease than parity 1 cows, which were lesser than other pari-ties.
Metabolite concentrations were evaluated in 5,154 Holstein cows in the precalving, calving, and immediate postcalving data sets.
Concentrations of beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) and nonesterified fatty acids increased with parity on d 1 to 3 of lactation and at peak lactation.
On d 1 to 3 after calving differences in glucose, nonesterified fatty acids, and BHB indicated a greater reliance on mobilized lipid to export energy to peripheral tissues as BHB for greater parity cows.
Differences in concentrations among parity groups were marked at times, for example >0.20 mM in Ca for parity 1 and 2 to parity >= 5 and >0.33 mM for all older parities compared with parity 1 for P on the day of calving.
We found marked differences in concentrations of metabolites with parity that are consistent with reduced reproduction, health, and body condition for higher parity cows. These unfavorable differences in metabolism in Ca, P, glucose, and cholesterol concentrations for higher parity cows also complement the often-substantial differences in disease risk with parity and suggest a need to carefully consider the parity structure in study design. Managers and advisors will need to consider methods to reduce risk of health disorders tailored to cows of different ages.
Evaluation of potential biomarkers to determine adequate colostrum provision in male dairy-beef calves upon arrival at the rearing facility beyond 14 days of age
Pisoni et al., 2023
Because of their low cost, quickness, and ease of measurement, GGT and TP were good indicators of colostrum intake in calves arriving at rearing facilities beyond 14 d of age.
Changes in biomarkers of metabolic stress during late gestation of dairy cows associated with colostrum volume and immunoglobulin content
Rossi et al., 2023
Cows with high IgG showed higher concentrations of glucose compared with low IgG.
Cows with high IgA had higher concentrations of cholesterol, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, oxidant status index, and total protein, whereas beta-hydroxybutyrate and glucose were lower compared with low IgA.
The great variability observed in colostrum variables suggests that colostrogenesis is a complex and multifactorial process. However, our results suggest that greater availability of antioxidants during late gestation could support the production of higher volumes of colostrum, which needs to be explored in future trials.
Effects of a single transdermal administration of flunixin meglumine in early postpartum Holstein Friesian dairy cows: Part 1. Inflammatory and metabolic markers, uterine health, and indicators of pain
Schmitt et al., 2023
It can be concluded that FM treatment slightly reduced inflammation (lower haptoglobin, higher albumin) and diminished the risk for metritis in primiparous cows, improved metabolic profile in multiparous cows, and reduced expressions of pain in all cows.
Effects of a single transdermal administration of flunixin meglumine in early postpartum Holstein Friesian dairy cows: Part 2. Milk yield, culling risk, and reproductive performance
Schmitt et al., 2023
We conclude that a single transdermal administration of FM in early postpartum dairy cows on farms at risk for excessive postpartum inflammation slightly increased milk, milk fat, and milk protein yields in PRIM cows and decreased these variables in MULT cows. Milk urea and somatic cell count were not affected by treatment. No differences in culling risk, first-service conception risk, or days open were observed
The effects of dexamethasone administration on physiological, behavioral, and production parameters in dairy cows after a difficult calving
Swartz et al., 2023
The administration of dexamethasone resulted in changes in behavioral measurements, which could suggest a reduction in discomfort; however, due to the reduction in milk yield for the first month follow-ing calving, DEX administration may not be applicable for typical farm use. Additional research is needed to investigate treatments for cows experiencing dystocia without detrimental effects on milk yield.
Effect of mechanical premilking stimulation on milking duration in late lactation
Upton et al., 2023
Based on the results of the study, we found merit (12s shorter) in applying 60 s of mechanical pre-stimulation at a.m. milking from a milking duration perspective. However, the strategy was not as successful for the p.m. milking. Analysis of the milk flowrate profiles recorded during the study suggest potential utility in employing different machine settings for various milkings based on anticipated yield and level of udder fill.
Treatment had no effect on a.m./p.m. milk yields, average milk flowrates or peak milk flowrates.
Prepartum plane of energy intake affects serum biomarkers for inflammation and liver function during the periparturient period
Janovick et al., 2023
Avoidance of gross overconsumption of energy prepartum, particularly during the far-off period, appears best to reduce systemic inflammatory signals and improve liver function.
Effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii (CNCM I-1079) on feed intake, blood parameters, and production during early lactation
Hiltz et al., 2023
Supplementing transition cow TMR with active dry yeast (CNCM I-1079) improved milk production (39.0 ± 2.4 vs. 36.7 ± 2.3 kg/d) and nd tended to produce more energy-corrected milk with better feed efficiency; markers of inflammation (SAA and TNFa tended to increase) were also influenced by ADY treatment, though the immunological effect was inconsistent.
No difference in colostrum IgG, IgA, and IgM was observed between treatments. There was no difference in plasma glucose, serum nonesterified fatty acid, serum β-hydroxybutyrate, Hp, IL-6, or IL-18 due to ADY treatment.
Supplementing transition cow TMR with ADY (CNCM I-1079) improved milk production and tended to improve efficiency in early lactation; markers of inflammation were also influenced by ADY treatment, though the immunological effect was inconsistent.
Impacts of feeding a Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product on productive performance, and metabolic and immunological responses during a feed-restriction challenge of mid-lactation dairy cows
Marins et al., 2023
In conclusion, feeding NT increased milk fat production of first-lactation cows but did not affect overall productive performance.
However, supplementation with NT improved induced granulocyte oxidative burst. This may explain the greater glucose utilization by cows fed NT rather than CTL during feed restriction.
Economic losses associated with mastitis due to bovine leukemia virus infection
Nakada et al., 2023
In summary, H-PVL cows were more susceptible to subclinical mastitis than non-infected and low-proviral-load cows, and mastitis due to BLV infection was projected to cause significant economic losses.
Pathogenic infection characteristics and risk factors for bovine respiratory disease complex based on the detection of lung pathogens in dead cattle in Northeast China.
Zhou et la., 2023
The positivity rate of bacteria in the 160 lung samples was 31.77%, including Trueperella pyogenes (9.37%), Pasteurella multocida (8.35%), Histophilus somni (4.48%), Mannheimia haemolytica (2.44%), and other bacteria (7.13%).
The positivity rate of Mycoplasma spp. was 38.9%, including M. bovis (7.74%), M. dispar (11.61%), M. bovirhinis (7.94%), M. alkalescens (6.11%), M. arginini (0.81%), and undetermined species (4.68%).
Six species of viruses were detected with a positivity rate of 29.33%, including bovine herpesvirus-1 (BoHV-1; 13.25%), bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV; 5.50%), bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV; 4.89%), bovine parainfluenza virus type-3 (BPIV-3; 4.28%), bovine parainfluenza virus type-5 (1.22%), and bovine coronavirus (2.24%). Mixed infections among bacteria (73.75%), viruses (50%), and M. bovis (23.75%) were the major features of BRDC in these cattle herds.
molecular epidemiology indicated that the occurrence rate of currently prevalent pathogens in BRDC was 46.15% (6/13) for BoHV-1.2b and 53.85% (7/13) for BoHV-1.2c, 53.3% (8/15) for BVDV-1b and 46.7% (7/15) for BVDV-1d, 29.41% (5/17) for BPIV-3a and 70.59% (12/17) for BPIV-3c, 100% (2/2) for BRSV gene subgroup IX, 91.67% (33/36) for P. multocida serotype A, and 8.33% (3/36) for P. multocida serotype D.
Our research discovered new subgenotypes for BoHV-1.2c, BRSV gene subgroup IX, and P. multocida serotype D in China’s cattle herds.
In the BRDC cases, bovine suppurative or caseous necrotizing pneumonia was highly related to BVDV [odds ratio (OR) = 4.18; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.6-10.7], M. bovis (OR = 2.35; 95% CI: 1.1-4.9), H. somni (OR = 8.2; 95% CI: 2.6-25.5), and T. pyogenes (OR = 13.92; 95% CI: 5.8-33.3).
The risk factor analysis found that dairy calves <3 mo and beef calves >3 mo (OR = 5.39; 95% CI: 2.7-10.7) were more susceptible to BRDC.
Beef cattle were more susceptible to bovine suppurative or caseous necrotizing pneumonia than dairy cattle (OR = 2.32; 95% CI: 1.2-4.4).
The risk factor analysis found that dairy calves <3 mo and beef calves >3 mo (OR = 5.39; 95% CI: 2.7-10.7) were more susceptible to BRDC.
These epidemiological data and the new pathogen subgenotypes will be helpful in formulating strategies of control and prevention, developing new vaccines, improving clinical differential diagnosis by necropsy, predicting the most likely pathogen, and justifying antimicrobial use.
Intrauterine infusion of a pathogenic bacterial cocktail is associated with the development of clinical metritis in postpartum multiparous Holstein cows
Silva et al., 2023
Unexpectedly, intrauterine infusion of cows with a lower dose (10^6 cfu)of bacteria (F. necrophorium, E. coli, T. pyogenes) was more effective than a higher dose (10^9), indicating that the bacterial load may affect metritis incidence in a nonlinear manner.
A survey of male and female dairy calf care practices and opportunities for change
Wilson et al., 2023
Our results suggest that dairy producers provide similar care between male and female calves, but some male calves experience challenges due to milk feeding and marketing practices. Feedback from calf buyers along with continued support and guidance from herd veterinarians and the Code of Practice may motivate dairy producers to improve male calf care.
Mechanism underlying the modulation of milk production by incomplete milking
Deacon et al., 2023
The decrease in milk yield induced by incomplete milking is rapid and associated with a decrease in mammary epithelial cell activity and a decrease in the number of secretory epithelial cells.
The results of this experiment provide only limited support for the hypothesis that modulation of the mammary gland’s responsiveness to PRL is part of the mechanism by which local factors, such as incomplete milking, modulate milk synthesis.
Evaluating the effectiveness of colostrum as a therapy for diarrhea in preweaned calves
Carter et al., 2022
calves in long term colostrum group had faster resolution of diarrhea compared with calves in the CON group
the LTC treatment grew 98 g/d more than calves in the CON group.
there was an association between both days to enrollment since facility arrival and body weight and resolution of diarrhea, where calves who were at the facility longer before enrollment and heavier at the onset of diarrhea, resolved diarrhea quicker.
In addition, calves with a fecal score of 3 at enrollment took longer to resolve their case of diarrhea
Effects of prenatal dietary rumen-protected choline supplementation during late gestation on calf growth, metabolism, and vaccine response
Swartz et al., 2022
Treatment did not affect calf body weight, beta-hydroxybutyrate, or glucose concentrations.
For apparent efficiency of IgG absorption, treatment interacted with the dam’s prepartum body condition score. Where the dam’s body condition score was ≤3.25, IgG absorption was reduced in calves born from CHOL45 dams as compared with calves from either CHOL30 or CON dams.
Calves from CHOL30 dams had a lesser oxidative stress index (OSi) than calves from CON dams.
Haptoglobin concentrations were less in heifer calves from CHOL45 dams as compared with heifers from CON dams.
The dam’s prepartum NEFA concentration interacted with treatment. When dam NEFA was minimal, calves from CHOL45 and CHOL30 dams had greater or tended to have greater NEFA, respectively. Conversely, when dam NEFA was greater, calves from CHOL30 and CHOL45 dams had lesser or tended to have lesser NEFA than calves from CON dams, respectively.
For vaccine response, treatment interacted with the dam’s prepartum OSi. Among calves born from dams with a greater OSi, calves from CHOL45 and CHOL30 dams had lesser bovine respiratory syncytial virus-specific IgA concentrations in nasal secretions as compared with CON
Prenatal RPC supplementation during late gestation affected IgG absorption, neonatal calf metabolism, and vaccine response with some effects dependent on the dam’s prepartum parameters.
Grazing affects metabolic pattern of individual cow milk
Niero et al., 2022
Milk samples from pasture had lower levels of 14 compounds (with fumarate being the most depressed metabolite) and greater levels of 15 compounds (with methanol and hippurate being the most elevated metabolites).
Results indicate that milk 1H NMR spectra are promising to identify milk produced in different conditions.
Also, our study highlights that grazing is associated with significant changes of milk metabolic profile, suggesting the potential use of several metabolites as indicators of farm management.
Determination of milk concentrations and pharmacokinetics of salicylic acid following acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) administration in postpartum dairy cows
Fritz et al., 2022
Results from this study suggest that the current milk withhold recommendation for dairy cattle administered ASA may need revision to 120 h (5 d) and that ASA administration may mitigate postpartum inflammation through reduction in prostaglandin production for up to 12 h after treatment.
Deep convolutional neural networks for the detection of diarrhea and respiratory disease in preweaning dairy calves using data from automated milk feeders
Ghaffari et al., 2022
Drinking speed and MR intake were the main factors to predict calf disease in calves fed ad libitum.
The number of unrewarded visits to the milk feeder and MR intake were the main factors to predict calf disease in restricted-fed calves. Despite the relatively small sample size, the results provide strong evidence that daily feeding behavior data from AMF can be used to identify calves at risk for disease.
Effects of maternal choline supplementation on performance and immunity of progeny from birth to weaning
Zenobi et al. 2022
Overall, maternal RPC supplementation during late gestation suggests a positive effect on immunity, in that colostrum from RPC-fed dams increased efficiency of IgG absorption and maternal supplementation with RPC during late gestation, regardless of colostrum source,
attenuated responses to LPS challenges.
Note: lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenges – provide researchers with a robust and safe way to test anti-inflammatory compounds under controlled conditions, before moving on to testing in patients
Development and validation of a clinical respiratory disease scoring system for guiding treatment decisions in veal calves using a Bayesian framework.
Berman et al. 2022
We found that calves with 2 of the following findings cough, unilateral or bilateral ear droop or head tilt, or increased rectal temperature ≥39.7°C were considered positive and had a 31% chance of having active BRD. Without at least 2 of these 2 findings, a calf had a 100% chance of not having active BRD.
At the batch level, we found that a batch with ≥3 positive calves among 10 calves sampled 2 wk after arrival at the fattening unit had a 94% chance of having an active BRD prevalence ≥10%.
A batch with <3 positive calves had a 95% chance of not having an active BRD prevalence ≥10%.
Apparent prevalence and risk factors for udder skin diseases and udder edema in Bavarian dairy herds
Groh et al., 2022
Herd-level factors that were associated with the presence of teat warts on a farm were the proportion of cows with poor teat ends as well as conventional milking systems compared with milking robots.
At a cow level, teat warts were associated with high somatic cell counts.
Herds with poor depth (<5 cm) of bedding material and cows with days in milk less than 60 d had increased odds for udder edema.
First-lactating cows had higher odds for udder thigh dermatitis.
Freestall housing and comfort rubber mats were identified as risk factors for udder cleft dermatitis on a herd level.
In conclusion, although most nonmastitis udder diseases were rarely observed in this study, some herd management practices and cow factors were associated with their presence on a farm or cow level. Future studies are needed to further investigate risk factors for each disease in more detail.
Feeding encapsulated pepper to dairy cows during the hot season improves performance without affecting core and skin temperature.
Vittorazzi et al., 2022
Nitrogen excretion (as % of N intake) in milk, urine, and feces was not altered by treatments.
Feeding CAP increased yields of 3.5% fat-corrected milk, fat, protein, and lactose.
No differences were detected on respiration rate, rectal temperature, and skin temperature of cows.
A feed additive containing encapsulated pepper fed at 0.75 or 1.5 g/d can improve yield of fat-corrected milk and milk solids by increasing feed intake without affecting nutrient digestibility and body temperature of lactating cows during the hot season.
Effects of a combination of Capsicum oleoresin and clove essential oil on metabolic status, lactational performance, and enteric methane emissions in dairy cows
Silvestre et al. 2022
Dry matter intake, milk production, and milk composition were not affected by BTC supplementation, except for milk fat content that tended to be increased in BTC, compared with CON.
Daily CH4 emission (measured using the GreenFeed system) was linearly decreased by up to 7.5% with increasing doses of BTC.
Supplementation of BTC resulted in a quadratic decrease of serum β-hydroxybutyrate in all cows, and a linear decrease of serum insulin concentration in primiparous but not in multiparous cows.
Nutrient utilization and other blood parameters (e.g., blood cells count) were not affected by BTC in the current study.
The reduction of enteric CH4 emission demonstrates a moderate mitigation effect on carbon footprint of milk by BTC supplementation.
These results must be further investigated and confirmed in longer-term experiments.
Supplementation of BTC resulted in a quadratic decrease of serum β-hydroxybutyrate in all cows, and a linear decrease of serum insulin concentration in primiparous but not in multiparous cows. Nutrient utilization and other blood parameters (e.g., blood cells count) were not affected by BTC in the current study. The reduction of enteric CH4 emission demonstrates a moderate mitigation effect on carbon footprint of milk by BTC supplementation. These results must be further investigated and confirmed in longer-term experiments.
The first week following insemination is the period of major pregnancy failure in pasture-grazed dairy cows
Berg, et al., 2022
Fertilization failure (15.8%) and embryonic arrest before the morula stage (10.3%) were the major developmental events contributing to first-week pregnancy failures.
Embryo elongation failure of 7% contributed to pregnancy failure during the second week.
The risk factors for pregnancy success that were related to the cows included interval between calving and insemination, and d-7 plasma progesterone concentrations, whereas insemination sire was associated with pregnancy outcome.
Effects of prepartum supplementation of beta-carotene on colostrum and calves
Prom et al., 2022
Supplementation did not affect colostral or calf IgG concentrations.
In pregnant cows already receiving adequate vitamin A, supplementation of β-carotene increased concentration of beta-carotene in colostrum, altered colostrum color, and increased serum beta-carotene in calves at birth.
Is animal welfare better on smaller dairy farms? Evidence from 3,085 dairy farms in Germany
Lindena et al., 2022
Regression results showed that larger farms tended to achieve a better animal welfare index (AWI) than smaller farms in our data set.
Although this study focused on the effect of herd size, it is not the only factor affecting animal welfare levels on individual farms. Other variables that we included in the regression to describe the AWI indicate that the knowledge and skills of the farm manager and the amount of time that farms can devote to animals have a positive effect on the AWI.
Genetic analysis of fetal loss in Holstein cattle
Sigdel et al., 2022
our study provides evidence that fetal loss is heritable enough to make genetic selection for reducing fetal loss and improving pregnancy maintenance feasible.
In addition, our results suggest that fetal loss is largely independent from current traits used to select for cow fertility, and thus current breeding efforts have unfortunately little effect on reducing the incidence of fetal loss.
Hoof lesions in partly housed pasture-based dairy cows
Browne et al., 2022
Noninfectious lesions were found to be more prevalent than infectious lesions in this system type.
The most prevalent lesion types during both grazing and housing periods were white line separation, sole hemorrhages and overgrown claws; all remaining lesions had a cow-level prevalence of less than 15%.
