The effect of rearing regime on the development of the mammary gland and claw abnormalities in high genetic merit Holstein-Friesian dairy herd replacements

2004 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 497-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. F. Carson ◽  
L. E. R. Dawson ◽  
A. R. G. Wylie ◽  
F. J. Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Mammary Gland ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Dairy Herd ◽  
White Line ◽  
Genetic Merit ◽  
Grass Silage ◽  
Heel Height ◽  
Reduced Fat ◽  
Holstein Friesian ◽  
Winter Diets

AbstractOne hundred and eight high genetic merit Holstein-Friesian heifers were used to determine the effects of rearing regime on the development of the mammary gland and claw abnormalities. Heifers were allocated to one of four rearing regimes at 7 weeks of age and slaughtered at 18 (s.d.0.7) months of age; mating commenced at 14 months of age. Treatment 1 heifers were reared to calve at 540 kg and treatments 2, 3 and 4 heifers reared to calve at 620 kg. Treatment 1 and 2 heifers were offered grass silage-based diets during the winter and grass-based diets during the summer; treatment 2 heifers received additional concentrates. Treatment 3 heifers were offered a straw/concentrate diet during the winter and a grass-based diet during the summer. Treatment 4 heifers received the same winter diets as treatment 3 but were housed and offered a straw/concentrate diet in summer. Increasing plane of nutrition increased the weight of dissected udder fat (P < 0.01), but had no effect on the weight or chemical composition of dissected udder parenchyma. Offering straw- compared with silage-based diets reduced fat deposition in the udder (P < 0.01) and increased the proportion of parenchyma in the udder (P < 0.01). Keeping heifers housed during the first summer and offering straw-based diets relative to those turned out to grass had no effect on weight of fat although there was a tendency towards a reduction in the proportion of parenchyma in the udder (P < 0.06). Heifers reared on a low plane of nutrition had lower values for heel height (P < 0.001), lateral claw length (P < 0.001) and heel erosion scores (P < 0.01). A higher plane of nutrition also increased live weight/sole area although this was only significantly higher for treatment 3 (P < 0.05) compared with treatment 1 heifers. Housing heifers in the first summer increased the incidence of feet lesions in the white line area and solear area relative to turning heifers out to grass in the first summer (P < 0.05).

The effect of rearing regime on the development of the mammary gland and claw abnormalities in high genetic merit Holstein-Friesian dairy herd replacements

2002 ◽  
Vol 2002 ◽  
pp. 75-75
Author(s):  
A.F. Carson ◽  
L.E.R. Dawson ◽  
A.R.G Wylie ◽  
F.J. Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Mammary Gland ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Dairy Herd ◽  
Major Effect ◽  
Genetic Merit ◽  
Target Weight ◽  
Subsequent Performance ◽  
Holstein Friesian ◽  
Primary Driver

Feeding and management during the rearing period has a major effect on the subsequent performance and welfare of dairy herd replacements. Recently, Carson et al. (2000) found that increasing the live weight of high genetic merit Holstein Friesian heifers from 540 to 620 kg at first calving increased first lactation milk yield by 11%. Mammary growth is a major determinant of milk yield capacity and longevity of lactation and may be the primary driver behind the observed increases in milk production with larger heifers. The first objective of the current study was to evaluate the effects of rearing regime, in terms of diet offered and target weight at 18 months of age, on mammary gland development of high genetic merit Holstein-Friesian heifers. The second objective of this study was to investigate the effect of rearing regime on solear haemorrhages and heel erosions in Holstein-Friesian heifers.

The response by high genetic merit dairy cows to source and concentration of protein in the concentrate

1997 ◽  
Vol 1997 ◽  
pp. 90-90
Author(s):  
I.M. Carrick ◽  
D.C. Patterson ◽  
F.J. Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
Dairy Herd ◽  
Genetic Merit ◽  
Grass Silage ◽  
Holstein Friesian ◽  
Ruminant Diets ◽  
Feed Utilisation ◽  
Metabolisable Energy ◽  
Ad Libitum

Dairy cow genetic merit continues to increase in the dairy herd. These animals require a higher level of nutritional input than lower genetic merit cows if higher performance levels are to be sustained. The high cost of ingredients for ruminant diets highlights the need for greater precision in ration formulation in order to improve the efficiency of feed utilisation. This experiment was carried out to assess the effect of DUP supplementation on the performance of dairy cows with ad libitum access to grass silage.An experiment was conducted to investigate the response by high genetic merit Holstein Friesian dairy cows (PTA90 fat plus protein = 61 kg) to both source and concentration of protein in the concentrate, given in addition to ad libitum grass silage (metabolisable energy (ME) = 10.9 MJ/kg DM; crude protein (CP) = 166 g/kg DM). Twenty-four cows, including 12 first parity animals (mean days calved 37.5, s.d. 22.3), were blocked according to milk yield, calving date and parity. The experimental design was a balanced changeover with four 4-week periods.