The cow-level prevalence of alarm lesions was 19% during the grazing period and 25% during the housing period; the most prevalent alarm lesion was sole ulcers during both periods. We found significantly more foreign bodies within the hoof sole (grazing = 14%, housing = 7%) and overgrown claws (grazing = 71%, housing = 55%) during the grazing period compared with the housing period. Cows with foul of the foot, sole ulcer, white line abscess, toe necrosis or an amputated claw had higher odds of being more severely lame, compared with mildly lame. The strongest correlation between lesions were between toe necrosis and digital dermatitis (r = 0.40), overgrown claws and corkscrew claws (r = 0.33), and interdigital hyperplasia and digital dermatitis (r = 0.31) at herd level.
At the cow level, the strongest correlation was between overgrown claws and corkscrew claws (r = 0.27), and digital dermatitis and heel erosion (r = 0.22).
The farmers’ perception of the presence of digital dermatitis (and lameness) was significantly correlated with the actual presence of digital dermatitis recorded. Additional risk factors for the presence of digital dermatitis were cow track and verge width near the collecting yard, and stone presence on the cow tracks.
Characterization of metabolic profile, health, milk production, and reproductive outcomes of dairy cows diagnosed with concurrent hyperketonemia and hypoglycemia
Hubner et al., 2022
Hyperketonemia in multiparous cows was associated with greater incidence of metabolic abnormalities (hypomagnesemia, hypocalcemia, and elevated NEFA and urea).
Hyperketonemia in primiparous and multiparous cows led to increased adverse health events (culling rate, retained fetal membranes, puerperal metritis, clinical ketosis, left displaced abomasum) relative to Norm cows.
Multiparous cows with HKHG had fewer metabolic disturbances (hypomagnesemia, hypocalcemia, elevated NEFA) than HK cows. Cows with HKHG had an increased incidence of clinical ketosis and left displaced abomasum relative to Norm cows.
Cows with HG had similar metabolic profiles to Norm cows and had lower incidence of retained fetal membranes and puerperal metritis than cows with HK. Multiparous cows with HG produced more milk than Norm cows from wk 10 to 20
Multiparous cows with HK produced less milk than Norm cows. For primiparous cows, HK did not have a negative effect on milk production compared with Norm cows
A randomized controlled trial examining the effects of treatment with propylene glycol and injectable cyanocobalamin on naturally occurring disease, milk production, and reproductive outcomes of dairy cows diagnosed with concurrent hyperketonemia and hypoglycemia
Hubner et al., 2022
Treatment in HG cows decreased clinical ketosis, increased milk production in the fifth week of lactation for multiparous cows, and tended to increase 305-d mature-equivalent milk yield (305ME) for primiparous cows compared with untreated cows with the same metabolic profile.
For cows with HKHG, treatment increased 305ME in multiparous cows and tended to increase 305ME in primiparous cows.
No differences were found for treatment among any of the metabolic groups regarding reproductive outcomes, nor were any treatment effects found among HK cows. Glycemic status may help identify metabolically challenged early postpartum dairy cows, which may have differential response to PG and B12 treatment
Associations of calf management practices with antimicrobial use in Canadian dairy calves
Uyama et al., 2022
The final multivariable linear regression model indicated that farms that fed transition milk had fewer than half the number of antimicrobial treatments per calf-year than those who did not feed transition milk.
The number of antimicrobial treatments per calf-year in preweaning calves was low on many farms, and there was low use of highly important drugs for human medicine
Association between prepartum nonesterified fatty acid serum concentrations and postpartum diseases in dairy cows
Nicola et al., 2022
Prepartum serum NEFA concentrations were associated with diseases diagnosed during the first 30 d in milk (DIM) and culling within the first 50 DIM.
The optimal NEFA threshold associated with diseases was ≥290 µmol/L for retained placenta, ≥300 µmol/L for metritis and abomasal displacement, and ≥280 µmol/L for clinical mastitis and hyperketonemia. The level associated with the occurrence of at least one of these diseases in the first 30 DIM was ≥280 µmol/L, but it was ≥260 µmol/L for culling in the first 50 DIM.
our results demonstrate a relationship between NEFA concentrations in the 14-d period before calving and the subsequent development of diseases and culling. Prepartum NEFA concentrations thresholds between ≥260 and 300 µmol/L appear to be a strategic choice. However, considering the low accuracy, their use at the cow level should be performed with caution.
Research and application of a new multilevel fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method for cold stress in dairy cows
Fu et al., 2022
The results showed that the mean mild cold stress durations were 605.3 h (25.22 d) and 725.5 h (30.23 d) and the moderate cold stress durations were 67.2 h (2.8 d) and 96 h (4.0 d) on the south and north sides of the barns, respectively.
Simultaneously, generalized linear mixed model showed that there were significant correlations between the daily cold stress duration and milk yield, feeding time, lying time, and active steps in the cows on both sides. This method can reasonably indicate cow cold stress conditions and better guide cold protection practices in actual production.
This method can reasonably indicate cow cold stress conditions and better guide cold protection practices in actual production.
Effects of supplementation with Saccharomyces
cerevisiae products on dairy calves: A metaanalysis
Zhang et al., 2022
- SCP supplementation increased the ruminal SCFA concentration, ruminal papilla height, and fiber digestibility, pointing toward stimulation of the development of the rumen in calves.
- SCP supplementation increased the serum concentrations of total protein, IgA, and IgG but decreased fecal pathogen colony counts, suggesting that SCP could help calves to promote immunity and resistance to pathogens.
- SCP increased average daily gain and dry matter intake preweaning but not postweaning suggesting that SCP is better supplemented to preweaning calves to achieve the best results.
- Based on the dose-response curve, 24 to 25 g/d might be the optimal dose range of SCP supplementation (into starter feed) preweaning to achieve the best overall effect.
- Overall, SCP supplementation improved growth performance, rumen development, and immunocompetence in calves, particularly in preweaning calves.
Effects of early herbage cutting and vine leaves on methane emission, urine nitrogen losses, and the milk fatty acid profile of dairy cows.
Birkinshaw et al., 2022
- Methane emission intensity was lowest with ES-VL+ diets compared with LS-VL− diets (−30%; 17.1 vs. 24.5 mg/kg of energy-corrected milk).
- Immature grass and vine leaf addition each caused about half of the respective declines.
- Cows consuming any of the ES diets and the LS-VL+ diet consumed and excreted (urinary N) significantly more N than those consuming LS diets. However, when related to N intake, no differences were recorded.
- Unexpectedly, vine leaves did not mitigate urine N excretion.
- Our results demonstrate that feeding immature herbage in combination with vine leaves reduces methane yield; however, the associated high urinary N losses need to be addressed.
Effects of ruminal protozoa on methane emissions in ruminants—A meta-analysis.
Dai et al., 2022
- Positive associations existed between total ruminal protozoa (TRP) and isotrichids with CH4 emissions but not between entodiniomorphids and CH4 emissions.
- Both TRP and isotrichid models can accurately predict CH4 emissions across different ruminant types .
- Isotrichid CH4 prediction model was more robust than the TRP.
- Our results confirm that isotrichids are more important than entodiniomorphids in methanogenesis. Distinguishing these 2 populations yielded a more robust CH4 prediction model than combining them as total protozoa.
Understanding public preferences for different dairy farming systems using a mixed-methods approach
Jackson et al., 2022
The integrated results indicated participants had a dual vision of the cow, seeing her as both domestic and wild. A scenario with housing in winter and grazing in summer therefore suited her, providing both protection and naturalness, and was most associated with analytic thinking. Interviewees also confessed ignorance about the cow’s needs, either deferring to others’ judgment-including the cow herself-or using familiarity and anthropomorphism to assess the scenarios. This again resulted in most optimism, confidence, and positivity for housing in winter and grazing in summer, and most negativity for housing cows year-round. Grazing was aspirational, but keeping cows outside in winter was confusing and concerning. These findings offer opportunities for the dairy industry to adapt communication or systems to better meet societal views; for example, incorporating access to pasture or increasing cow choice.
Improving parlor efficiency in block calving pasture-based dairy systems through the application of a fixed milking time determined by daily milk yield and milking frequency
Edwards et al., 2022
- We found no differences in daily milk yield between end-of-milking criteria
- However, fat yield was compromised when the percentage of the herd with a truncated milking exceeded an estimated 33% at a milking session, which occurred in the TAD 8-16 herd due to the divergence from the average milking interval
- Applying a fixed milking time had no detrimental effects on udder health, except in the OAD herd in mid-late lactation, which had both a higher cell count and new intramammary infection rate.
- Consequently, we conclude that, in general, with appropriate monitoring (e.g., weekly inspection) to ensure the proportion of the herd with truncated milkings does not exceed 33%, farmers in pasture-based dairy systems can use a fixed milking time to improve parlor efficiency.
Investigating the effect of temporal, geographic, and management factors on US Holstein lactation curve parameters
Li et al., 2022
- Results showed that parity had the most significant effect on the scale (parameter a), the rate of decay (parameter c), and the 305-d milk yield.
- The month of calving had the largest effect on the rate of increase (parameter b) for models fit with data from all lactations.
- The calving month had the most significant effect on all lactation curve parameters for first lactation models. However, age at first calving, year, and milking frequency accounted for a higher proportion of the variance than month for first lactation 305-d milk yield.
- All parameter estimates and 305-d milk yield increased as parity increased; parameter a and 305-d milk yield rose, and parameters b and c decreased as year and milking frequency increased.
- Calving month estimates scale, rate of deacy and rate of increas, and 305-d milk yield were the lowest values for September, May, June, and July, respectively.
The results also indicated the random effects of herd and cow improved model fit. Lactation curve parameter estimates from the mixed-model analysis of individual lactation curve fits describe well US Holstein lactation curves according to temporal, spatial, and management factors.
Re-assessing the importance of linear type
traits in predicting genetic merit for survival in an aging Holstein-Friesian dairy cow population.
Williams et al., 2022
- Given that linear type traits are frequently scored in first parity and are genetically correlated with survival in older parities, they may be suitable early predictors of survival, especially for later parity cows. Additionally, the direction of the genetic correlations between survival and rear udder height, teat length, and udder depth did not change between parities; hence, selection for survival in older parities using these linear type traits should not hinder genetic improvement for survival in younger parities.
Estimates of genetic parameters for feeding behavior traits and their associations with
feed efficiency in Holstein cows.
Cavani et al., 2022
- We conclude that measures of feeding behavior could be useful indicators of dairy cow feed efficiency, and individual cows that eat at a slower rate may be more feed efficient.
Emphasis on resilience in dairy cattle breeding: Possibilities and consequences
Bengtsson et al., 2022
- The results showed that adding breeding goal weight to resilience indicators, such as body condition score and daily deviation from the lactation curve (LnVAR), could reverse the negative trend observed for resilience indicators.
- We observed higher genetic gain in beef production, fertility, and udder health when breeding for more resilience, but from an economical point of view, this was not high enough to compensate for the reduction in genetic gain in milk production.
Characteristics of mammary secretions collected from infected and uninfected primigravid dairy heifer mammary glands.
Larsen et al., 2022
Uninfected secretion samples had 133.2 [95% confidence interval (CI): 16.8 to >999.9] times greater odds to be thick compared with samples infected with a major pathogen, and 14.4 (95% CI: 8.5 to 24.1) times greater odds to be thick compared with samples infected with non-aureus staphylococci (NAS).
* These results indicate that mammary secretion viscosity (thicker) and SCC measurement (higher) may be useful tools in identifying primigravid heifer quarters with IMI.
Exploring the microbial composition of Holstein Friesian and Belgian Blue colostrum in relation to the transfer of passive immunity.
Van Hese et al., 2022
- Bacterial diversity differed significantly between HF and BB samples.
- In HF the bacterial composition of colostrum leading to low serum IgG levels in the calf differed from that of colostrum leading to high serum IgG levels. Results of the present study indicate that the microbes present in colostrum are associated with transfer of passive immunity in neonatal calves.
Effect of a 2-step probiotic program on digestive health and performance of Holstein heifer calves.
Velasquez-Munoz et al., 2022
- Treatment consisted of 2 formulations of a multistrain bacterial-based probiotic added in colostrum (PBF1) and milk (PBF2). Treatment calves received 2 g of PBF1 added to each colostrum feeding, and 1 g of PBF2 added to the milk at the morning feeding 3 times per week up to weaning
- In conclusion, the probiotic program did not affect the incidence of enteric disease or the growth of preweaning heifer calves.
Navel healing in male and female Holstein calves over the first 14 days of life: A longitudinal cohort study.
Konigslow et al., 2022
- A total of 56% of calves retained their navel cord remnant beyond the end of the observation period, and calves began to shed their navel cord remnants as early as d 2.
- In addition, at least once during the observation period, 85% of calves had a proximal navel diameter measurement over a 13-mm threshold recently proposed to identify navel infections.
- For distal navel diameter measurements, 72% of calves had a diameter over the 13-mm threshold at least once during the observation period.
- No associations were identified between navel healing outcomes and dam, calving, and calf factors.
- Navel measurement outcomes were associated with calving and calf factors. Specifically, proximal navel stump diameter was associated with the day of observation (decreased from d 5 to 14), calf sex (smaller in female calves), time of birth (larger in calves born overnight or unobserved, compared with the morning), and birth weight (larger in birth weights >44.1 kg compared with <38.5 kg).
- The wide range in time to navel cord remnant drying and drop-off suggest that these measures may not be adequate indicators of calf age on their own.
Randomized clinical trial investigating the effect of exercise and standing on concrete prior to first calving on time to first lameness event in dairy heifers.
Mason et al., 2022
- No apparent differences were detected in the hazard rate for time to first lame event between heifers in the 2 treatment groups. No associations were identified between heifers in the 2 groups for any of the secondary outcome measures (milk solid production, change in body condition score during early lactation, time from onset of breeding season until conception, feasibility of the regimen and change in sole soft tissue thickness and profile).
An investigation of blood, milk, and urine test patterns for the diagnosis of ketosis in dairy cows in early lactation.
Couto Serrenho et al., 2022
- We concluded that the urine testing is a more sensitive predictor of blood BHB concentration than the milk testing. The UT and MT tests diagnosed ketotic cows approximately 2 d later than the BT. The possible consequences of delay in detection of ketosis in milk and urine should be investigated.
Measuring lameness prevalence: Effects of case
definition and assessment frequency.
Sahar et al., 2022
- Using LAME1 (one timepoint), 69.2% of cows were considered lame at some point during the trial, with an average point prevalence of 31.8% (SD: 2.8) and average incidence rate of 10.9 cases/100 cow weeks (SD: 3.7). Lameness prevalence decreased to 28.0% when using LAME5 (5 consecutive scoring events).
- We conclude that lameness prevalence estimates are dependent upon case definition and that the use of more stringent case definitions results in fewer cows classified as lame.
- These results suggest that routine locomotion assessments be conducted at least every 2 wk, and that cows should be defined as lame on the basis of 2 consecutive assessments
Effect of medium-chain fatty acids on growth, health, and immune response of dairy calves.
Klopp et al., 2022
- This study suggests that feeding MCFA to calves affects the energy status (lower NEFA) of calves around weaning and vaccinating dairy calves with ovalbumin combined with an aluminum hydroxide adjuvant is an effective way to evaluate the adaptive immune responses.
Diagnostic accuracy of Wisconsin and California scoring systems to detect bovine respiratory disease in preweaning dairy calves under subtropical environmental conditions.
Decaris et al., 2022
- The sensitivity (Se; 95% credible interval) and specificity (Sp) for
o WISC were 77.9% (64.8-90.2) and 81.9% (76.3-88.2).
o CALIF, the Se was 67.1% (53.6-80.1) and Sp 79.1% (73.9-84.6).
o TUS Se was 59.8% (46.5-73.1) and Sp was 84.8% (80.0-89.5),
o AUSC, Se was 58.8% (41.3-79.8) and Sp was 98.6% (95.7-99.9).
o Se and Sp of HAP was 67.6% (55.3-78.8) and 46.7% (41.4-52.2), respectively. - The performance of the scoring systems was similar to, or better than, the performance found in North American studies, despite the fact that calves were in a tropical environment.
Herd-level prevalence of Mycoplasma bovis in Swedish dairy herds determined by antibody ELISA and PCR on bulk tank milk and herd characteristics associated with seropositivity
Hurri et al., 2022
- Larger herds had higher odds of detectable antibodies in BTM (herd size >120 cows, odds ratio = 8.8).
- An association was also found between antibodies in BTM and both a higher late calf mortality (2–6 mo) and a higher young stock mortality (6–15 mo).
- We do not recommend using PCR on BTM to detect infected herds, owing to the low detection frequency in this study
Effect of feeding rumen-protected lysine through the transition period on postpartum uterine health of dairy cows.
Guadagnin et al., 2022
- In conclusion, feeding RPL pre- and postpartum improved indicators of uterine immune status (downregulates the expression of TLR4, SLC7A6, EHMT2; upregulates the expression of APOL3 and NFKB1), but did not change days to first ovulation postpartum.
Heat stress develops with increased total-tract gut permeability, and dietary organic acid and pure botanical supplementation partly restores lactation performance in Holstein dairy cows.
Fontoura et al., 2022
- We conclude that exposure to a heat-stress environment increases total-tract gastrointestinal permeability. This study highlights important mechanisms that might account for milk production losses caused by heat stress, independent of changes in DMI. Our observations also suggest that dietary supplementation of OA/PB is a mean to partly restore ECM production and improve nitrogen efficiency in dairy cattle experiencing heat stress.
Rumen effects of monensin in dry cow diets varying in energy density.
Richards et al. 2022
During the first 4 wk of the dry period, all cows were fed a controlled-energy, high-fiber diet (CE) as a total mixed ration for ad libitum intake. During the last 3 wk before calving, half of the cows were switched to a higher-energy, close-up diet until calving (CU), whereas the other half continued to receive the CE diet. Within each dietary group, half of the cows received monensin (MON)
* Cows on the CE + CON diet had a greater ruminal proportion of acetate than did cows fed CU + CON, whereas cows fed monensin on either diet were intermediate (diet × monensin interaction). Addition of MON to the CU diet decreased the proportion of propionate (diet × monensin interaction). higher content of straw in the controlled-energy diet increased mass of rumen contents prepartum, but did not affect rumen papillae length.
* Monensin inclusion differentially affected liquid passage rate and VFA proportions depending on the diet to which it was added.
Effects on feed intake, milk production, and methane emission in dairy cows fed silage or fresh grass with concentrate or fresh grass harvested at early or late maturity stage without concentrate
Hansen et al. 2022
- The changes in DMI were related to changes in leaf to stem ratio, fiber concentration, and organic matter digestibility determined in vitro in samples of the fresh grass harvested throughout the experiment.
We detected no differences in milk or ECM yield between silage with concentrate and late harvested fresh grass with concentrate
The study implies that feeding silage instead of fresh grass has no effect on DMI, ECM yield, or CH4 yield, and that concentrate supplementation can increase milk production, affects milk quality, and reduces the effect on climate, whereas feeding less mature grass increases DMI and milk yield, but has no effect on CH4 yield.
Feeding behavior parameters and temporal patterns in mid-lactation Holstein cows across a range of residual feed intake values.
Brown et al. 2022
- There was a positive linear association between RFI and DMI in multiparous cows and a positive quadratic relationship in primiparous cows, where the rate of increase in DMI was less at higher RFI. Eating rate, DMI per meal, and size of the largest daily meal were positively associated with RFI.
- Daily temporal analysis of FB revealed an interaction between RFI and time for eating rate in multiparous and primiparous cows.
- The eating rate increased with greater RFI at 11 of 12 time points throughout the day, and eating rate differed across RFI between multiple time points.
- There tended to be an interaction between RFI and time for eating time and bin visits in multiparous cows but not primiparous cows.
- Overall, there was a time effect for all FB variables, where DMI, eating time and rate, and bin visits were greatest after the initial daily feeding at 1200 h, increased slightly after each milking, and reached a nadir at 0600 h (6 h before feeding). Considering the relationship between RFI and eating rate, additional efforts to determine cost-effective methods of quantifying eating rate in group-housed dairy cows is warranted.
Reproductive tract size and position score: Estimation of genetic parameters for a novel fertility trait in dairy cows.
Martin et al., 2022
- Although preliminary, these results are encouraging because size and position score seems to be more heritable than and strongly genetically correlated with number of services, nonreturn rate, and first service to conception, indicating potential for effective indirect selection response on these traits from SPS genetic selection. The SPS showed null correlations with production traits
Genetic parameters and genome-wide association study of digital cushion thickness in Holstein cows
Barden et al. 2022
- Genetic analysis of digital cushion thickness indicated that it is heritable and has a negative genetic correlation with the severity of sole lesions.
Behavior of dairy cows managed outdoors in winter: Effects of weather and paddock soil conditions.
Neave et al., 2022
- Our results demonstrated that dairy cows could experience periods of short or no lying time during inclement weather and muddy paddock soil conditions.
- Lying time decreased when paddock soil conditions became very wet and muddy, especially after rainfall.
- In these conditions, an alternative drier lying area should be offered to improve animal welfare.
Holstein calves’ preference for potential physical enrichment items on different presentation schedules.
Zhang et al., 2022
- Pair housing reduced calves’ interactions with items compared with individual housing. Individually and pair-housed calves’ frequencies of overall interaction with items varied with time of day, with frequencies increasing to peaks at 0700, 1500, and 1900 h.
- In conclusion, dairy calves are likely to prefer a fixed multi-item enrichment presentation schedule over a rotating schedule with a single enrichment item presented at one time.
- The items were likely more important for individually housed calves because those calves showed more interactions with them than did pair-housed calves.
- The items should not be changed or cleaned around feeding times because dairy calves showed more interactions with the items at both times.
Effect of tuberculin skin testing on serological results against Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP): Evidence of distinct effects in MAP-infected and noninfected cows.
Nunney et al., 2022
- Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis-infected cows were more likely to be detected if tested within 2 weeks after SICCTT.
- The SICCTT test had a delayed effect on noninfected cows, with higher false positive risk 2 to 4 weeks after SICCTT. To avoid interference, evaluating the milk ELISA more than 30 days post SICCT is most appropriate.
Drying-off practices on Swiss dairy farms:
Status quo and adoption potential of integrating incomplete milking.
Bach et al., 2022
- The participants reported observing behavioral changes of cows such as increased vocalizations and decreased lying time associated with dry-off.
- Selective dry cow therapy was applied on 74% of the farms, and 44% of the participants indicated the use of antibiotics at dry-off as being “rather often,” “often,” or “always.”
- We found that farmers showed an interest in testing the presented drying-off approach of incomplete milking.
- In addition, the farmers indicated that they would be more willing to test incomplete milking before dry-off if it became available for automated use in milking parlors or robots.
- Uncertainties regarding udder health appeared to be the main barrier for the adoption potential of this approach.
Association between transfer of passive immunity and health disorders in multisource
commingled dairy calves raised for veal or
other purposes: Systematic review and metaanalysis.
Abdallah et al., 2022
- Meta-analysis results showed higher odds for mortality (n = 8 studies) and diarrhea (n = 7 studies) in calves with inadequate transfer of passive immunity compared with those with adequate immunity
Development of human-directed behavior in dairy calves reared individually or in pairs.
Doyle et al., 2022
- During preweaning human approach tests in the home pen, individually housed calves had shorter latencies to contact the human (22.4 vs. 45.1 s; individual vs. pair housing) and spent more time in contact with the human [80.5 vs. 41.1 s; standard error (SE) = 9.9; individual vs. pair housing], with similar responses between repeated tests.
- In the arena approach test, individually housed calves spent more time oriented toward the human (134.6 vs. 81.3 s; SE = 16.5; individual vs. pair housing), whereas pair-housed calves were more likely to perform pen-directed non-nutritive oral behavior (60 vs. 40% of calves; pair vs. individual housing), suggesting differences in interest directed toward the human compared with the novel environment. Effects of treatment persisted during the postweaning group pen approach test, with previously individually housed calves tending to spend more time looking toward the human (53.0 vs. 30.0 s; SE = 9.4; individual vs. pair housing) and more likely to contact the human (47 vs. 12% of calves; individual vs. pair housing).
- We demonstrated carry-over effects of calf social housing on human-directed behavior immediately postweaning, suggesting that early life social contact may influence development of human-animal relationships.
Effect of a targeted reproductive management
program designed to prioritize insemination at
detected estrus and optimize time to insemination
on the reproductive performance of
lactating dairy cows.
Rial et al. 2022
- Except for a few outcomes for which no difference was observed, cows detected in estrus during the VWP had better performance than cows not detected in estrus.
- We conclude that a targeted reproductive management program designed to prioritize AI at estrus detection by grouping cows based on detection of estrus during the VWP was an effective strategy to submit cows for first service resulting in similar or improved performance than a non-TRM program that prioritized AIE or an all-TAI program with extended VWP.
- Also, automated estrus alerts recorded during the VWP might be used as a strategy for identifying subgroups of cows with different reproductive performance.
Effect of supplementation with algae β-glucans on performance, health, and blood metabolites of Holstein dairy calves
Reis et al. 2022
- Our findings suggest that dietary supplementation of 2 g/d of algae β-glucans to milk replacer improved fecal status and may affect growth, as evidenced by a higher weaning weight, compared with control calves. Future studies should explore the effect of algae β-glucans on lower-gut physiology and digestibility in dairy calves.
Effects of corn distillers grains with yeast bodies and manipulation of dietary cation and anion difference on production, nutrient digestibility, and gas emissions from manure in lactating cows
Zynda et al. 2022
- These data suggest that the negative effects of feeding distillers grains on production of lactating cows can be partly explained by a decrease in nutrient digestibility (milk yield) and excessive anion load (milk fat).
- The milk fat response to DG-DCAD suggests that milk fat depression observed with a diet with high content of distillers grains can be partially alleviated by supplementation of cations.
- In the current study, we observed no beneficial effects of DG containing yeast bodies
Effects of mixing a high-fat extruded pellet with a dairy calf starter on performance, feed intake, and digestibility
Amado et al. 2022
- Inclusion of the PFA pellet at 10% with a calf starter improved BW, solid feed, and energy intake after weaning. However, these benefits were conditioned by fat source and its digestibility.
Managing organic dairy herd health: Current roles and possible future roles for veterinarians with organic dairy clientele
Brock et al. 2022
- Organic dairy clients were typically a small fraction of the overall workload for local veterinarians, which precluded their ability to accumulate experience. In contrast, a handful of specialized veterinarians in the organic milk processing industry work more frequently with organic producers and have published most of the available resource materials on organic dairy herd health.
Anogenital distance is associated with postpartum estrous activity, intensity of estrous expression, ovulation, and progesterone concentrations in lactating Holstein cows.
Madureira et al., 2022
- In conclusion, greater proportions of short-AGD cows commenced estrous activity by 50 DIM, had larger preovulatory follicles, exhibited greater duration of estrus, had reduced progesterone concentration at estrus, had greater ovulation rates and progesterone concentration 7 d after estrus compared with long-AGD cows, with no difference in CL size between AGD groups.
Effects of calcareous marine algae on milk production, feed intake, energy balance, mineral status, and inflammatory markers in transition dairy cows
Neville et al., 2022
- Cows fed the CMA diet had higher dry matter intake in both the prepartum (+1.08 kg) and postpartum (+0.94 kg) periods compared with cows fed the CON diet.
- Fat yield (+0.11 kg), fat concentration (+0.43%), and 4% fat-corrected milk (+1.56 kg) were higher in cows fed CMA than in cows fed CON.
- The concentration of plasma serum amyloid A was reduced and that of serum P was increased on the CMA treatment compared with the CON treatment.
- These findings demonstrate the benefits of supplementing CMA to dairy cows during the transition period compared with a CON treatment containing limestone as the primary Ca source.
Potential benefits of early-life supplementation of liquid feed with fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) seeds or oregano (Origanum vulgare) leaves on growth, health, and blood metabolites in Holstein dairy calves.
Ansari et al., 2022
- Calves receiving FSP and OLP had greater average daily gain, BW gain, skeletal gain (withers height or heart girth, respectively), and feed efficiency compared with CON animals with no difference between FSP and OLP.
- the chance of BRD being lower in FSP- (but not OLP-) supplemented versus CON animals
- Supplementing FSP or OLP decreased the duration of diarrhea and BRD but not their frequency compared with CON. Duration of diarrhea was not different between FSP- or OLP-supplemented calves but calves supplemented with FSP had shorter days with BRD compared with OLP-supplemented calves.
Supplementation of the liquid feed with FSP or OLP, especially FSP, had beneficial effects on calf growth performance and health. Further experiments are warranted for optimizing the dosage and duration of feeding FSP or OLP as feed additives for dairy calves.
Macronutrient profile in milk replacer or a whole milk powder modulates growth performance, feeding behavior, and blood metabolites in ad libitum-fed calves.
Wilms et al., 2022
- This suggests that milk intakes were regulated by the energy density of the milk supplied.
- The percentage of calves requiring therapeutic interventions related to diarrhea was greater in WP-fed calves (29%) than high fat and high lactosee calves (4%), whereas high protein (13%) did not differ with other groups.
- Calves fed HF had greater serum nonesterified fatty acids compared with other groups, and greater serum amyloid A compared with WP and HL calves.
Although growth differences were limited among MR groups, the metabolic profile largely differed and these differences require further investigation.
Effects of replacing inorganic salts of trace minerals with organic trace minerals in pre and postpartum diets on feeding behavior, rumen fermentation, and performance of dairy cows.
Mion et al., 2022
- Milk yield was not affected by treatment in multiparous cows (44.1 vs. 44.2 kg/d); however, primiparous cows supplemented with OTM had lesser yields than primiparous cows supplemented with STM (31.9 vs. 29.8 kg/d).
- In conclusion, complete replacement of STM by OTM caused modest changes in rumen fermentation, feeding behavior, energy metabolism, and performance of dairy cows, improving postpartum DMI in multiparous cows and reducing circulating levels of nonesterified fatty acids.
Effects of milk replacer allowances and levels of starch in pelleted starter on nutrient digestibility, whole gastrointestinal tract fermentation, and pH around weaning.
Yohe et al., 2022
- Higher SPS calves showed an increase in rumen pH magnitude (1.46 ± 0.07) compared with low SPS calves (1.16 ± 0.07), a decrease in rumen pH in wk 8 (high SPS: 5.37 ± 0.12; low SPS: 5.57 ± 0.12), and a decrease in haptoglobin in wk 8 (high SPS: 0.24 ± 0.06 g/L; low SPS: 0.49 ± 0.06 g/L).
- The majority of differences came from increased starter intake in general, which suggests that with completely pelleted starters the differences in starch and NDF do not elicit drastic changes in fermentation, subsequent end products, and any resulting inflammation in calves around weaning.
Graduate Student Literature Review: Role of pain mitigation on the welfare of dairy calves undergoing disbudding
Reedman et al., 2022
. Although extensive research exists on pain control practices for disbudding, this review identified further gaps in knowledge and areas for future research. Mechanical nociceptive threshold can be evaluated around the disbudding wounds and is a reliable test in older calves; however, this outcome in very young calves after caustic paste disbudding has been reported to be inconclusive compared with that in older calves. As well, research evaluating xylazine sedation for disbudding has reported both potentially positive and negative results that are difficult to interpret or base suggestions on for the use of this drug. Finally, wounds caused by disbudding take a long time to heal (up to 13 wk) and have increased sensitivity for the entire healing process
Veterinary herd health management – Experiences and perceptions among Swedish dairy cattle veterinarians
Svensson et al., 2022
The veterinarians’ skills in communication and relation building were considered especially important. Some farmers were perceived as having little interest in, or lacking deeper knowledge about, VHHM services. The promotion of VHHM services was mentioned as an important factor to increase farmer demand. Participants described VHHM as work demanding high skills and continuous capacity development. Veterinarians’ personal commitment and motivation were also described as important for the extent to which VHHM services were performed.
. Lack of time was a major barrier for VHHM. On-call duty time and subsequent compensatory leave affected the total time available, and participants described time conflicts between VHHM and emergency services; moreover, it was perceived as challenging to find sufficient time for capacity development in several different species for veterinarians working in mixed practice.
The relationships between early lactation energy status indicators and endocrine fertility traits in dairy cows.
Mantysaari et al., 2022
According to these findings, predictions of plasma NEFA and milk FA based on milk MIR spectra of routine test-day samples and the frequent measurement of milk BHB by Herd Navigator gave equally good predictions of cow ES during the first weeks of lactation. Our results indicate that routinely measured milk traits can be used for ES evaluation in early lactation.
Effects of free-choice pasture access on lameness recovery and behavior of lame dairy cattle
McLellan et al., 2022
These results suggest that lame dairy cows will use pasture when provided with free-choice access, primarily at night, and that access to pasture aids in lameness recovery.
Associations between time in the close-up group and milk yield, milk components, reproductive performance, and culling of Holstein dairy cows feeding acidogenic diets: A multisite study.
Venjakob et al., 2022
In conclusion, a short stay in the close-up group should be avoided to improve milk yield at first test day and to minimize culling risk for parous cows. A long stay in the close-up group (>30 d) was associated with reduced milk production and an increased ratio of fat and protein in milk of parous cows and increased SCS of nulliparous and parous cows.
Veterinarian perceptions on the care of surplus dairy calves
Hendricks et al., 2022
Conclusion. veterinarians are concerned about the care of surplus calves on dairy farms and believe that they have an important role in developing solutions together with their farmer clientele.
Different reticuloruminal pH metrics of high-yielding dairy cattle during the transition period in relation to metabolic health, activity, and feed intake
Heirbaut et al., 2022
pH patterns, rather than time pH <6, were associated with metabolic health and feed intake: high variation in daily pH was reflected in higher blood concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids.
pH deviations of the harmonic model were negatively associated with feed intake and rumination behavior
Conclusion: confirms the biological importance of pH metrics focusing on pH variation and pH deviations and provides deeper insight into its associations with metabolic health status, feed intake, and activity during early lactation.
Heat stress in a temperate climate leads to adapted sensor-based behavioral patterns of dairy cows.
Hut et al., 2022
Adaptation to daily temperature and THI was already noticeable from a mean temperature of 12°C or a mean THI of 56 or above, when dairy cows started spending less time lying and eating and spent more time standing. Further, rumination time decreased, although only in dry cows and cows on AMS farms.
With higher values for daily mean THI and temperature, walking time decreased as well. These patterns were very similar for temperature and THI variables.
A calm companion lowers fear in groups of dairy cows.
Stenfelt et al., 2022
The study found a calming effect of a trained demonstrator on test cows’ heart rate but not on latency to resume feeding or behavioral reaction.
Post hoc analyses revealed a carryover effect on latency, indicating that test cows who were accompanied by an untrained demonstrator first had longer latencies than cows in all other sub-treatments. Adding a calm, experienced cow to groups of dairy cattle may mitigate fear and thereby improve welfare and safety.
Risk factors for delayed milk ejection in Holstein dairy cows milked 3 times per day.
Wieland et al., 2022
Parity and chronically delayed milk ejection were associated such that compared with cows in their third or greater lactation, the odds (95% confidence intervals, 95% CI) of CDME were 1.27 (0.71–2.25) for cows in their first and 4.77 (2.47–9.22) for animals in their second lactation.
The odds of CDME increased with increasing stage of lactation, with an odds ratio of 0.20 (0.11–0.36) for early and 0.28 (0.15–0.52) for mid-lactation animals, respectively, compared with late lactation cows.
A lameness event during the study period increased the odds of CDME [odds ratio (95% CI): 8.04 (1.20–53.83)], as did a vaccination event 1 wk before the study period [odds ratio (95% CI): 4.07 (0.99–16.71)].
This study confirmed associations between CDME and previously reported risk factors and identified several previously less rigorously investigated health and management events that could be associated with CDME. Incremental milk flow rates from individual cows serve as an automated tool to evaluate milk flow dynamics. This information could be used to improve individual premilking udder preparation to meet the animal’s physiological requirements, improve teat and udder health, and enhance parlor efficiency.
Environmental factors affecting the conception rates of nulliparous and primiparous dairy cattle.
Ukita et al., 2022
In both nulliparous and primiparous cows, the conception rate of crossbreeding using Japanese Black (JB) semen was significantly higher than that for purebred Holstein breeding.
The conception rate using sexed semen decreased in the warmer months only in nulliparous cows.
Moreover, we grouped primiparous cows according to milk yield during peak lactation (PY; < 25, 25–30, 30–35, ≥35 kg) and the interval from calving to first insemination (CFI; < 60, 60–79, 80–99, ≥100 d), and evaluated their combined effect on the conception rate.
Both PY and CFI strongly affected the conception rate in primiparous cows, which decreased with an increase in PY, even for the group with CFI ≥100 d; however, the conception rate increased for a CFI ≥60 d regardless of PY.
Taken together, this study demonstrates the long-term effect of PY and an independent effect of CFI on the conception rate of cows.
Detection of nonpregnant cows and potential embryo losses by color Doppler ultrasound and interferon-stimulated gene expression in grazing dairy cows.
Madoz et al., 2022
The Doppler US color mode showed similar accuracy and a higher negative predictive value than the genes selected as biomarkers.
The additional B-mode ultrasound evaluation of the uterine stratum vasculare and the endometrium thickness improved the diagnostic accuracy.
Therefore, assessing the CL-BP by Doppler US allowed early detection of nonpregnant cows at 19 to 20 d post-AI.
The combination of early CL-BP by Doppler US (d 19 to 20) with early embryo detection by B-mode US (d 33–34) could be used to facilitate earlier rebreeding of dairy cows.
Bayesian estimation of sensitivity and specificity of a milk pregnancy-associated glycoprotein ELISA test for pregnancy diagnosis between 23 and 27 days after insemination in Holstein dairy cows.
Durocher et al., 2022
Estimated median Se and Sp of the PAG ELISA test conducted between 23 and 27 d after AI were 0.98 (95% credible interval 0.93 to 1.0) and 0.98 (0.89 to 1.0), respectively, when using a standardized corrected optical density threshold of 0.15.