The effect of heifer rearing regime on body size and milk production during the first lactation

2000 ◽  
Vol 2000 ◽  
pp. 13-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.F. Carson ◽  
L.E.R. Dawson ◽  
F.J. Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Milk Production ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Dairy Herd ◽  
Lactation Performance ◽  
Frame Size ◽  
Genetic Merit ◽  
Holstein Friesian ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Current Systems

The UK dairy industry has entered a period of rapid increase in cow genetic merit. Feeding and management during the rearing period will influence the extent to which the genetic merit of these animals is realised. Current systems for rearing dairy herd replacements are based on research undertaken in the 1960's and 1970's with animals of lower genetic merit. High genetic merit Holstein Friesian animals have an increased live weight and frame size at maturity compared with their medium merit contemporaries, which may have implications for the optimum weight at first calving. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of rearing regime, in terms of diet offered and target calving weight, on first lactation performance of high genetic merit heifers over a range of milk production systems.

The effects of plane of nutrition and diet type on metabolic hormone concentrations, growth and milk production in high genetic merit dairy herd replacements

2000 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 349-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.F. Carson ◽  
A.R.G. Wylie ◽  
J.D.G. McEvoy ◽  
M. McCoy ◽  
L.E.R. Dawson
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Live Weight Gain ◽  
Genetic Merit ◽  
Grass Silage ◽  
Nutrition And Diet ◽  
Condition Score ◽  
Metabolic Hormone ◽  
Diet Type

AbstractSeventy high genetic merit Holstein heifers were used in two experiments to investigate (1) the effects of plane of nutrition and diet type during the pre-pubertal period and (2) the effects of plane of nutrition during the post-pubertal period on metabolic hormone concentrations, growth and milk production. In experiment 1, treatment 1 and 2 heifers were given food to achieve a live-weight gain of 0·70 and 0·95 kg/day from 3 to 10 months of age on a grass silage based diet, while treatment 3 heifers were given food to achieve 0·95 kg/day on a barley straw/concentrate diet. During the pre-pubertal period, heifers reared on treatment 1 had significantly higher growth hormone(GH) concentrations (ng/ml per 1 h) than heifers reared on treatment 2 (P < 0·01) and had significantly lower insulin concentrations than heifers reared on treatment 3 (P < 0·01). Heifers reared on treatment 1 had significantly lower insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) concentrations than those reared on treatment 3 (P < 0·01). At 10 months of age heifers reared on treatment 1 were of lower condition score (P < 0·01) than those on treatment 2 and had a smaller heart girth diameter (P < 0·01) than those on treatments 2 and 3. During the first lactation, milk yield and composition produced by the heifers was not significantly affected by treatment. In experiment 2, treatment A heifers were given, from 14 to 24 months of age, a low plane of nutrition to allow a live-weight gain of 0·65 kg/day on a grass silage and grass based diet during the winter and summer periods respectively. Treatment B heifers were kept on a high plane of nutrition to allow a live-weight gain of 0·90 kg/day on the same forage along with concentrate supplementation. During the rearing period, GH and IGF-1 concentrations were not significantly affected by treatment. Treatment A heifers weighed less before calving (P < 0·05), had a lower condition score (P < 0·01), and had a smaller heart girth diameter (P < 0·01) than those on treatment B. During the first 10 weeks of lactation, heifers on treatment A had a higher silage dry matter intake and lost less weight (P < 0·05) than those on treatment B, however, by 20 weeks of lactation these effects had disappeared. Milk yield and composition during the first lactation were not significantly affected by treatment. Overall, the findings of experiments 1 and 2 did not show any beneficial effects of higher weights at first calving in high genetic merit Holsteins and therefore indicate that accelerated growth in the pre- or post-pubertal period may not be required.

scholarly journals Meat quality characteristics of high dairy genetic-merit Holstein, standard dairy genetic-merit Friesian and Charolais x Holstein-Friesian steers

2020 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-32
Author(s):  
M. McGee ◽  
M.G. Keane ◽  
R. Neilan ◽  
P.J. Caffrey ◽  
A.P. Moloney
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Material ◽  
Dairy Herd ◽  
Quality Characteristics ◽  
Eating Quality ◽  
Lipid Concentration ◽  
Genetic Merit ◽  
Overall Acceptability ◽  
Holstein Bull ◽  
Holstein Friesian ◽  
Commercially Important