Although the accuracy of the test under investigation was excellent, more data will be needed to confirm the optimal diagnostic cut point for PAG in milk for early pregnancy diagnosis in this time window.
The optimal timing of pregnancy diagnosis will depend on herd-specific logistics and the action to be taken to re-inseminate nonpregnant cows.
Transition milk stimulates intestinal development of neonatal Holstein calves.
Van Soest et al., 2022
We conclude that feeding TM for 4 d following an initial feeding of colostrum stimulates villus, mucosal, and submucosal development in all sections of the small intestine in the first few days of life and improves health and growth.
Effects of wildfire smoke exposure on innate immunity, metabolism, and milk production in lactating dairy cows.
Anderson et al., 2022
Exposure to elevated PM2.5 from wildfire smoke resulted in lower milk yield during exposure and for 7 d after last exposure and higher blood CO2 concentration, which persisted for 1 d following exposure.
Effects of PM2.5 and THI on metabolism were contingent on day of exposure. On lag d 0, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) was reduced with higher combined THI and PM2.5, but on subsequent lag days, THI and PM2.5 had a positive interaction on BUN.
Conversely, THI and PM2.5 had a positive interacting effect on nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) on lag d 0 but subsequently caused a reduction in circulating NEFA concentration.
Our results suggest that exposure to high wildfire-derived PM2.5, alone or in concert with elevated THI, alters systemic metabolism, milk production, and the innate immune system.
Effects of increasing air temperature on skin and respiration heat loss from dairy cows at different relative humidity and air velocity levels
Zhou et al., 2022
The results showed that skin Sensible Heat Loss (SHL) decreased with increasing ambient T and the decreasing rate was not affected by RH or AV.
The average skin SHL, however, was higher under medium and high AV levels, whereas it was similar under different RH levels.
The skin Latent Heat Loss (LHL) increased with increasing ambient T. There was no effect of RH on the increasing rate of LHL with ambient T. A larger increasing rate of skin LHL with ambient T was observed at high AV level.
When ambient T was below 20°C the total LHL (skin + respiration) represented approx. 50% of total heat loss, whereas above 28°C the LHL accounted for more than 70% of the total heat loss. Respiration heat loss increased by 34 and 24% under short and long exposures when ambient T rose from 16 to 32°C.
Combined biotin (B8), folic acid (B9), and vitamin B12 supplementation given during the transition period to dairy cows: Part I. Effects on lactation performance, energy and protein metabolism, and hormones.
Duplessis et al., 2022
Milk and total solid yields were greater by 13.5 and 13.9%, respectively, for B8-/B9B12+ [45.5 (standard error, SE: 1.8) and 5.81 (0.22) kg/d, respectively] compared with B8-/B9B12- [40.1 (1.9) and 5.10 (0.23) kg/d, respectively], but these effects were suppressed when combined with the B8 supplement.
Cows in the B8-/B9B12+ group also mobilized more body fat reserves, as suggested by a tendency to increased plasma NEFA and more milk total solids compared with B8-/B9B12- cows.
In summary, our results showed that, under the current experimental conditions, increasing B8 supply did not improve responses to the B9 and B12 supplementation.
Combined biotin, folic acid, and vitamin B12 supplementation given during the transition period to dairy cows: Part II. Effects on energy balance and fatty acid composition of colostrum and milk.
Duplessis et al., 2022
Even though body condition score was not affected by treatment, B8-/B9B12+ cows had greater BW loss by 24 kg, suggesting higher mobilization of body reserves.
Moreover, postpartum dry matter intake for B8+ cows tended to be lower by 1.6 kg/d.
These results could indicate ruminal perturbation caused by the B8 supplement, which was not protected from rumen degradation.
Under the conditions of the current study, in contrast to B8+/B9B12- cows, B8-/B9B12+ cows produced more milk without increasing dry matter intake, although these cows had greater body fat mobilization in early lactation as suggested by the FA profile and BW loss.
Associations between ultrasound hepatic measurements, body measures, and milk production traits in Holstein cows.
Piazza et al., 2022
Specifically, predicted liver TAG was inversely related to BCS, whereas PVD and LD increased with increasing heart girth, BCS, and predicted BW.
Generally, no relevant associations were observed between the US parameters and milk production traits, including when expressed in terms of productivity.
In conclusion, this study suggests that US measures of liver dimensions of clinically healthy cows are related to their size, whereas pTAG concentrations reflect body condition status, with no particular implications for milk production and productivity.
Effects of prepartum metabolizable protein
supply and management strategy on lactational
performance and blood biomarkers in dairy
cows during early lactation.
Zang et al., 2022
- Taken together, under the conditions of this study, elevated MP supply in close-up diets reduced milk production without affecting blood metabolites in multiparous dairy cows during early lactation. A combination of a shorter dry period and increased prepartum MP supply (i.e., SDHP vs. LPLP) improved prepartum dry matter intake without modifying energy-corrected milk yield and blood biomarkers in early lactation cows
Supplementation with N-carbamoylglutamate
during the transition period improves the function
of neutrophils and reduces inflammation
and oxidative stress in dairy cows.
Gu et al., 2022
- The number of lymphocytes was greater at d 7 in the blood of NCG cows.
- The plasma level of malondialdehyde was lower in the NCG group, and blood reactive oxygen species were lower at d 7, whereas total antioxidant capacity tended to be greater in the NCG group and glutathione peroxidase tended to be higher at d 21 in cows fed NCG, suggesting that NCG supplementation improved antioxidation in cows.
- The concentration of serum amyloid A was lower in NCG-fed animals during the postpartum stage.
- Overall, our results indicated that supplementation with NCG during the transition period showed the beneficial effects on animal health, by improving PMN functions and alleviating inflammation status and oxidative stress in dairy cows.
Effects of feeding 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 with an acidogenic diet during the prepartum period in dairy cows: Mineral metabolism, energy balance, and lactation performance of Holstein dairy cows
Silva et al., 2022
- Feeding 25(OH)D3 increased colostrum yield.
- The plasmatic concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 was increased with 25(OH)D3 supplementation. 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 supplementation increased plasma glucose concentration at parturition.
- The postpartum dry matter intake was not influenced by treatments.
- Feeding 25(OH)D3 increases milk yield, 3.5% fat-corrected milk, and energy-corrected milk and improves milk yield components in early lactation.
Overall, these findings suggest that 25(OH)D3 at 3 mg/d can improve the energy metabolism and lactation performance, compared with the current-feeding practice of supplementing vitamin D3 at 0.625 mg/d.
Implementation of compact calving at the farm level: A qualitative analysis of farmers operating pasture-based dairy systems in Ireland
Mulkerrins et al., 2022
- We identified 5 broad and often interrelated themes evoked by farmers regarding 6-wk CR:
o the “good” farmer;
o support networks;
o free time and family time;
o simplicity of a structured system; and
o profitability and monetary gain. - The findings of this study identify complexities and challenges at farm level when it comes to increasing 6-wk CR, such as increased workload and challenges associated with large numbers of male calves born during a condensed calving season.
- Benefits experienced by farmers as a result of increasing 6-wk CR included increased days in milk and consequently improved cash flow as well as increased grass utilization.
An examination of labor time-use on spring
calving dairy farms in Ireland.
Hogan et al., 2022
- Milking was the most time-consuming task, representing 31% of farm labor input making it an important focus for potential improvements in efficiency.
- The next 5 most time-consuming tasks were calf care (14%), grassland management (13%), cow care (10%), repairs and maintenance (10%), and administration/business (8%).
Heritability of subclinical endometritis in Norwegian
Red cows.
Diaz-Dundahl et al., 2022
- The only trait definition that had an estimated genetic variance larger than the standard error was Cyto5(PMN>5%), with an estimated heritability of 0.04. For all other definitions, the genetic variance was not significantly different from zero.
- the current study indicates that SCE is heritable at a similar level to that of clinical endometritis and metritis, and has potential as a future fertility phenotype to be used for breeding purposes.
Public attitudes toward different management
scenarios for “surplus” dairy calves
Ritter et al., 2022
participants in the groups in which the calf was slaughtered after 12 mo of age often specifically linked their acceptance of the practice to the fact that the calves’ lives had a purpose
In contrast, only 3% of the participants regarded a slaughter age of <1 mo as appropriate.
Besides the 2 main factors (age at slaughter and cow-calf separation), information on pasture access, the healthiness of the meat from the calves, and the exact age of slaughter were also considered important by participants to make a more informed decision about their view on surplus calf management
Development and evaluation of a Mycobacterium bovis interferon- enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISpot) assay for detection of bovine tuberculosis
Li et al., 2022
M. bovis IFN- ELISpot assay we established could detect infected cattle earlier than the BOVIGAM ELISA test.
Impaired autophagy aggravates oxidative stress in mammary gland of dairy cows with clinical ketosis
Yue et al., 2022
A low concentration (0.6 mM) of FFA can induce oxidative stress and activate autophagy in BMEC. At higher concentrations of FFA (1.2 mM), autophagy is impaired and oxidative stress is aggravated. Autophagy is a mechanism for BMEC to counteract FFA-induced stress.
Effects of routine treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs at calving and when lame on the future probability of lameness and culling in dairy cows: A randomized controlled trial
Wilson et al., 2022
The lameness effect size we identified was large and indicated that treating a cohort of animals with the group 3 protocol (therapeutic trim with 3d ketoprofen at treatment and calving), would lead to an absolute reduction in population lameness prevalence of approximately 10% and severe lameness prevalence of 3%, compared with animals treated in accordance with conventional best practice (group 1(therapeutic trim)).
Toward on-farm measurement of personality traits and their relationships to behavior and productivity of grazing dairy cattle
Neave et al., 2022
Cows > fearful of humans had < lying time compared with cows that scored low on this trait.
Cows > calm (during restraint) and investigative (toward the novel object) had > grazing time, which likely contributed to their greater milk production compared with cows that scored low on this trait.
Cows that were more reactive to milking produced less milk than cows that scored low on this trait.
Conclusion: individual differences in daily behavior patterns and milk production of dairy cattle are associated with personality traits of cows, measured using several short behavioral tests.
Daily behavioral measures recorded by precision technology devices may indicate bovine respiratory disease status in preweaned dairy calves
Cantor et al., 2022
Conclusion: there is the potential to use feeding and activity behaviors to identify BRD development in preweaning calves.
We suggest relative changes in unrewarded visits may be useful for algorithm development when d -5 is used as a baseline.
Evaluating the effectiveness of a single application of 7% iodine tincture umbilical dip as a prevention of infection of the external umbilical structures in dairy calves
Van Camp et al., 2022
Conclusion: administering a single application of 7% iodine tincture dip to the umbilicus around the time of birth may not be effective for preventing external umbilical infections. Farm-level management factors, including colostrum management, appear to have more influence on risk of this disease.
Suckling behavior of calves in seasonally calving pasture-based dairy systems, and possible environmental and management factors affecting suckling behaviors
Cuttance et al., 2022
Individual risk factors associated with the hazard rate ratio (HR) for time to first suckling event: 1) time to standing (calves who took more than 1.3 h to stand had a longer time from birth to first suckle); 2) age of the dam (compared with calves that were born from dams >7 years of age, calves born to dams that were 2-3 and 4-7 yr of age had a 1.49 and 1.19 HR, respectively, for time from birth to first suckle in the calving paddock).
Farm risk factors associated with the HR of suckling: 1) frequency of calf collection (calves that were born on farms that collected calves once a day suckled earlier than calves on farms that removed calves more than once a day); 2) temperature (a minimum temperature of <10°C within 6 h of a calf being born was associated with a 0.69 hazard of suckling in the calving paddock).
Conclusion: large farm variability.
Differences in the association of cough and other clinical signs with ultrasonographic lung consolidation in dairy, veal, and beef calves
Lowie et al., 2022
As a cross-sectional measurement, diagnostic accuracy of spontaneous cough is too low to be used as a criterion to select animals with pneumonia for antimicrobial treatment.
At the group level, cough monitoring holds potential as an early warning sign, after which lung ultrasonography should follow.
Development of a multivariable prediction model to identify dairy calves too young to be transported to auction markets in Canada using simple physical examination and body weight
Buczinski et al., 2022
Despite statistical significance, model accuracy, even if refined with misclassification cost term analysis, was limited at the individual level, showing the limits of using physical signs and BW or their combination as a reliable proxy of age.
The sensitivity of these models to find calves < 9 d old was not to be used for monitoring compliance with the Canadian federal regulation.
The relatively high model specificity may help to use this model as a rule-in test rather than a rule-out test.
Using a target trial approach to evaluate the role of hyperketonemia in sole ulcer and white line hoof lesion development
Wynands et al., 2022
The odds of having SUWL in HYK+ was 0.66 times the odds of that for HYK- cows.
For cows diagnosed with a lesion (digital dermatitis, corkscrew, toe, foot rot, or other lesion) at their precalving hoof trim, the odds of having SUWL for HYK+ cows were 0.43 times the odds of that for HYK- cows.
Conclusion: the wide range of compatible causal estimates suggest that hyperketonemia likely has a limited role in the development of SUWL in cows with or without a hoof lesion precalving.
A systematic review of the cost of ketosis in dairy cattle
Cainzos et al., 2022
Although most of the studies were well-designed and used high-quality data, the systematic approach review does not allow combination of the cost estimates of into a single figure.
The effect of hides and parity on behavior of periparturient dairy cows at pasture
Jensen et al., 2022
Conclusion: primiparous cows move further away from herd members at calving than multiparous cows and suggest that primiparous cows prefer to isolate themselves through distance rather than seeking artificial cover.
Conclusion 2: contrary to expectation, the hides did not make more cows select a calving site away from the feeding area.
Effect of colostrum on the acute-phase response in neonatal dairy calves
Peetsalu et al., 2022
The colostrum IL-6 concentrations were positively associated with serum IL-6 in the first 3 wk of life.
Colostrum IL-1 was positively associated with calves’ serum IL-1 during the first week of life, and colostrum TNF- was positively associated with calves’ serum TNF- during the first 2 wk of life.
Serum IL-1 concentrations differed over the 3 wk, being the highest during the first week and the lowest during the second week.
For IL-6, the concentration during the first week was the highest, and for TNF-, a steady decline in the concentration was observed.
Serum SAA concentrations were elevated during the first 2 wk of life and subsequently declined during the third week.
Albumin concentrations were lowest in the first week, whereas Hp concentrations were highest during the second week.
Serum concentrations of SAA, Hp, IL-6, and TNF- during the second week were negatively associated with ADWG at 9 mo of age.
The SAA and Hp concentrations during the third week of age had a negative association with 9-mo ADWG.
Conclusion: colostrum cytokines influence calf serum cytokine concentrations. Thus, they influence the newborn calves’ adaptation to the environment and the development of their immune system. Factors that activate an APR during the second and third week of life have a long-term influence on calves’ development.
Effect of plane of nutrition and analgesic drug treatment on wound healing and pain following cautery disbudding in preweaning dairy calves
Reedman et al., 2022
Conclusion: biological nutritional (no limitation) milk feeding program for calves can result in faster healing times and more activity, and that providing an extra NSAID 3 d after disbudding appears to slow the healing process but may result in less pain experienced by the calf 1 to 2 wk after the procedure.
Conclusion 2: after the complete removal of the horn bud, wounds can take more than 8 weeks to re-epithelize and fully heal.
Bayesian estimation of sensitivity and specificity of a rapid mastitis test kit, bacterial culture, and PCR for detection of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus species, and coliforms in bovine milk samples
Chamchoy et al., 2022
Conclusion: use of the on-farm mastitis test kit could enhance sustainable antimicrobial drug use by rapidly identifying Streptococcus mastitis for targeted treatment.
Conclusion2: Staph. aureus outbreak where cows can be rapidly screened to identify cases for segregation or culling during an outbreak and kit-negative cows further confirmed by milk culture or qPCR.
Associations of somatic cell count with milk yield and reproductive performance in grazing dairy cows
Rearte et al., 2022
In conclusion, SCC is negatively associated with the risk for conception and with daily milk yield in grazing dairy cows. This negative relationship with conception is higher when SCC increase occurs after the service date and it is influenced by severity of mastitis, and in the case of milk yield, the negative association is influenced by parity, milk production quartile, and severity of mastitis.
Distribution of staphylococcal and mammaliicoccal species from compost-bedded pack or sand-bedded freestall dairy farms
Adkins et al., 2022
Conclusion: staphylococcal and mammaliicoccal species were highly prevalent among samples from both farm types (used>unused).
The transfer of passive immunity in calves born at pasture
Mason et al., 2022
For every hour longer postbirth that it took for a calf to have its first suckling event, odds of FPT at d 3 increased by 1.21 times, and compared with calves that only suckled once, calves that suckled 2, 3-5, or >5 times had 0.42, 0.35, and 0.10 times the odds of FPT, respectively.
For every 1-percentage-point increase in the Brix % of the colostrum, the odds of FPT decreased by 33%.
Calves that suckled in the paddock and were fed colostrum with ≥22% Brix had the highest STP, and lowest odds of FPT, of any suckling/Brix % combination.
Calves that suckled in the paddock and were fed colostrum with ≥22% Brix had the highest STP, and lowest odds of FPT, of any suckling/Brix % combination. There was a trend for STP to be greater in calves that suckled in the paddock and fed <22% Brix compared with calves that did not suckle in the paddock and fed ≥22% Brix. However, the calves in the former group also tended to have a greater risk of FPT at d 3, and a greater STP variability. There were very large between-farm variabilities for rates of suckling, colostrum feeding, and FPT risk that urgently require further investigation for calves born at pasture.
Effects of concentrate allowance and individual dairy cow personality traits on behavior and production of dairy cows milked in a free-traffic automated milking system
Schwanke et al., 2022
Consequently, total DMI was greater on the H-AMS treatment (30.4 vs. 29.1 kg/d). When on the H-AMS treatment, cows who were more alert-curious consumed more PMR, whereas cows who were more fearful of the novel human were less likely to receive the maximum amount of AMS concentrate available, limiting their total DMI and increasing the day-to-day variability of that intake.
data suggest an association between dairy cow personality traits and how cows respond to increased AMS concentrate allowance.
Graduate Student Literature Review: What is known about the eliminative behaviors of dairy cattle?
Tonooka et al., 2022
Relationships exist between eliminative behaviors (frequencies and distribution over time and space for defecations and urinations, how the animal responds to cow-related and environmental factors by way of altered patterns of defecation and urination, and how an animal carries out and responds to its own acts of elimination) and activity levels of the animals and activity levels of the people who manage them, suggesting that types of housing systems play a key role in mainly where and when eliminations occur.
It also seems that individual animals vary in their elimination frequencies, in which case it may be interesting to determine what aspects of their individuality contribute to these differences.
Refining the timing of management routines and training of animals are some options in the next steps toward managing eliminative behaviors.
Effects of a low- or high-frequency colostrum feeding protocol on immunoglobulin G absorption in newborn calves
Lopez et al., 2022
Conclusion: although LF calves had a greater AUC, HF calves were still able to absorb IgG in the second and third meal, allowing HF calves to achieve serum IgG levels similar to those of LF calves at 24 h.
Conclusion 2: the provision of 3 meals at 70.5 g/L of IgG within the first 12 h of life did not result in added benefits to serum IgG or AEA levels.
Identification and characterization of dairy cows with different backfat thickness antepartum in relation to postpartum loss of backfat thickness: A cluster analytic approach
Riosa et al., 2022
Cows categorized as very fat had lesser milk yield than other clusters.
Overall, overconditioned cows lost more BFT than normal or lean cows. However, those OC cows with a smaller loss of BFT produced less milk than OC cows with greater losses
Associations between anogenital distance and
measures of fertility in lactating North American
Holstein cows: A validation study.
Carrelli et al., 2022
We infer that although selecting cows for short AGD is expected to have an adverse effect on milk yield, the anticipated gain in fertility will outweigh the small decline in milk yield, strengthening the potential of AGD as a novel reproductive phenotype for use in future breeding programs to improve fertility.
Effect of nerve growth factor-β administered
at insemination for lactating Holstein dairy
cows bred after timed-artificial insemination
protocol.
Hubner et al., 2022
There was an interaction effect between treatment and parity for plasma progesterone; however, plasma progesterone and ISG did not differ between treatments. There were no effects of NGF for P/AI at 37 d post-AI (NGF = 40.0% vs. control = 41.6%), 65 d post-AI (NGF = 36.0% vs. control = 38.1%), and for pregnancy loss (NGF = 8.4% vs. control = 7.7%). The current study revealed that effects to NGF in lactating Holstein cows were minor and contingent with parity for progesterone, and no improvement in ISG relative abundance and P/AI were observed.
Life cycle assessment of pasture-based dairy production systems: Current and future performance
Herron et al., 2022
Moving from the current dairy system to the target dairy system was reported to reduce the environmental impact per kilogram of FPCM across all impact categories investigated. When expressed per hectare, transitioning toward the target dairy system reduced acidification, freshwater eutrophication, and nonrenewable energy depletion by 2.0%, 8.8%, and 13.8%, respectively.
In contrast, transitioning toward the target dairy system increased global warming per hectare and, to a lesser degree, marine eutrophication potential per hectare.
The increase in global warming and marine eutrophication potential per hectare was attributed to the increase in stocking rate and subsequently milk production per hectare (9,950 vs. 14,100 kg of FPCM/ha).
This study demonstrates that the adoption of management practices that improve system efficiency will reduce the environmental impact per kilogram of FPCM and can contribute to the future sustainability of pasture-based dairy systems.
However, improved system efficiency can be offset by the associated increase in productivity, highlighting the importance of reporting multiple environmental impact categories and functional units to prevent pollution swapping.
Predictors of diarrhea, mortality, and weight gain in male dairy calves
Schinwald et al.
The proportion of days with diarrhea significantly decreased weight gain at 14, 56, and 77 d following arrival.
An increased proportion of days with diarrhea increased the risk of mortality.
A higher proportion of days with an abnormal fecal score increased the hazard of antibiotic treatment.
Our results highlight the substantial influence the presence of abnormal fecal consistency has on short-term weight gain, mortality risk, and morbidity risk. We also demonstrate that diarrhea occurrence can be predicted using body weight at arrival and calf source. Further research should evaluate longer-term effects of diarrhea and better understand the effect of arrival weight on neonatal calf disease risk.
Effects of an intensive experimental protocol on health, fertility, and production in transition dairy cows
Snedec et al.
EXP: serial protocol-based clinical and ultrasonographic examinations, puncture of the jugular vein for blood collection or drug application, and liver biopsy samples, 14 d before until 42 d after parturition
Most procedure-related adverse effects were associated with transcutaneous liver biopsies and included diffuse inflammation of the skin incision, abscessation of the skin or subcutis, and increased liver echogenicity of the biopsy site.
The experimental procedures had a negative effect on milk yield at the start and end of lactation resulting in a lower 305-d milk yield in the EXP group than in the CTR group.
The milk fat % and SCC was higher in the EXP group than in the CTR group.
No effect on first service conception rate and time to pregnancy.
Fewer stillbirths in the CTR vs EXP group.
No effect on time to culling or type of culling, whereby poor production was a more frequent reason noted for culling in the EXP group.
Experimental procedures had no effect on first service conception rate and time to pregnancy, but had a positive effect on stillbirth rate with fewer stillbirths in the CTR group (0%) than in the EXP group (3.9%). Furthermore, experimental handling had no effect on time to culling or type of culling, whereby poor production was a more frequent reason noted for culling in the EXP group. Procedure-associated impairment of production in dairy cows is rarely reported and allows the estimation of the effects of such a study protocol on animal health and production. As a limitation for the interpretation of the results, the number of animals included and conduction in one single herd have to be considered.
Transition cow nutrition and management strategies of dairy herds in the northeastern United States: Part I – Herd description and performance characteristics
Kerwin et al.
The prevalence of herds with ≥15% of sampled cows with elevated concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids prepartum and postpartum, β-hydroxybutyrate postpartum, and haptoglobin postpartum was 51%, 51%, 51%, and 57%, respectively.
Cows were moved to a calving pen when showing signs of labor and remain there or in maternity pen for a median (range) time of 2 (0-24) h after parturition.
Primiparous cows remained in the first pen moved to after parturition for a longer period than multiparous cows.
~ 20% of herds had routine vaccinations administered in the maternity or calving pen, first pen after parturition, or both.
Almost all herds performed fresh cow health checks but only 53% locked up all fresh cows daily.
More herds housed primiparous and multiparous cows in separate pens during the far-off dry and high-lactation periods compared with the close-up dry and fresh periods.
At least half of the pens observed during the far-off dry, close-up dry, and fresh periods had a stocking density <100%. Approximately one-third of pens observed during the far-off dry period had feed pushed up ≤4×/d compared with approximately 15 to 20% of pens observed during the close-up dry, fresh, and high-lactation periods.
More than half of the total mixed ration samples acquired from the far-off and close-up dry period visits had greater than the recommended proportion of particles in the 19-mm screen of the Penn State Particle Separator.
The results of this observational study illustrated the range of management practices used in freestall herds in this region and lay the groundwork for future hypothesis-driven studies using this sampled population.
Transition cow nutrition and management strategies of dairy herds in the northeastern United States: Part II – Associations of metabolic- and inflammation-related analytes with health, milk yield, and reproduction
Kerwin et al., 2022
The prepartum NEFA and Hp threshold associated with culling was ≥0.17 mmol/L and 0.45 g/L, respectively.
The postpartum NEFA and BHB thresholds associated with diagnosis of metritis, displaced abomasum, or clinical ketosis were ≥0.46 mmol/L and ≥0.9 mmol/L, respectively.
Multiparous cows with prepartum NEFA concentration ≥0.17 mmol/L produced 479 kg less ME305. Multiparous and primiparous cows with postpartum NEFA concentration ‚â*0.46 mmol/L produced 280 kg less and 446 kg more ME305, respectively.
Cows with BHB concentration ≥0.9 and ≥1.1 mmol/L produced 552 kg more ME305 and had a 20% decreased risk of pregnancy within 150 d in milk, respectively; however, multiparous cows with BHB concentration ≥1.5 mmol/L produced 376 kg less ME305.
Cows with Hp concentration ≥0.45 g/L produced 492 kg less ME305 and had 28% decreased risk of pregnancy within 150 DIM.
Cows with Hp concentration ≥0.45 g/L had 19% decreased pregnancy risk to first service (PRFS).
Herds above the herd-alarm levels for prepartum NEFA had a 6.0-percentage unit increase in disorder incidence and a 6.0-percentage unit decrease in 21-d pregnancy rate (PR) for multiparous cows, a 3.9-percentage unit increase in PR and a 5.8-percentage unit increase in the probability of pregnancy for primiparous cows.
Herds above the herd-alarm levels for postpartum NEFA had a 5.8- and 4.2-percentage unit increase in disorder incidence for multiparous and primiparous cows, respectively, a 789 kg decrease in ME305 for multiparous cows, and a 6.8- and 6.3-percentage unit decrease and increase in PR and PRFS for multiparous cows, respectively.
Herds above the herd-alarm levels for BHB had an 8.5-percentage unit increase in disorder incidence, a 332 and 229 kg increase in ME305 for primiparous and multiparous cows, respectively, and a 3.2-, 5.2-, and 7.0-percentage unit decrease in PR, probability of pregnancy, and PRFS, respectively.
Herds above the herd-alarm levels for postpartum Hp had a 5.3-percentage unit increase in disorder incidence. At the cow level and herd level, elevated biomarker concentrations were associated with an increased disorder risk and varied performance responses.
At the cow level and herd level, elevated biomarker concentrations were associated with an increased disorder risk and varied performance responses.
Comparing microRNA in milk small extracellular vesicles among healthy cattle and cattle at high risk for bovine leukemia virus transmission
Nakanishi et al.
Conclusion: the amount of hsa-miR-424-5p was higher in milk sEV from BLV-infected cattle and increasing the hsa-miR-424-5p in milk sEV could be one of the characteristic trends in cattle that are high risk for BLV transmission.
Effect of selective dry cow treatment on udder health and antimicrobial usage on Dutch dairy farms
Tijs et al.
Bulk tank SCC and the incidence rate of SCM on farms with a CMS were statistically lower than on farms with an AMS, whereas the incidence rate of CM did not significantly differ between both groups of farms.
The AMS farms had more cows per herd treated with antimicrobials at drying-off and a larger proportion of severe CM cases than did CMS farms.
Conclusion: udder health parameters did not differ from those found in Dutch studies before and around the time of implementing SDCT, whereas SDCT was widely applied on Dutch dairy farms during the study period.
Dutch dairy farmers were able to handle the changed policy of antimicrobial use at drying-off while maintaining indicators of a good udder health
Hepatic triacylglycerol associations with production and health in dairy cows
Arshad et al.
Conclusion: concentrations of hepatic triacylglycerol in early lactation varied substantially, and increments resulted in quadratic association with productive performance, but at the expense of tissue reserves as those cows had increased tissue catabolism and risk of diseases that reduced survival.
Seroprevalence of Mycoplasma bovis in bulk milk samples in Irish dairy herds and risk factors associated with herd seropositive status
McAloon et al.
Positive: 588/1,313 BTM samples (apparent herd prevalence of 0.45).
Significant risk factors for herd BTM seropositivity to M. bovis: herd size, the number of neighboring farms, in-degree and country.
Conclusion:
high apparent herd prevalence of seropositivity to M. bovis;
M. bovis infection is now endemic in the Irish dairy sector.
Effect of Holstein genotype on immune response to an intramammary Escherichia coli challenge
Lippolis et al.
A key difference between the immune reaction of the 2 genotypes was that the immune response to E. coli was largely contained within the mammary gland of the UH cows (unselected holstein) but became more systemic in the CH cows (contemporary holstein).
UH cows exerted more effective control of E. coli infused into the mammary gland.
These data demonstrate that UH cows exerted more effective control of E. coli infused into the mammary gland and thus support the hypothesis that selection practices since the mid-1960s have resulted in CH cows with an immune system that is less effective in fighting intramammary infections. Identification of genetic factors associated with enhanced immune functions that differ between the UH and CH cows could contribute to efforts to reintroduce or enhance beneficial components that have been lost or reduced in the CH cows since the mid-1960s.
Retention of internal teat sealants over the dry period and their efficacy in reducing clinical and subclinical mastitis at calvings
Bates et al.
Conclusion: both products had equivalent efficacy for SCM and CM. As the quantity of residual increased, the difference in residual weight recovered increased but this may represent increases in debris rather than indicating a more effective barrier.
First test-day postcalving risk factors for clinical mastitis in southern Chile dairy farms: A retrospective cohort study
Astorga-Jorquera et al.
Significant interactions between days in milk with season and parity were observed, where for every 5-d increase in DIM, the odds of clinical mastitis decreased by different proportions depending on the interaction.
Reproductive tract disease in Irish grazing dairy cows: Retrospective observational study examining its association with reproductive performance and accuracy of 2 diagnostic tests
Kelly et al.
Cows with a purulent vaginal discharge score of 2 or 3, and a ultrasonical examination of endometritis score of 1, 2, 3, or 4 < likely to conceive than cows with a PVD/UE score 0.
Conclusion: higher scores in both tests were associated with impaired fertility, and UE scoring with a threshold of ≥1 had the highest test Se and Sp estimates although test Se was conditional on days in milk when the PBE occurred.
A high-concentrate diet induces an inflammatory response and oxidative stress and depresses milk fat synthesis in the mammary gland of dairy cows
Ma et al.
Conclusion: HC diet can induce SARA with increased concentration of LPS in the peripheral vein, stimulate inflammatory reactions and oxidative stress, and inhibit milk fat synthesis in the mammary gland of dairy cows.
Evaluation of luteolysis, follicle size, and time
to ovulation in Holstein heifers treated with two
different analogs and doses of prostaglandin-F2α.
Umana Sedo et al., 2022
Among heifers that underwent luteolysis, progesterone concentrations from 18 to 36 h after treatment were lesser in heifers treated with cloprostenol compared with those treated with dinoprost.
Type of PGF2α did not affect progesterone concentrations past 36 h from treatment; however, heifers treated with 2 PGF2α injections had lesser progesterone concentrations and CL blood flow from 36 to 72 h after treatment compared with heifers that received a single PGF2α injection.
Performance and visceral tissue growth and development of Holstein calves fed differing milk replacer allowances and starch concentrations in pelleted starter
Yohe et al., 2022
- High-milk replacer allowance calves had increased BW during wk 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. The difference in BW disappeared by wk 8, with overall average daily gain having a tendency to be increased in high (0.57 ± 0.04 kg/d) compared with low-MRA (0.50 ± 0.04 kg/d) calves, whereas average daily gain was increased in high-MRA calves during wk 2 and 3 and increased in low-MRA calves during wk 7 and 8.
- increase in rumen mass in low- compared with high-MRA calves, as well as in low- compared with high-Starch starter calves was observed.
- The length, width, and 2-dimensional area of rumen papillae were also increased in low- (area: 0.88 ± 0.03 mm2) compared with high-MRA (0.46 ± 0.03 mm2) calves. The majority of differences were attributed to increased MR allowance, which contributed to reduced pelleted starter intake by more than 50% and reduced rumen development, whereas differences in starch intake from the completely pelleted starter had minimal effects on overall growth and tissue measurements.
Effects of prepartum supplementation of β-carotene in Holstein cows
Prom et al., 2022
- Cows fed BC had lower peak milk than cows fed CON (50.9 vs. 55.3), but total lactation milk yield did not differ significantly.
- No effects of BC were observed on days to conception (100 d) or times bred (2.4).
- Treatments did not affect incidences of ketosis, retained placenta, displaced abomasum, off feed, lameness, footrot, mastitis, or metritis.
- In conclusion, in pregnant cows already receiving adequate vitamin A but with low serum β-carotene concentration, supplementation of β-carotene increased concentrations of β-carotene and vitamin A in blood serum, but did not affect production, reproduction, or health.
Revenues and costs of dairy cows with different voluntary waiting periods based on data of a randomized control trial
Burgers et al. 2022
- The VWP was not significantly associated with the net partial cash flow per cow per year.
- A change in milk, feed, or calf price, or a change in labor costs for calving cows or for inseminations had a greater effect on the yearly NPCF of cows in VWP50 compared with cows in VWP200.
Effects of dietary butyrate supplementation and
oral nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug administration
on serum inflammatory markers and
productivity of dairy cows during the calving
transition.
Engelking et al., 2022
- Dietary butyrate supplementation and oral NSAID administration did not affect milk yield or postpartum serum concentrations of amyloid A and haptoglobin.
- However, butyrate-fed cows increased plasma fatty acid concentration on d -4 relative to calving (501 vs. 340 μEq/L) and tended to increase serum haptoglobin concentration (0.23 vs. 0.10 mg/mL).
- Butyrate-fed cows tended to have lower milk crude protein yield compared with cows fed the control diet (1.21 vs. 1.27 kg/d).
- Dietary butyrate supplementation and oral NSAID administration did not have overall positive effects on production performance of dairy cows during the calving transition period.
Access time to pasture under wet soil conditions:
Effects on productivity and profitability
of pasture-based dairying.
Fenger et al., 2022
- Less time spent at pasture under wet soil conditions lowered treading damage but had no effect on annual pasture production (mean 14.8 t of organic matter/ha).
- Annual milk solids production per cow was lowest for the control herd (485 kg) and not different between the other systems (503 kg).
- Reducing treading damage to swards did not improve productivity or profitability of the grazing systems.
Reducing milking frequency from twice each
day to three times each two days affects protein
but not fat yield in a pasture-based dairy
system.
Edwards et al., 2022
- For the proportion of the season milked 3-in-2, there was a significant effect on milk (−11%), protein (−8%), and lactose (−12%) yield per cow per year, but no effect of fat.
- Additionally, there was a positive effect (+6%) on body condition score before dry-off
- There were no differences in estimated feed eaten, or pasture herbage accumulation, composition, or quality. Therefore, pasture management and feed allocation under 3-in-2 should be similar to TAD.
- On commercial farms, the degree to which reduced milk income can be offset by lower costs will be highly farm-specific, but opportunities for savings were identified in the results.
- The short walking distances on the research farm and potential to improve farm management using the time saved from fewer milkings suggests better production may be achieved with 3-in-2 milking on a commercial farm.
Effects of bovine casein hydrolysate as a dry
cow therapy on prevention and cure of bovine
intramammary infection, milk production, and
somatic cell count in the subsequent lactation.
Shoshani and van Straten, 2022
- Results suggest that a single intramammary administration of bCNH at dry-off effectively increases milk yield and lowers SCC, prevents new IMI during the dry period, and may be a beneficial alternative for curing existing IMI at dry-off, mainly by CNS.
Effects of restricted dietary phosphorus supply
during the dry period on productivity and
metabolism in dairy cows.
Wächter et al., 2022
- The results reported here indicate that restricted dietary P supply during the dry period positively affected the Ca homeostasis of periparturient dairy cows but did not reveal negative effects on DMI, milk production, or metabolic activity in the following lactation. Restriction of P during the dry period was associated with hypophosphatemia antepartum but neither exacerbated postparturient hypophosphatemia, which is commonly observed in fresh cows, nor was associated with any clinical or subclinical indication of P deficiency in early lactation.
Hay provision affects 24-h performance of normal
and abnormal oral behaviors in individually
housed dairy calves.
Downey et al., 2022
- During weaning, hay calves tended to consume increasingly more total mixed ration, significantly more water, and less grain than control calves.
- Hay calves also spent less time self-grooming (12% vs. 14%), tongue flicking (14% vs. 18%), and performing NNOM (17% vs. 21%) than control calves.
- Overall, we found that hay provision affected most oral behaviors that calves perform; it promoted natural feeding behaviors and reduced abnormal ones, suggesting hay should be provided.
Effects of provision of drinking water on the behavior
and growth rate of group-housed calves
with different milk allowances.