AbstractThe increased use of Holstein genetic material in the Irish dairy herd has consequences for beef production. In all, 42 spring-born steers [14 Holsteins (HO), 14 Friesian (FR) and 14 Charolais × Holstein-Friesian (CH)] were reared to slaughter at between 26 and 37 mo of age. Carcass weight was higher and the lipid concentration of m. longissimus thoracis et lumborum was lower (P < 0.05) for CH than the dairy breeds. Overall acceptability tended to be lower (P = 0.055) while tenderness, texture and chewiness were lower (P < 0.05) for CH compared with the dairy breeds. The proportion of C16:1 in the total lipid tended to be lower (P = 0.055) for CH than the dairy breeds. Replacing male offspring of traditional “Irish” Friesian bulls with offspring from a genetically superior (from a dairy perspective) strain of Holstein bull had no commercially important impact on beef nutritional or eating quality.

The effect of body weight at calving on milk production and reproductive performance of Friesian × Zebu heifers

1987 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Deresz ◽  
C. M. Jaume ◽  
M. R. de Carvalho ◽  
C. A. González
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Post Partum ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Grass Silage ◽  
Holstein Friesian ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Total Milk ◽  
Bean Meal ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Soya Bean Meal

ABSTRACTTwenty-six pregnant Holstein-Friesian × zebu heifers, arranged in pairs according to age, body weight, expected calving date and amount of zebu breeding, were allocated at random to two nutritional regimens during the last 12 weeks before calving. If was planned that the animals in treatment A should calve at a pre-calving live weight of 480 kg and those in treatment B should calve at 380 kg. The diet consisted of maize silage or elephant grass silage, soya-bean meal and minerals. During the first 21 days of the post-partum period both groups were given 6 kg concentrate per head daily. After this period, the feeding level was adjusted every 14 days according to the current milk yield. The mean total milk yields were 2132 kg and 1283 kg (P < 0·05) and the lengths of lactation were 239 days and 156 days (P < 0·01) for cows in treatments A and B, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between treatments in the intervals from calving to first heat or calving to conception.

The responses of high and medium merit dairy cows to diets differing in grass silage: concentrate ratios, during early lactation

1996 ◽  
Vol 1996 ◽  
pp. 5-5
Author(s):  
C.P. Ferris ◽  
F.J. Gordon ◽  
D.C. Patterson ◽  
C.S. Mayne
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Dairy Herd ◽  
Yield Potential ◽  
Genetic Merit ◽  
The Past ◽  
Grass Silage ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Yield Responses ◽  
Feeding Systems

The genetic merit of the UK dairy herd is increasing rapidly and this trend is likely to continue for the forseeable future. With cows of higher milk yield potential and higher nutrient requirements, feeding systems developed in the past with medium genetic merit animals, may now need to be adapted to meet the needs of high genetic merit animals if nutrition x genotype interactions exist. This would be particularly true to increasing proportion of concentrates in grass silage based diets. This study was undertaken to compare the milk yield responses of high and medium merit dairy cows.

Effects of habituation to the milking parlour on the milk production and reproductive performance of first calving Holstein-Friesian and Norwegian dairy herd replacements

2004 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 345-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. C. F. Wicks ◽  
A. F. Carson ◽  
M. A. McCoy ◽  
C. S. Mayne
Keyword(s):  
Milk Production ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Dairy Herd ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Cell Counts ◽  
Holstein Friesian ◽  
Norwegian Dairy

AbstractTwenty-nine Holstein-Friesian and 20 Norwegian dairy herd replacements were used to investigate the effect of habituating heifers to the milking parlour environment prior to calving on subsequent lactational performance. The heifers commenced the study at 3 weeks prior to calving when they were allocated on the basis of breed, genetic merit and live weight to either a habituation or no habituation (control) treatment. Heifers were housed together in cubicle accommodation with grass silage offered ad libitum along with 1 kg of concentrates per head per day offered in the feeding passage (control treatment) or in the food managers in the milking parlour (habituation treatment). Animals in the habituation treatment were exposed to the full milking parlour routine once daily (afternoon milking) in a 20-point rotary herringbone parlour. Holstein-Friesian heifers averaged 2.6 kg/day more milk than the Norwegian replacements. Holstein-Friesian heifers also had higher fat and protein yields than Norwegian heifers, however they also lost more body condition during the first 3 months of lactation. Habituated heifers yielded on average 1.3 kg/day more milk (P < 0.001) than the control group of heifers over the first 100 days of lactation (26.7 v. 25.4 (s.e.d. 0.38) kg/day), with the difference being greatest in the first 2 to 3 weeks of lactation. In early lactation, animals on the habituation treatment lost more live weight (0.16 v. 0.02 (s.e.d. 0.061) kg/day) (P < 0.05) and body condition than those on the control treatment. Duration of milking was longer (P < 0.001) (378.4 v. 340.5 (s.e.d. 6.53) s) and milk flow rate slower (P < 0.001) (2.20 v. 2.46 (s.e.d. 0.041) kg/min) respectively for the habituation compared with control group. Somatic cell counts (SCC) were lower (P < 0.001) for habituation group (1.66 v. 1.79 (s.e.d. 0.037) log10SCC per ml), but there was no significant treatment effect on locomotion scores. Reproductive performance was lower for habituated heifers, with increased intervals to conception (P < 0.05) (102 v. 83 (s.e.d. 9.22) days). Habituating heifers to the milking parlour environment prior to calving increased milk production but appeared to have some detrimental effects on reproductive performance.