Lowe et al., 2022
- The provision of drinking water was associated with a greater proportion of observations eating hay but less eating calf starter.
- The increase in the proportion of observations eating calf starter with age was greater for calves on a low milk allowance than of those provided a high milk allowance; this is likely due to calves on a low milk allowance searching for nutrients and energy.
- Calves on a high milk allowance grew faster and spent more time lying compared with calves with a low milk allowance, thus suggesting greater satiety of well-fed calves.
Our results suggest that calves should have free access to drinking water from birth and that access to drinking water may aid in hay (fiber) intake and possibly rumen development.
Western Canadian dairy farmers’ perspectives
on the provision of outdoor access for dairy cows
and on the perceptions of other stakeholders.
Smid et al., 2022
- However, participants shared that the Canadian supply management system (including processors) required a consistent flow of production, which was thought to be easier and more economically realized with indoor housing of lactating cows.
- Participants believed that pasture or outdoor access for dairy cows was desired by the public.
- Some participants believed that dairy cows prefer to spend time outside under favorable weather conditions, but others felt that cows preferred to stay indoors in modern, ventilated freestall barns.
The results of this study describe the perspectives of dairy farmers regarding the views of dairy industry stakeholders as they relate to outdoor access, helping to inform conversations around the provision of outdoor access for dairy cattle.
Heat stress during the transition period is associated
with impaired production, reproduction,
and survival in dairy cows.
Menta et al., 2022
- These data suggest that POST HS is associated with performance losses to a greater extent than prepartum HS and that nulliparous and parous cows are prompt to losses associated with exposure to HS during the transition period.
Buffering lidocaine heightens aversion to cornual
nerve injections in dairy calves.
Adcock and Tucker, 2022
- Contrary to our hypothesis, struggling was most marked in calves that received buffered lidocaine.
- Similarly, calves administered unbuffered or buffered lidocaine had elevated heart rates for 1 or 3 min after the first injection, respectively, compared with at the end of the 5-min observation period. Calves in the buffered treatment had lower eye temperatures in the first half of the observation period compared with the second half, consistent with responses cattle show to other aversive procedures, but no changes over time were observed in the other 2 treatments.
These results suggest that cornual nerve blocks are aversive, at least in the short term, and that buffering the lidocaine worsens the calf’s response to this procedure.
Efficacy of bacteriocin-based formula for reducing
staphylococci, streptococci, and total bacterial counts on teat skin of dairy cows.
Bennett et al., 2022
- Thus, nisin and the bacteriocin consortium showed the most promise as a teat disinfectant by reducing staphylococci, streptococci, and total bacteria counts.
Dynamics of automatically generated body condition scores during early lactation and pregnancy at first artificial insemination of Holstein cows.
Pinedo et al., 2022
- Changes in BCS were calculated by periods of interest as change from dry-off to calving (multiparous cows); change from calving to 21 DIM; change from calving to 56 DIM; and change from calving to first artificial insemination and assigned into categories as large loss of BCS (top 25% of cows losing BCS); moderate loss (bottom 75% of cows losing BCS); no change (ΔBCS = 0); or gain of BCS (ΔBCS > 0).
- cows with large loss in BCS between calving and 21 DIM, calving and 56 DIM, and calving and first artificial insemination had lower odds of P/AI1 compared with other categories of ΔBCS within the same period of interest.
- Being in the lower quartile at any time point post-partum was a risk factor for decreased odds of P/AI1
- Overall, low BCS and more pronounced reductions in BCS occurring closer to first artificial insemination resulted in lower odds of pregnancy per artificial insemination.
Lipopolysaccharide challenge following intravenous
amino acid infusion in postpartum dairy
cows: I. Production, metabolic, and hormonal
responses.
Chandler et al., 2022
- Despite differences in circulating concentrations of nutrients and hormones before challenge, metabolic responses to systemic inflammation did not differ between the 2 treatments. We conclude that AA infusion changed metabolic status and milk fat but did not appear to alter the metabolic response to subsequent systemic inflammation.
Lipopolysaccharide challenge following intravenous
amino acid infusion in postpartum dairy
cows: II. Clinical and inflammatory responses.
Chandler et al., 2022
- We conclude that AA infusion before systemic inflammatory challenge decreased the anti-inflammatory response but did not alter concentrations of other systemic markers of inflammation.
Effect of different dietary regimens at dry-off on
performance, metabolism, and immune system
in dairy cows.
Jermann et al., 2022
- Overall, the short-term negative energy balance induced by feed restriction was temporarily accompanied by metabolic adaptations, but did not alter the studied factors related to the immune system. Metabolic and endocrine adaptations supporting milk synthesis were continued during the first days after dry-off despite cessation of milking. Thus, the abrupt dry-off resulted in a short-term increase of glucose and triglyceride concentrations, with a delayed endocrine response to re-establish nutrient homeostasis in blood.
Replacing concentrates with a high-quality hay
in the starter feed of dairy calves: II. Effects on
the development of chewing and gut fermentation,
and selected systemic health variables.
Poier et al., 2022
- Data showed that calves fed the HQH diet consumed more peNDF and this was associated with longer rumination time (591 min/d) and more ruminating boli (709 boli/d) * In conclusion, feeding high-quality hay, instead of concentrate-rich starter feeds, resulted in improved rumination and ruminal fermentation profile, without affecting ruminal pH and systemic and stress health variables.
Estimating the nonlinear association of online somatic cell count, lactate dehydrogenase, and electrical conductivity with milk yield
Bonestroo et al.
Milk synthesis rate decreased with increasing SCC, LDH, and EC, but in a nonlinear fashion.
The thresholds at which milk synthesis rate started to decrease were 2.5 LnSCC (12,000 SCC/mL) to 3.75 LnSCC (43,000 SCC/mL), 0 to 1 LnLDH (1-2.7 U/L), and 5.0 to 6.0 mS/cm for EC.
Another substantial decrease of milk synthesis rate was observed at thresholds of 5.625 LnSCC (277,000 SCC/mL) and 3 LnLDH (20 LDH U/L) but not for EC.
Having chronic mastitis decreased milk synthesis rate in all models.
* The identified nonlinearities between mastitis indicators and milk synthesis rate should be incorporated in statistical models for more accurate estimations of milk loss due to mastitis.
Assessment of the main pathogens associated with clinical and subclinical endometritis in cows by culture and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry identification
Paiano et al., 2022
> isolation rate of Trueperella pyogenes in CE cows compared with healthy and SCE cows.
Some anaerobic species were exclusively isolated from the CE group, even though they presented lower frequency.
18.1% of samples from CE cows and 40% of SCE cows were negative to bacterial isolation.
* The method of sample collection, culture, and identification by MALDI-TOF MS were essential for the success of the analyses.
Effects of rumen-protected glutamate supplementation during the periparturient period on digestibility, inflammation, metabolic responses, and performance in dairy cows
Hisadomi et al. 2022
- These findings suggest that feeding RP-Glu during the periparturient period can increase digestive capacity and feed intake, and decrease mobilization of body fat and protein immediately after calving without increasing milk production.
Economics of timed artificial insemination with unsorted or sexed semen in a high-producing, pasture-based dairy production system.
Walsh et al., 2022
Combined application of both technologies was shown to return a greater annual ΔPROF on average compared with that achievable from TAI alone.
* However, the risk of not returning a positive annual ΔPROF varied across the scenarios with higher risk in TCONV-H (conventional semen in heifers) and TSEX-HC (sexed semen in heifers and cows)
* Sensitivity analysis showed that when hormone costs increased by €10/cow TCONV-H and TSEX-HC had a 38 and 23% chance, respectively, of not returning a positive annual ΔPROF
Public attitude toward and perceptions of dairy
cattle welfare in cow-calf management systems
differing in type of social and maternal contact.
Sirovica et al., 2022
These results, in combination with many participants’ concern for the importance of the mother cow-calf relationship and perceptions that severing of this bond was a breach of standard of care, suggest that there may be low acceptance of any cow-calf management system involving early separation as such systems are unlikely to resonate with underlying values.
The effect of environmental temperature on
average daily gain in preweaned calves: A randomized
controlled trial and Bayesian analysis.
Hyde et al., 2022
- This study demonstrated that a 1-kW heat lamp was effective in increasing ADG in calves, and no significant effect of calf jacket on ADG was found.
- A significant, positive effect of increased pen temperature on calf ADG was identified in this study and was reinforced when including prior information from previous research within a Bayesian framework.
Heat treatment of colostrum at 60°C decreases colostrum immunoglobulins but increases serum immunoglobulins and serum total protein: A meta-analysis.
Malik et al., 2022
- In conclusion, the present work demonstrated that the heat treatment of colostrum ≤60°C decreased colostrum IgG by 5.38 g/L for LT and increased serum IgG by 2.65 g/L and STP by 0.21 g/dL.
The effect of transdermal flunixin meglumine on blood cortisol levels in dairy calves after cautery disbudding with local anesthesia.
Röder et al., 2022
- In conclusion, transdermal flunixin meglumine given at the time of disbudding combined with local anesthesia decreased concentrations of the stress biomarker cortisol, but a second dose 6 h after disbudding had no further effect on plasma cortisol levels.
Effect of dry-off management on milking behavior, milk yield, and somatic cell count of dairy cows milked in automated milking systems.
France et al., 2022
- Overall, these data suggest that reducing both milking frequency and feed quantity in the AMS is the most efficient method to decrease milk yield before dry-off, without negatively influencing milking frequency or yield in the next lactation, as well as without affecting milk quality.
Cattle farmer psychosocial profiles and their association with control strategies for bovine viral diarrhea.
Prosser et al., 2022
- In conclusion, farmer psychosocial factors were associated with strategies for BVD control in UK cattle farmers. Psychological proximity to veterinarians was a novel factor associated with proactive BVD control and was more important than the more extensively investigated trust. These findings highlight the importance of a close veterinarian-farmer relationship and are important for promoting effective BVD control by farmers, which has implications for successful nationwide BVD control and eradication schemes.
Streptococcus dysgalactiae ssp. dysgalactiae in Norwegian bovine dairy herds: Risk factors, sources, and genomic diversity.
Smistad et al., 2022
- Risk factors for high incidence of SDSD-IMI in freestall dairy herds were related to housing, including closed flooring in alleys and rubber mats in cubicle bases.
- Parlor milking was also a risk factor compared with automatic milking systems.
- From herd visits, a considerable proportion of extramammary samples were SDSD positive, particularly from wounds and skin of the animals and the cubicle bases. Samples from mucous surfaces (nostrils, rectum, and vagina) and water troughs were least frequently positive.
- No significant association was identified between sampling site (milk, body sites, and environment) and SDSD sequence types.
- Findings in this study suggest that SDSD is a cow-adapted opportunist with potential for contagious transmission, and that the freestall environment is likely to play a role in transmission between cows.
Pregnancy status predicted using milk midinfrared
spectra from dairy cattle.
Tiplady et al., 2022
- Our results demonstrate that in pasture-based seasonal calving herds, confounding between pregnancy status and spectral changes associated with stage of lactation can inflate prediction accuracies. When the effect of this confounding was reduced, prediction accuracies were not sufficiently high enough to use as a sole indicator of pregnancy status.
Effects of compound probiotics on growth performance, rumen fermentation, blood parameters, and health status of neonatal Holstein calves
Wang et al., 2022
- diet supplemented with compound probiotics had no effects on the body weight, average daily gain, dry matter intake, and feed efficiency.
- At 90 d of age, diet supplemented with compound probiotics decreased the withers height.
- Immunity activities increased in the high compound group, supported by the increased concentrations of serum total protein and immunoglobulins at 40 d of age, and by the increased activity of superoxide dismutase at 80 d of age.
- Diet supplemented with compound probiotics altered rumen fermentation, by decreasing rumen acetic acid and propionic acid, and increasing butyric acid concentrations.
- Diet supplemented with compound probiotics improved the health status of calves, indicated by the decreased fecal score at 3 wk of age and the medicine usage
In summary, although diet supplemented with HP (1.2g) decreased the withers height, this level of probiotics is recommended to improve rumen development and health status of newborn Holstein calves.
A scoping review of the analytical literature concerning nonambulatory dairy cattle
McFarlane et al., 2022
The majority of the controlled trials assessed prevention of nonambulatory conditions, most commonly through supplementation of vitamin D and calcium or the provision of anionic salts.
Frequently measured risk factors for becoming nonambulatory: blood calcium, phosphorus and magnesium, and other factors such as parity and breed.
Commonly measured prognostic indicators: calcium, phosphorus, and duration of recumbency
Nonambulatory disorders were measured as risk factors, with the most commonly assessed outcomes including disorders of the transition period, and death or euthanasia.
Milk fever and parturient paresis.
Dairy producer satisfaction and knowledge transfer with the veterinary-administered risk assessment and management plan in a voluntary Johne’s disease control program
MacDonald-Phillips et al., 2022
The lowest satisfaction scores and the highest number of “unable to assess” responses were for the item relating to cost.
Factors that contributed to RAMP (Risk assessment and management plan)-specific producer satisfaction were not identified from the demographic and herd information available in this study.
The knowledge scores indicated moderate knowledge about JD and fair knowledge about BVD and BLV.
Bovine viral diarrhea knowledge scores were not found to differ based on whether or not the certified veterinarian discussed BVD during the preceding RAMP, but BLV knowledge scores were higher among dairy producers that discussed BLV during the preceding RAMP.
* Strengths and gaps in producer knowledge about these 3 infectious diseases were identified.
First-milking colostrum mineral concentrations
and yields: Comparison to second milking and
associations with serum mineral concentrations,
parity, and yield in multiparous Jersey cows.
Valldecabres and Silva-del-Río, 2022
- Higher concentrations of Ca, Mg, Na, Zn, Fe, and Cu, and total yields of Mg, Zn, Fe, and Cu were observed at first- compared with second-milking colostrum.
- Serum and first-milking colostrum Cu concentrations were positively associated, but no significant associations were observed between other minerals’ serum and first-milking colostrum concentrations or total yields.
- Parity was associated with first-milking colostrum Ca, P, K, and Fe concentrations and yields; younger multiparous cows had higher concentrations and total yields of these minerals.
- Mineral total yields were linearly associated with first-milking colostrum yield
- In conclusion, variation in first-milking colostrum mineral concentrations and total yields across cows could be partially explained by cow parity and colostrum yield.
Replacing concentrates with a high-quality
hay in the starter feed in dairy calves: I. Effects
on nutrient intake, growth performance,
and blood metabolic profile. Terler et al., 2022
- Total DM intake and daily weight gain of calves were not affected by the starter feed during the first 8 wk of life. However, from wk 9 to 14, calves fed the MQH diet had lower DM, ME, and CP intake and gained less weight than calves from the other experimental groups.
- In conclusion, feeding high-quality hay can fully replace starter concentrates in the feeding of dairy calves without adverse effects on performance during the rearing period, while increasing forage fiber intake and utilization, which enhanced ruminal ketogenesis and cholesterogenesis around weaning.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation products
reduce bacterial endotoxin concentrations
and inflammation during grain-based subacute
ruminal acidosis in lactating dairy cows.
Guo et al., 2022
- The SARA episodes increased concentration of circulating SAA and tended to increase that of IL-1β.
- Induction of SARA did not affect the concentrations of circulating IL-6, Haptoglobin, and myeloperoxidase (MPO).
- The SCFP supplementation reduced plasma concentrations of LTA and SAA and serum concentration of IL-1β compared with control.
- Additionally, higher level 38 d/d of SCFP tended to reduce ruminal LPS in second-parity cows compared with control.
Overall, SCFP supplementation appeared to stabilize the rumen environment and reduce proinflammatory status, hence attenuating adverse digestive and inflammatory responses associated with SARA episodes.
Bacteriological outcomes following random allocation
to quarter-level selection based on California
Mastitis Test score or cow-level allocation
based on somatic cell count for dry cow therapy.
McDougall et al., 2022
- New IMI proportion was lower among quarters assigned to the CMT than SCC-group [101/3,212 (0.032, 95% CI 0.025–0.038) versus 142/3,232 (0.044, 95% CI 0.036–0.051)].
- There was no difference in incidence of clinical mastitis between treatment groups.
- The total mass of antimicrobials used was 63% higher in the CMT-group than in the SCC-group (3.47 versus 2.12 mg/kg of liveweight).
Selection of quarters for antimicrobial treatment at the end of lactation based on CMT resulted in greater proportion undergoing bacteriological cure, reduced risk of any new IMI and reduced post calving prevalence of any IMI compared with selection of cows based on SCC. However, CMT-based selection resulted in higher antimicrobial use compared with SCC-based selection, and further research is required to analyze the cost benefit and impact on risk of antimicrobial resistance of these 2 strategies.
Free fatty acids promote degranulation of
azurophil granules in neutrophils by inducing
production of NADPH oxidase–derived reactive
oxygen species in cows with subclinical ketosis.
Song et al., 2022
Ex vivo
* Cows with SCK had greater levels of Hp, SAA, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α. These proinflammatory factors had strong positive correlations with myeloperoxidase (MPO), a marker protein of PMN AG, whose content was greater in the serum of SCK cows.
* Both the number of AG and the protein abundance of MPO were lower in PMN isolated from SCK cows. Additionally, we found a greater degree of AG degranulation in cows with SCK.
In vitro experiment:
* After FFA treatment, release of intracellular MPO was increased confirming that FFA promoted degranulation of AG.
Overall, the present study revealed that high blood concentrations of FFA in SCK cows induce the production of NADPH oxidase-derived ROS, thereby promoting degranulation of AG in PMN. The stimulatory effect of FFA on the release of AG content during degranulation, especially MPO, provides a new insight into the systemic inflammation experienced by peripartal cows with SCK.
Communication skills training and assessment of food animal production medicine veterinarians:
A component of a voluntary Johne’s disease
control program.
MacDonald-Phillips et al., 2022
- Communication skills were evaluated utilizing 3 assessment tools;
1. an objective structured clinical exam (OSCE),
2. standardized client feedback,
3. and an instrument designed for veterinary participants to assess their self-efficacy. - Study results showed that before training, communication skills of participating veterinarians had limitations, including skill deficits in communication tasks strongly associated with increased adherence to veterinary recommendations.
- Based on the 3 assessment tools, communication skills of participating veterinarians improved with the training provided.
- All 3 assessment tools identified significant increases in communication skills
Effect of fish oil and canola oil supplementation on immunological parameters, feed intake, and growth of Holstein calves.
Melendez et al., 2022
- Seroneutralization antibody titres postvaccination for the PI3 virus were higher for the FO than the CO group.
- In conclusion, calves supplemented with FO had lower concentrations of blood lactate, haptoglobin, IL-1β and TNF-α than calves supplemented with CO during the study period. Results of this trial should be interpreted with caution due to the lack of a negative control group as well as the lower birth weight and growth rate observed under heat stress conditions.
Preweaning dairy calves’ preferences for outdoor
access.
Whalin et al., 2022
- Pairs of calves spent less time outside as the amount of rain increased.
- During the first 6 wk of age, time spent outside increased, but time spent outside decreased between wk 6 and 7, and remained around 200 min/d from wk 7 to 11.