Comparison of growth and reproduction performance of dairy (Holstein-Friesian) and beef (Belgian Blue) replacement heifers in farms with both types of cattle

2001 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 503-506
Author(s):  
V. de Behr ◽  
O. Gérard ◽  
J.L. Hornick ◽  
I. Dufrasne ◽  
L. Istasse
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Dairy Herd ◽  
Limiting Factor ◽  
Holstein Friesian ◽  
Commercial Farms ◽  
Beef Herd ◽  
The Difference ◽  
One Year ◽  
Growth And Reproduction

AbstractIn Belgium, both dairy and beef cattle are managed intensively. Three commercial farms owning both a Belgian Blue —double muscled type- suckler beef herd and a Holstein-Friesian dairy herd were surveyed between 1994 and 1998. The aim of the study was to compare growth and reproduction performances of both breeds in a similar farm environment. The replacement heifers of both breeds were kept together until advanced pregnancy. Reproduction data were collected monthly from heifers older than fourteen months. The live weight of the replacement heifers was recorded quarterly until 20 months of age. Breed influenced the growth of replacement heifers at 6, 9 and 12 months (P < 0.001). The growth rate of Belgian Blue heifers was reduced after the age of one year and the live weight difference between breeds was not significant anymore. Belgian Blue heifers were always heavier than Holstein-Friesian heifers. Successfully bred heifers had a greater growth rate than non successfully bred heifers within the Belgian Blue breed. This was significant for the weight at 6 months (P < 0.05) and at 12 months (P < 0.05). Such an effect was not detected for the Holstein-Friesian breed (P > 0.05). Weight was not a limiting factor for fecundity of the Holstein-Friesian heifers. Management policies other than growth performance explained the difference between optimal fecundity and the fecundity index met in this study. Non successfully bred Belgian Blue heifers were lighter than successfully bred animals. Unsufficient weight performance had an impact on fecundity in that breed.

Relationship of diet, hoof type and locomotion score with lesions of the sole and white line in dairy cattle

1994 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. N. Logue ◽  
J. E. Offer ◽  
J. J. Hyslop
Keyword(s):  
Milk Yield ◽  
Weight Bearing ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Dietary Treatment ◽  
Lesion Score ◽  
White Line ◽  
Treatment Groups ◽  
Holstein Friesian ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Locomotion Score

AbstractThree groups of 16 cattle each comprising three multiparous Jersey cross Holstein-Friesian cows, seven primiparous and six multiparous Holstein-Friesian cattle were offered, ad libitum, a silage-based complete diet with different concentrate ingredients following an initial 3-week covariate period. The relationship between these three diets and other parameters with lesions of the weight-bearing surface of the hoof was studied by scoring mobility weekly (locomotion score) and examining all the feet of all cows for visual lesions particularly those involving the horn of the foot. In addition hoof angle, hardness and growth and wear were also recorded. The mean locomotion score during the initial 3-week covariate period was a significant covariate for the subsequent locomotion score, milk yield, and live weight (P< 0·001). Furthermore weekly locomotion score also proved a significant covariate for weekly milk yield (P< 0·05). There were no significant differences between dietary treatment groups for locomotion score, overall lesion score (despite significantly fewer ulcers of the sole in one dietary group:P< 0·001) but a significant (P< 0·05) difference between cow ‘type’ and there was also a significant (P< 0·05) diet × breed interaction for locomotion score and milk yield. It was concluded first that initial mobility was an important factor in subsequent mobility of the cow and so experimental design; secondly that while nutrition and genotype interacted to influence mobility, visual lesions of the hoof and lameness, the mechanisms involved were far from clear; and thirdly that the simple lesion score used required some adjustment or correction factor(s) to ensure that more severe lesions were given a greater weight than a simple unitary increase.

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