- Calves with the highest average daily gain and calves that were approximately 50% white appeared to spend more time outdoors.
* When calves were outside they appeared to spend a greater proportion of their time standing than when they were indoors during the first 4 wk.
* These results indicate that, when given the option in the summer, calves make use of an outdoor space, but this appears to vary with weather, calf age, average daily gain, and coat color.
Oxylipids are associated with higher disease
risk in postpartum cows.
Putman et al., 2022
- Of the 32 oxylipids detected, concentrations of 7 differed between cows with no detected disease and diseased cows throughout the sampling period.
Suitability of milk lactate dehydrogenase and
serum albumin for pathogen-specific mastitis
detection in automatic milking systems.
Khatun et al., 2022
- Overall, the SA and LDH had similar ability to predict IgG transmission from blood into milk. Comparing the areas under the curve (AUC) of the ROC curves, the SCC-LDH versus SCC-SA had lower gram-positive (AUC = 0.984 vs. 0.986) but similar gram-negative (AUC = 0.995 vs. 0.998) IMI prediction ability.
- The SCC, IgG, LDH, and SA were greater in gram-negative than in gram-positive IMI (BME and AME) in early lactation.
- In conclusion, LDH and SA could be used as replacement markers to indicate the presence of IgG transfer from blood into milk; in combination with SCC, both SA and LDH are suitable for differentiating IMI type, and before milk injection is better for mastitis detection in after milking secretion .
Simulation of feed restriction and fasting: Effects on animal recovery and gastrointestinal
permeability in unweaned Angus-Holstein
calves. By Pisoni et al.,
- BW was greater for the CT treatment compared with the others from d 0 to d 7, whereas BW of severe restriction was lesser compared with the others from d −1 to d 7. No differences among treatments were observed at weaning.
- Similarly to BW, no differences in concentrate intake among treatments were observed at weaning on d 42 of the study.
- At d −1 for SV and d 0 in all restricted calves, serum glucose concentration was lesser compared with CT.
- At d −1 and 0, nonesterified fatty acids and BHB serum concentrations were greater in the SV calves compared with the other treatments.
- By d 2, serum concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids, BHB, and glucose were restored to CT levels.
- At d −1 serum citrulline concentration was lesser in SV and greater in MD calves.
Results showed that degree of dietary restriction, type of liquid diet (MR or rehydrating solution), and fasting hours (9 vs. 19 h) affected calves’ BW, concentrate intake, and serum concentration of markers indicative of energy status and gastrointestinal permeability.
Accessory corpus luteum induced by human chorionic gonadotropin on day 7 or days 7 and 13 of the estrous cycle affected follicular and luteal dynamics and luteolysis in lactating Holstein cows.
Cunha et al., 2022
- Cows with typical cycles treated with hCG (hCG7 and hCG7+13) had a later onset of luteolysis, prolonged time to undergo complete luteolysis, and greater proportion of cows with 3 follicular waves than CON, resulting in a longer interovulatory interval for hCG7 and hCG7+13 than CON
Effect of circadian system disruption on the concentration and daily oscillations of cortisol, progesterone, melatonin, serotonin, growth hormone, and core body temperature in periparturient dairy cattle.
Suarez-Trujillo et al., 2022
o treatments and exposed to 6-h light-dark phase shifts every 3 d until parturition.
* Treatment did not affect levels of CORT, GH, or P4 at 0600 h, but overall level of serotonin was lower and MEL higher in PS cows across days sampled.
Temporal profiles describing markers of inflammation
and metabolism during the transition
period of pasture-based, seasonal-calving dairy
cows.
Spaans et al., 2022
Our results indicate that moderate-yielding dairy cows undergo similar homeorhetic changes to high-yielding housed cows; however, differences in diet composition result in greater BHB concentrations than expected, based on their milk production and NEFA concentrations. In addition, most cows were able to transition to a state of higher energy requirement following calving, albeit with an increased metabolic challenge in the liver, and only a small percentage of cows were classified with severe hepatic lipidosis or severe hyperketonemia. Increases in metabolic function of the liver were accompanied by changes in indicators of the immune system and changes in mineral balance that, combined, probably reflect the innate response to the transition from gestation to lactation.
Repeatability of anogenital distance measurements from birth to maturity, and at different physiological states in female Holstein cattle.
Rajesh et al., 2022
- In summary, AGD measured at birth did not reflect AGD at breeding age in heifers, but AGD measurements in cows had high repeatability at all stages of the estrous cycle, gestation, and lactation, except at 270 d of gestation. Therefore, AGD could be measured reliably at any of the aforesaid physiological states in cows due to its high repeatability, except during late gestation. The earliest gestational stage when pregnancy-associated increase in AGD occurred, however, could not be definitively established in the present study.
Milk feeding level and starter protein content: Effects on growth performance, blood metabolites, and urinary purine derivatives of Holstein dairy calves
Kazemi-Bonchenari et al., 2022
Prior to weaning: in High calves: lower starter intake, higher ADG
Greatest growth in calves fed high milk, and high CP%.
Feeding starters with a higher proportion of CP may help maintain a more balanced ratio of CP to ME during high milk feeding, to avoid protein deficiency due to low starter intake. When calves are fed a high milk allowance, urine excretion of PD may be misinterpreted as a measure of estimated microbial growth and rumen development; this should be considered during calculations of estimated microbial yield in milk-fed calves.
Effects of milk replacer feeding rate and frequency of preweaning dairy calves in the southeastern United States: Performance, abomasal emptying, and nutrient digestibility
Orellana Rivas et al., 2022
Increasing feeding rate improved BW gain and structural growth, delayed abomasal emptying under heat stress conditions
Increasing feeding frequency accelerated abomasal emptying and might reduce heat load of preweaning dairy calves
Effect of milk replacer feeding rate and frequency of preweaning dairy calves in the southeastern United States: Glucose metabolism
Orellana Rivas et al., 2022
Feeding frequency of TID enhanced peripheral tissue insulin response
MR feeding frequency significantly affects glucose metabolism in the calf, which, however, did not seem to affect body growth.
Metabolic and blood acid-base responses to prepartum dietary cation-anion difference and calcium content in transition dairy cows
Zhang et al., 2022
Feeding a prepartum negative DCAD diet altered blood acid-base balance and induced metabolic acidosis at calving, and improved protein and lipid metabolism.
Supplementation of high Ca in the negative DCAD diet prepartum was more favorable to metabolic adaptation to lactation in dairy cows than the negative DCAD diet with low Ca
Influence of environmental factors and parity on milk yield dynamics in barn-housed dairy cattle
Marumo et al., 2022
Increases in 2-day-lagged minimum temperature (both indoor and outdoor) negatively affected the average milk yield depending on the parity group (primiparous vs multiparous cows).
Primiparous cows were more affected than multiparous cows, but the effect size was small.
Primiparous cows decreased 0.006 kg/d for every degree increase in 2d-lagged-temperature
Prolonged high temperatures over a few days were more important than short-term (temporary) high temperatures over 1 or 2 days.
Birth conditions affect the longevity of Holstein offspring
Dallago et al., 2022
Calving ease, calf size, and twinning greatly affected offspring longevity
Offspring with the longest life were associated with medium or large birth size and unassisted calving
Small offspring, the result of twins, had the shortest lives
Offspring that resulted from an unassisted or surgery calving and classified as large or medium when they were born were in the group with the highest length of productive life
Offspring resulting from a malpresentation or pull in a twin birth were in the group with the lowest length of productive life
The influence of personality and weaning method on early feeding behavior and growth of Norwegian Red calves
Whalin et al., 2022
Calves that were more playful/exploratory consumed more milk per day preweaning and more concentrate per day over the experimental period.
Calves that were more vocal/active (interpreted as a type of sociability trait where vocalizations and pacing serve to communicate with conspecifics when isolated from herd) had lower preweaning milk intakes and lower concentrate intakes over the experimental period.
Selective dry cow therapy effect on milk yield and somatic cell count: A retrospective cohort study
Niemi et al., 2022
For a cow likely to have intramammary infection, a missed aDCT treatment undesirably affects subsequent lactation milk yield and somatic cell count.
For cows with an SCC of 200,000 cells/mL before dry-off, compared with untreated cows, aDCT-treated cows produced 0.97 kg/d more milk and, at 45 DIM, had an SCC that was 20,000 cells/mL lower.
Our findings indicate that a missed aDCT treatment for a high-SCC cow has a negative effect on subsequent lactation milk yield and SCC, which emphasizes the importance of accurate selection of cows to be treated.
Reducing milking frequency from twice to once daily as an adjunct treatment for ketosis in lactating dairy cows—A randomized controlled trial
Williamson et al., 2022
The once a day milking group showed rapidly and markedly decreased blood BHB concentrations
During the 2wk treatment period, cows milked once daily produced 26% less milk and 25% less energy-corrected milk than the TDM cows.
A 2-wk reduction of milking frequency in ketotic cows from twice to once daily with treatment with propylene glycol resolved ketosis and decreased blood BHB concentrations more effectively than treating TDM cows with PG alone
Cow- and herd-level risk factors for lameness in partly housed pasture-based dairy cows
Browne et al., 2022
Cow-level risk factors for increased lameness prevalence were age and genetic predicted transmitting ability for lameness.
Herd-level risk factors included farm and herd size, stones in paddock gateways, slats on cow tracks near the collecting yard, a sharper turn at the parlor exit, presence of digital dermatitis on the farm, and the farmers’ perception of whether lameness was a problem on the farm
Calf and dam characteristics and calf transport age affect immunoglobulin titers and hematological parameters of veal calves
Effects of transport age and calf and maternal characteristics on health and performance of veal calves
Marcato et al., 2022
Calves transported at 28 d had a more advanced adaptive immunity than calves transported at 14 d of age.
The extent of development of adaptive immunity was associated with the risk of treatment at the veal farm
Calves transported at 28 d of age had a lower probability of individual treatments with medicines other than antibiotics (e.g., anti-inflammatories, multivitamins, and anti-coccidial drugs), a lower mortality risk, and a higher carcass weight than calves transported at 14 d of age.
Reduced liner-open phase and vacuum instead of prestimulation increase parlor efficiency in dairy cows
Tuor et al., 2022
The reduced pulsation, reduced pulsation and vacuum methods increase parlor efficiency and are work-saving alternatives to manual preparation methods including an adequate prestimulation (LPrep).
However, shortening prestimulation to a 5-s teat cleaning followed by a latency period and milking at regular vacuum and pulsation did not represent an adequate duration of prestimulation and is not adequate to save occupancy time.
Because milking was performed at a relatively low vacuum (44 kPa) and at a detachment level of 400 g/min, teat tissue thickness did not differ among MR, and the vacuum reduction in RPV did not cause an additional advantage for teat condition compared with RP.
Feeding an acetate-based oral electrolyte reduces the ex vivo Escherichia coli growth potential in the abomasum of calves fed oral electrolytes alone or 30 minutes following a milk feeding compared with feeding a bicarbonate-based oral electrolyte
Kasi et al., 2022
Feeding a sodium acetate-based oral electrolyte solution limited the increase in abomasal pH and ability of E. coli to grow in abomasal contents, regardless of whether the calves were fed oral electrolytes alone or 30 min after a milk feeding.
Randomized clinical trial to evaluate the effects of a prepartum cholecalciferol injection on postpartum serum calcium dynamics and health and performance in early-lactation multiparous dairy cows
Venjakob et al., 2022
Treatment led to a considerable increase in serum Ca in the first 10 d after parturition
BUT injection of 12 × 106 IU of cholecalciferol had a negative effect on inflammatory response, milk production in early lactation, and ultimately on reproductive performance.
Management-related factors in dry cows and their associations with colostrum quantity and quality on a large commercial dairy farm
Borchardt et al., 2022
Colostrum quantity:
Primiparous cows: Affected by month of calving (Apr>Nov), sex of the calf (Male>Female), stillbirth
Multiparous cows: Affected by month of calving (May>Oct), calving ease, sex of the calf (Male>Female), previous lactation MY, days spent in the far off group, days in the close up pen
Colostrum quality:
Primiparous cows: Affected only by month of calving (Dec>Aug)
Multiparous cows: Affected by parity (3+>2), month of calving (Feb>Aug), milk yield, colostrum quantity
We observed a seasonal pattern for colostrum quantity and quality. Future intervention studies using multiple farms need to elucidate whether management of the photoperiod or length of exposure to close-up diets, or both, can help to optimize colostrum production.
Effect of bupivacaine liposome suspension administered as a cornual nerve block on indicators of pain and distress during and after cautery dehorning in dairy calves
Martin et al., 2022
Bupivacaine liposome suspension as a cornual nerve block at the time of dehorning was as effective at controlling pain as a multimodal approach of lidocaine and meloxicam
Single-dose meloxicam treatment improves standing ability of low-vitality dairy calves
Kovacs et al., 2022
A single-dose meloxicam treatment showed considerable promise for improving standing ability of low-vitality calves.
Latency and the first attempt to stand were not influenced by the NSAID treatment; however, the time spent standing, the longest standing bout, and the average duration of standing indicated increased standing ability of meloxicam-treated calves with low vitality, but not in normal-vitality calves.
The latency to stand and first attempt to stand were both increased by dystocia
Use of ATP luminometry to assess the cleanliness of equipment used to collect and feed colostrum on dairy farms
Buczinski et al., 2022
Punctual assessment of colostrum harvest and feeding equipment cleanliness by luminometry can be useful to differentiate herds according to their hygiene and health characteristics.
The maximal dichotomized luminometry value (<1,000 RLU or ≥1,000 RLU) was associated with hygiene and health dimension. This study gave promising results concerning the potential application of ATP luminometry for calf rearing practices assessment.
Estrous activity in lactating cows with divergent genetic merit for fertility traits
Reed et al., 2022
Cows with positive genetic merit for fertility traits had longer and more active estrous events, but the inter-estrous interval did not differ between the 2 groups.
The first postpartum estrous event was associated with less activity and was shorter than subsequent estrous events in both fertility groups.
Effects of increasing air temperature on physiological and productive responses of dairy cows at different relative humidity and air velocity levels
Zhou et al., 2022
Respiration rate was the first indicator that showed the cow was reacting to increasing temperature
RH and AV significantly affected the responses of RR, rectal temperature and skin temperature, and productive performance of high-producing Holstein cows.
All inflection point temperatures were lower under long exposure time than under short exposure time.
These responses already occurred at moderate ambient T of 19 to 26°C.
We concluded that RH and AV significantly affected the responses of RR, RT, ST, and productive performance of high-producing Holstein cows. These responses already occurred at moderate ambient T of 19 to 26°C.
Impact of gonadotropin-releasing hormone administration at the time of artificial insemination on conception risk and its association with oestrous expression
Burnett et al., 2022
Cows with greater estrous expression had greater pregnancy per AI than those with lesser expression
GnRH administration was found to increase fertility in cows with reduced estrous expression but not for those with greater intensity of estrous expression
Increased ovulation rates do not seem to be the direct mechanism behind this relationship.
Changes in plasma electrolytes, minerals, and hepatic markers of health across the transition period in dairy cows divergent in genetic merit for fertility traits and postpartum anovulatory intervals
Grala et al., 2022
Differences between positive and negative cows occurred across the transition period; however, markers returned to reference intervals within 4 d after calving indicating minor effects of fertility breeding value on transition period adaptation.
Magnesium and aspartate aminotransferase concentrations differed between cows with short and long postpartum anovulatory intervals from wk 4 postcalving, which appear to be related to estrus. The profound differences in reproductive performance among the groups was not explained by underlying differences in metabolic responses during the transition period.
Relationship of cow and calf circulating lipidomes with colostrum lipid composition and metabolic status of the cow
Klopp et al., 2022
Phosphatidylglycerol lipids were mostly absent in cow plasma, but concentrations were high in colostrum and correspondingly found circulating in the calf.
Nonesterified fatty acid concentration had a positive relationship with total triacylglycerol content of plasma samples at 1 wk prepartum, and a negative relationship with total membrane lipids and phosphatidylglycerol concentration of colostrum
Plasma fatty acid profiles and fatty acid composition of colostrum were related to the metabolic status of the cow, and colostrum might be the source of phosphatidylglycerol in calf circulation, but dam circulation is not the source of phosphatidylglycerol found in colostrum
Meta-analysis of rumination behaviour and its relationship with milk and milk fat production, rumen pH, and total-tract digestibility in lactating dairy cows
Souza et al., 2022
There was little difference in average rumination time among all systems.
The total time spent ruminating averaged 444 min/d and occurred in 13.8 bouts/d that averaged 32.7 min.
Rumination time was quadratically increased with increasing milk fat yield (partial R2 = 0.27) and milk fat percent
Rumination was also increased with increasing milk yield, dry matter intake, and rumen pH, and was quadratically related to dietary neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and total-tract NDF digestibility
In conclusion, rumination time was related to milk fat across a large number of studies, although it explained only a limited amount of the variation in milk fat.
Milk metabolites and fatty acids as noninvasive biomarkers of metabolic status and energy balance in early-lactation cows
Pires et al., 2022
Milk metabolites and fatty acids are potential noninvasive indicators of energy status of early-lactation dairy cows.
Milk isocitrate, Σ C6:0 to C15:0. and cis-9 C18:1 had the best single linear regressions with EB
Milk concentrations of ∑ C6:0 to C15:0, C18:0, cis-9 C18:1, and ∑ OBCFA >C16 presented some of the best correlations and regressions with other indicators of metabolic status, lipomobilization, and EB
Metabolites and FA secreted in milk may serve as noninvasive indicators of metabolic status and EB of early-lactation cows.
The effect of Holstein-Friesian, Jersey × Holstein-Friesian, and Norwegian Red × (Jersey × Holstein-Friesian) cows on dry matter intake and production efficiencies in pasture-based systems
McClearn et al., 2022
Both cow genotype and parity affected dry matter intake, milk production, and production efficiencies of grazing dairy cows.
Dry matter intake was:
HF - 17.2 kg/cow/day
Jersey x HF = , 17.0 kg/cow/day
Norwegian red x (Jersey x HF) = 16.7 kg/cow/day
DMI increased linearly with parity.
Although all 3 genotypes achieved high levels of DMI and production efficiency, JEX achieved the highest production efficiency. Some of the efficiency gains (SCM/100 kg of BW, MSo/100 kg of BW, and total DMI/100 kg of BW) achieved with JEX decreased when the third breed (Norwegian Red) was introduced.
Effects of feeding rumen-protected linseed fat to postpartum dairy cows on plasma n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations and metabolic and reproductive parameters
Pereira et al., 2022
Supplementation increased plasma n-3 PUFA concentrations, decreased the calving-to-conception interval, and modulated plasma adiponectin expression, evincing a beneficial effect on reproductive performance of high-yielding dairy cows.
milk yield improved with increased intake of fat supplements
Conception rate to first AI increased with higher intake of both fats, but a decrease of calving-to-conception interval occurred only in n-3 PUFA cows.
In conclusion, this study evinced a positive linear relation between rumen-protected linseed fat intake and plasma n-3 PUFA concentrations, which modulated adiponectin expression and improved reproductive parameters.
Comparison of microbiota of recycled manure solids and straw bedding used in dairy farms in eastern Canada
Beauchemin et al., 2022
Unused RMS generally contained higher bacterial counts than did unused straw
Klebsiella spp, Salmonella spp, and L. monocytogenes were more frequently detected in unused RMS
Overall, animal and human pathogens were found in greater numbers and more frequently in unused RMS than unused straw
Genomic loci and genetic parameters for uterine diseases in first-parity Holstein cows and associations with milk production and fertility
May et al., 2022
Uterine discharge (i.e. endometritis or metritis) was associated with unfavorable effects on the female fertility traits calving interval, interval from calving to first service, days open, and nonreturn rate after 90 d, but was unrelated to 305-d lactation records for production traits milk yield, protein yield, and fat yield
Heritabilities were close to zero
15 SNPs associated with UD were identified.
Different SNP significantly influenced different UD stages, explaining the inter-individual variations in clinical severity of uterine infections.
Gene mapping, gene-set analysis, and genomic prediction of postpartum blood calcium in Holstein cows
Cavani et al., 2022
Results revealed genomic regions and candidate genes associated with calcium homeostasis. We also identified biological pathways and molecular mechanisms affecting postpartum calcium concentration.
Association mapping identified 2 major regions located on Bos taurus autosome (BTA)6 and BTA16 that explained 1.2% and 0.7% of additive genetic variance of Ca concentration.
The genomic prediction of calcium concentration is possible, which could help to reduce periparturient hypocalcemia in dairy cattle
Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to investigate the association between milk metabolites and udder quarter health status in dairy cows
Bobbo et al., 2022
Increased SCC is associated with changes in milk metabolite fingerprint and highlights the potential use of different metabolites as novel indicators of udder health status and milk quality.
Samples with high SCC associated with:
Lower levels of riboflavin, galactose, galactose-1-phosphate, dimethylsulfone, carnitine, hippurate, orotate, lecithin, succinate, glucose, and lactose
Greater levels of lactate, phenylalanine, choline, acetate, O-acetylcarnitine, 2-oxoglutarate, and valine
Our study suggests that increased SCC is associated with changes in milk metabolite fingerprint and highlights the potential use of different metabolites as novel indicators of udder health status and milk quality.
Effect of feeding single-dam or pooled colostrum on maternally derived immunity in dairy calves
Bobbo et al., 2022
Mean calf serum IgG concentration was lower for calves fed pooled colostrum compared with those that received colostrum from a single cow.
Antibodies to infectious bovine rhinotracheitis had a greater period of survival among calves fed own-dam colostrum
Feeding single-dam colostrum can thus improve calf immunity through increased serum IgG levels and antibody survival rates.
Development of ruminating behaviour in Holstein calves between birth and 30 days of age
Wang et al., 2022
Overall, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that has analyzed the correlation between age first rumination and other indicators. We found that earlier AFR was associated with shorter duration of non-nutritive oral behavior, longer durations of rumination and eating the bedding, and higher feed intake by 30 d of age.
Within-herd prevalence threshold for the detection of Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis antibody–positive dairy herds using pooled milk samples: A field study
Krieger et al., 2022
The pool-milk sampling strategy seems well suited to distinguish between herds with a MAP-Ab-WHPapp ≥ 5% and herds with a MAP-Ab-WHPapp <5%
Effects of postpartum milking strategy on plasma mineral concentrations and colostrum, transition milk, and milk yield and composition in multiparous dairy cows
Valldecabres et al., 2022
Compared with twice-a-day milking, plasma calcium concentration was higher for delayed-milking and tended to be higher for restricted-milking cows without negatively affecting future milk yield or composition; however, delaying milking resulted in an inadequate supply of good-quality colostrum.
Effects of small milking stalls on stress responses in dairy cows during milking in group milking parlors
Gomez et al., 2022
Very small stalls caused changes in behaviour (latency to entering the parlor) and total milk yield
The first cow per milking batch required more time (on average >40 s) to enter very small stalls
Characterization and comparison of the microbiomes and resistomes of colostrum from selectively treated dry cows
Vasquez et al., 2022
No critical differences were found between treatment groups regarding their microbiome or resistome composition in this study
Feeding fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) seed as a potential appetite stimulant for Holstein dairy calves: Effects on growth performance and health
Nowroozinia et al., 2022
feeding 3 g/d of FSP may be more beneficial in improving the weight gain and skeletal growth (heart girth and hip width) and in reducing the susceptibility to and duration of diarrhoea and pneumonia in dairy calves.
Cytological endometritis diagnosis in primiparous versus multiparous dairy cows
Druker et al., 2022
Different criteria should be used for optimal CEM diagnosis in primiparous versus multiparous cows (% PMN threshold; sampling time in lactation)
Primiparous cows at 30–40 DIM, using a threshold of ≥7%PMN
Multiparous cows at 60–70 DIM, using a threshold of ≥4%PMN
M-score and wound healing assessment of 2 nonantibiotic topical gel treatments of active digital dermatitis lesions in dairy cattle
Vanhoudt et al., 2022
Lesions with improved wound healing had at least one of the following criteria when compared with the previous observation: decreased defect size, healthier granulation tissue color (pink-red instead of purple-grayish), more regular aspect of granulation tissue surface, wound contraction, or epithelization starting from the surrounding skin.
Lesions treated with the enzyme alginogel had a decreased adjusted odds ratio for M-score improvement (aOR: 0.04; 95% confidence interval: 0.01-0.11). Lesions treated with the coppergel mostly transitioned to chronic lesions, whereas lesions treated with the enzyme alginogel mostly remained active lesions.
The wound healing progress of almost 70% of the lesions treated with coppergel could not be scored, for the greater part due to the presence of crust materials. With these unscorable lesions classified as “improved,” there was no treatment effect on wound healing progress (aOR: 0.99; 95% confidence interval: 0.34-3.05), whereas with unscorable lesions classified as “not improved,” the enzyme alginogel outperformed the coppergel with regard to wound healing progress (aOR: 2.48; 95% confidence interval: 1.07-5.79).
None of the products used in our study achieved high cure rates (transition to the M0 stage) for active DD lesions.
Individual and environmental factors associated with defecation while lying down in dairy cows
Foris et al., 2022
Cows in later stages of pregnancy were less likely to defecate whilst lying in the stall,, with no effect of weight, parity, age, or lameness.
Also, the more time that cows spent lying down, the greater the likelihood of the defecation whilst lying in the stall, but the cow-to-stall ratio had no effect.
Increased time perching increased the likelihood of defecating while recumbent, perhaps because perching cows were less dominant or more reluctant to stand up once lying down in the stall. Overstocking did not increase defecating while recumbent, likely because cows spent less time lying down. Together, these results indicate that defecating while recumbent can be common, and points to some of the cow-level factors associated with this behavior.
Minimum inhibitory concentrations of chlorhexidine- and lactic acid-based teat disinfectants: An intervention trial assessing bacterial selection and susceptibility
Schwenker et al., 2022
3 different postmilking teat treatments
0.215% chlorhexidine
3.5% lactic acid
Negative control, no dipping
Chlorhexidine or lactic acid treatment was associated with a decreased proportion of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS)
An increased proportion of species belonging to the genus Corynebacterium was observed especially under the application of lactic acid.
Although both teat disinfectants were basically effective, isolates differed in their susceptibility to both teat disinfectants.
Populations of CNS, Staphylococcus aureus, and Corynebacterium spp. showed significantly lower absolute MIC values for chlorhexidine.
Compared with other species, Corynebacterium spp. showed the lowest susceptibility to either disinfectant
Effects of restricted dietary phosphorus supply to dry cows on periparturient calcium status
Watchter et al., 2022
Restriction of the phosphorus supply limited to the last 4 wk of pregnancy is sufficient to mitigate the risk of hypocalcemia around parturition, through mechanisms primarily driven by increased bone tissue mobilization.
Improving growth rates in preweaning calves on dairy farms: A randomized controlled trial
Hyde et al., 2022
- Mean farm ADG was higher for calves on INT farms than CON farms for both male beef (MB, +0.22 kg/d) and dairy heifer (DH, +0.03 kg/d) calves. The MB calves on INT farms had significantly increased mean ADG (0.12 kg/d, 95% confidence interval: 0.02-0.22) compared with CON farms.
- No significant differences were observed between intervention groups for morbidity or mortality.
- Implementing one additional intervention from the plan, regardless of intervention group, was associated with improvements in mean ADG for DH calves of 0.01 kg/d (0.01, 0-0.03) and MB calves of 0.02 kg/d (0.00-0.04).
- Model predictions suggest that a farm with the highest number of interventions in place (15) compared with farms with the lowest number of interventions in place (4) would expect an improvement in growth rates from 0.65 to 0.81 kg/d for MB, from 0.73 to 0.88 kg/d for DH, a decrease in mortality rates from 10.9% to 2.8% in MB, and a decrease in diarrhea rates from 42.1% to 15.1% in DH.
- The calf health plan tested in this study represents a useful tool to aid veterinarians and farmers in the implementation of effective management interventions likely to improve the growth rates, health, and welfare of preweaning calves on dairy farms.
Farm-level factors associated with lameness prevalence, productivity, and milk quality in farms with automated milking systems
Matson et al., 2022
The results highlight the importance of minimizing lameness prevalence, using sand bedding, ensuring adequate feed access and feed bunk space, and ensuring proper cow body condition to optimize herd-level productivity and milk quality in automated milking herds
Prevalence and predictors of bacteremia in dairy calves with diarrhoea
Garcia et al., 2022
Bacteremia was substantially more common in calves with depression and fever (T>39.7C).
Bacteremia was rare among calves without observed depression.
Antimicrobial therapy targeting bacteremia is not currently justified in routine cases of diarrhoea in preweaning calves without signs of depression
Effect of gonadotropin-releasing hormone administered at the time of artificial insemination for cows detected in oestrus by conventional oestrus detection or an automated activity-monitoring system
Hubner et al., 2022
GnRH did not improve ovulation rates, progesterone level 7 d after insemination, or pregnancy outcomes on any of the farms.
Effects of progesterone concentrations and follicular wave during growth of the ovulatory follicle on conceptus and endometrial transcriptome in dairy cows
Bisinotto et al., 2022
Follicular wave and progesterone concentration during follicle growth did not affect the signal for maternal recognition of pregnancy (uterine interferon tau), conceptus length, or gene expression measured in conceptuses and endometrium of pregnant cows on d 17 of gestation
These factors did not affect conceptuses and endometrium transcriptome in pregnancies that are maintained to d 17.
Physiological adaptations in early-lactation cows result in differential responses to calcium perturbation relative to nonlactating, nonpregnant cows
Connelly et al., 2022
Early-lactation cows have more robust responses to calcemic perturbation (i.e. were better at maintaining eucalcaemia) and have increased circulating and mammary serotonin content relative to nonlactating counterparts, while also indicating that serotonin does not directly respond to decreased blood calcium concentrations.
Mammary PTHLH expression was increased in EL cows, with highest expression observed in EL EGTA-infused cows (induced hypocalcemia).
Collectively, our data demonstrate the differential physiological responses of nonlactating, nonpregnant and early-lactation cows during calcium perturbation and offer insight into the role of serotonin and parathyroid hormone-related protein during lactation.
Reducing metabolizable protein supply: Effects on milk production, blood metabolites, and health in early-lactation dairy cows
Zang et al., 2021
Milk nitrogen efficiency increased with the lower-protein diet;
Dry matter intake, milk yield and composition, and incidence of diseases were not affected by metabolizable protein supply
Prepartum level of dietary cation-anion difference fed to nulliparous cows: Acid-base balance, mineral metabolism, and health responses
Zimpel et al., 2021
Reducing the DCAD induced a compensated metabolic acidosis that increased apparent absorption of Ca and Mg and concentrations of ionized Ca in blood prepartum and on the day of calving and those of Mg postpartum
Reducing the DCAD had effects on reducing morbidity
Treatment did not affect the incidence or prevalence of subclinical hypocalcemia, hepatic composition, or the prevalence of fatty liver.
Reducing the DCAD had a quadratic effect on incidence of fever, uterine diseases and morbidity.
Feeding a diet with -50 mEq/kg of dry matter promoted moderate changes in acid-base balance, altered mineral metabolism, and benefited health of nulliparous cows; however, further reducing the DCAD to -150 mEq/kg negated the benefits to health.
Nutrient digestibility and production responses of lactating dairy cows when saturated free fatty acid supplements are included in diets: A meta-analysis
Santos Neto et al., 2021
Lactating dairy cows responded better to fatty acid supplements enriched in C16:0 (Palmitic) compared with those containing C16:0 and C18:0 (Oleic).
Supplementation increased yields of milk and milk fat but had no impact on milk protein
Administration of internal teat sealant in primigravid dairy heifers at different times of gestation to prevent intramammary infections at calving
Larsen et al., 2021
ITS administration reduced the likelihood of IMI at calving for all pathogens
Odds of IMI at calving was similar between ITS75 and ITS35 quarters for both NAS and other pathogens
ITS administration at either 75 and 35 d prepartum reduced IMI prevalence at calving in primigravid dairy heifers.
Effect of body condition change and health status during early lactation on performance and survival of Holstein cows
Manriquez et al., 2021
BCS performed at 5DIM and 40DIM and BCS loss categorized as:
Excessive = ΔBCS ≤−0.75
Moderate = ΔBCS = −0.5 to −0.25
No change = ΔBCS = 0
BCS gain = ΔBCS ≥0.25
Both severe loss of body condition and disease occurrences measured within 40 days in milk affected subsequent cow performance and survival.
Odds of resumption of ovarian cyclicity lower in cows with excessive BCS loss
Odds of pregnancy greater in cows with BCS gain vs those with excessive loss
Cows with any disease had lower odds of resumption of ovarian cyclicity
Reproductive disease associated with lower odds of pregnancy at 150 and 305DIM
MY higher in cows with greater BCS loss.
The magnitude of ΔBCS and the health status of early lactation cows should be considered when assessing subsequent cow performance and survival.
Characterization of ketolactia in dairy cows during early lactation
Kowalski et al., 2021
Published hyperketolactic threshold concentrations were used to classify study milk samples into ketolactia groups
mACE (≥0.15 mmol/L), mBHB (≥0.10 mmol/L)
“Normal” (mACE <0.15 mmol/L and mBHB <0.10 mmol/L)
“hyperketolactic” (HYKL; either mACE ≥0.15 mmol/L or mBHB ≥0.10 mmol/L).
mACE and mBHB concentrations were influenced by effects of parity, DIM, and their interaction
Among HYKL samples, mACE was elevated soon after calving and declined over time.
In contrast, mBHB started lower after calving and increased reaching peak concentrations around 30 DIM, and then decreased
Risk factors for purulent vaginal discharge and its association with reproductive performance of lactating Jersey cows
Moraes et al., 2021
The major risk factors for PVD were calving-related problems, retained fetal membrane, metritis, and days in the close-up diet.
Pregnancy per artificial insemination following the first and second services was reduced in cows diagnosed with PVD compared with cows without PVD.
PVD was associated with increased odds of pregnancy loss after the first service and reduced hazard of pregnancy by 305 d in milk.
Severity of PVD was associated with odds of reproductive success.
Pain in the weeks following surgical and rubber ring castration in dairy calves
Nogues et al., 2021
Calves castrated at 28d of age and followed for 8wks post procedure
Surgical wounds were fully healed on average 4 wk after the procedure, but only 1 calf in the rubber ring treatment fully healed within the 8-wk study
Inflammation was greater after rubber ring castration, rubber ring castration associated with less ADG due to, in part, lower starter intake
Calves in the rubber ring treatment spent less time lying down and licked their lesions more frequently.
Integration of statistical inferences and machine learning algorithms for prediction of metritis cure in dairy cows
Oliveira et al., 2021
Cows without vulvovaginal laceration had 1.91 higher odds of curing of metritis than cows with vulvovaginal laceration.
Cows that developed metritis at >7 DIM had 2.09 higher odds of being cured than cows that developed metritis at ≤7 DIM.
For rectal temperature, each degree Celsius above 39.4°C led to lower odds to be cured than cows with rectal temperature ≤39.4°C.
Cows that had reduced milk production from the day before to the metritis diagnosis had lower odds to be cured than cows with moderate milk production increase
Cows developing metritis at >7 DIM, with increase in milk production, and with a rectal temperature ≤39.40°C had increased likelihood of cure of metritis with an accuracy of 75%
Although machine learning algorithms are acknowledged as powerful tools for predictive classification, the current study was unable to replicate its potential benefits. More research is needed to optimize predictive models of metritis cure.
Comparison of reproductive management programs for submission of Holstein heifers for first insemination with conventional or sexed semen based on expression of oestrus, pregnancy outcomes, and cost per pregnancy
Lauber et al., 2021
conclusion, delaying PRID removal by 24 h within a 5-d PRID-Synch protocol in experiment 1 suppressed early expression of estrus before TAI, and P/AI for heifers inseminated with conventional semen did not differ between treatments. By contrast, although delaying CIDR removal by 24 h within a 5-CIDR-Synch protocol in experiment 2 suppressed early expression of estrus before TAI, delaying CIDR removal by 24 h tended to decrease P/AI for heifers inseminated with sexed semen. Further, submission of heifers to a 5-d CIDR-Synch protocol for first AI tended to increase P/AI and decrease the cost per pregnancy compared with EDAI heifers.
Plasma progesterone concentration after first service is associated with individual genetic traits, postpartum phenotypes, and likelihood of conception in seasonal-calving pasture-based dairy cows.
Rojas Canadas et al., 2021
Plasma progesterone concentrations after first artificial insemination were greater in lactating dairy cows that were
(1) selected for improved genetic merit for fertility and milk production traits;
(2) had prompt resumption of postpartum ovarian cyclicity;
(3) had faster resolution of postpartum uterine disease; and
(4) had better indicators of bioenergetic status during early lactation and at artificial insemination.
Moreover, greater plasma progesterone concentrations were associated with greater pregnancy success.
Determination of energy and protein requirements of preweaned dairy calves: A multistudy approach
Marcondes and Silva, 2021
The NEM was estimated as 70.2 kcal/metabolic body weight per day.
The efficiencies of use of metabolizable energy and protein are greater for milk when compared with milk replacer and starter feed.
Effects of dietary phosphorus concentration during the transition period on plasma calcium concentrations, feed intake, and milk production in dairy cows
Keanthao et al., 2021
In dry cows, plasma Ca concentrations were 3.3% greater when cows were fed 2.2 instead of 3.6 g of P/kg of DM
The lowest proportion of hypocalcaemia occurred in cows with low P diets pre and postpartum
The feeding of diets containing 2.2 g of P/kg of DM during the last 6 wk of the dry period and 2.9 g of P/kg of DM during early lactation increased plasma Ca levels when compared with greater dietary P levels. These low-P diets may be instrumental in preventing hypocalcemia in periparturient cows and do not compromise DM intake and milk production.
