Improving udder health management in dairy herds with automatic milking systems

10.33540/772 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Zhaoju Deng
Keyword(s):  
Health Management ◽  
Dairy Herds ◽  
Udder Health ◽  
Automatic Milking ◽  
Automatic Milking Systems

scholarly journals A pathogen-specific approach towards udder health management in dairy herds: Using culture and somatic cell counts from routine herd investigations

2016 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Inge-Marié Petzer ◽  
Joanne Karzis ◽  
Edward F. Donkin ◽  
Edward C. Webb
Keyword(s):  
Somatic Cell ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
False Negative ◽  
Dairy Herds ◽  
Udder Health ◽  
Somatic Cell Counts ◽  
Milk Samples ◽  
Negative Results ◽  
Cell Counts

A dedicated udder health diagnostic programme was developed and used over a 15-year period in South Africa to analyse milk samples based on microbiological and cytological patterns within various groups and for individual cows and udder quarters in dairy herds. These pathogen-specific analyses are utilised for pro-active improvement and management of udder health in South African commercial dairy herds. The programme acts as a monitoring tool and identifies management areas at risk and individual cows with udder disease and uses both quarter and composite milk samples. Intra-mammary infection (IMI) is a dynamic situation and depending on the time a milk sample is taken, false-negative results may be obtained. A new IMI and an infection that is curing may both have low somatic cell counts (SCCs), masking the true bacterial status. SCC in individual infected udder quarters may differ greatly depending on the causative bacterial species, its pathogenicity, the host immune status and the environmental factors involved. A pathogen-specific udder health approach was followed with repeated herd tests to take account of these udder health dynamics. The results of the herd IMI investigation are applied in practice to assist veterinarians, udder health consultants and managers to make informed and specific detailed decisions at both a herd and on an individual cow basis regarding udder health.

scholarly journals Proactive udder health management in South Africa and monitoring of antibiotic resistance of Staphylococcus aureus in dairy herds from 2001 to 2010

2018 ◽  
Vol 89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne Karzis ◽  
Inge-Marie Petzer ◽  
Edward F. Donkin ◽  
Vinny Naidoo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
South African ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Bovine Milk ◽  
Management Programme ◽  
Dairy Herds ◽  
Udder Health ◽  
Cell Counts

Antibiotic resistance of strains of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from bovine milk is of concern internationally. The objective of this study was to investigate trends of resistance of S. aureus to antibiotics administered to dairy cows in 19 South African and one Zambian dairy herds (participating in the South African proactive udder health management programme) and to identify possible contributing factors. The resistance of S. aureus strains to eight commonly used antibiotics in South Africa from 2001 to 2010 was evaluated. Staphylococcus aureus isolates (n = 2532) were selected from cows with subclinical mastitis in 20 herds routinely sampled as part of the proactive udder health management programme. The isolates were selected from milk samples that had somatic cell counts more than 400 000 cells/mL and were tested for antibiotic resistance using a standard Kirby–Bauer test with published clinical breakpoints. The prevalence of antibiotic resistance was evaluated as a percentage of S. aureus isolates susceptible out of the total numbers for each antibiotic selected per year. Staphylococcus aureus showed a significant increase in percentage of susceptible isolates over time for all antibiotics tested except for ampicillin. The overall prevalence of mastitis did not change during the study period. However, the prevalence of mastitis caused by S. aureus (mostly subclinical cases) in the selected herds decreased numerically but not significantly. Reduction in the incidence of antibiotic resistance shown by S. aureus was presumed to be a result of the application of the proactive udder health management programme. The fact that the overall prevalence of mastitis was kept stable was possibly because of the influence of the management programme in conjunction with the return of infections caused by non-resistant strains.

scholarly journals Mastitis diagnosis in ten Galician dairy herds (NW Spain) with automatic milking systems

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. e0504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angel Castro ◽  
Jose M. Pereira ◽  
Carlos Amiama ◽  
Javier Bueno
Keyword(s):  
Detection System ◽  
Operational Reliability ◽  
Clinical Mastitis ◽  
Standard Test ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Dairy Herds ◽  
Nw Spain ◽  
Streptococcus Uberis ◽  
Automatic Milking ◽  
Automatic Milking Systems

<p>Over the last few years, the adoption of automatic milking systems (AMS) has experienced significant increase. However, hardly any studies have been conducted to investigate the distribution of mastitis pathogens in dairy herds with AMS. Because quick mastitis detection in AMS is very important, the primary objective of this study was to determine operational reliability and sensibility of mastitis detection systems from AMS. Additionally, the frequency of pathogen-specific was determined. For this purpose, 228 cows from ten farms in Galicia (NW Spain) using this system were investigated. The California Mastitis Test (CMT) was considered the gold-standard test for mastitis diagnosis and milk samples were analysed from CMT-positive cows for the bacterial examination. Mean farm prevalence of clinical mastitis was 9% and of 912 milk quarters examined, 23% were positive to the AMS mastitis detection system and 35% were positive to the CMT. The majority of CMT-positive samples had a score of 1 or 2 on a 1 (lowest mastitis severity) to 4 (highest mastitis severity) scale. The average sensitivity and specificity of the AMS mastitis detection system were 58.2% and 94.0% respectively being similar to other previous studies, what could suggest limitations for getting higher values of reliability and sensibility in the current AMSs. The most frequently isolated pathogens were <em>Streptococcus dysgalactiae</em> (8.8%), followed by<em> Streptococcus uberis </em>(8.3%) and<em> Staphylococcus aureus </em>(3.3%).<em> </em>The relatively high prevalence of these pathogens indicates suboptimal cleaning and disinfection of teat dipping cups, brushes and milk liners in dairy farms with AMS in the present study.</p>

scholarly journals Comparison of the fit of automatic milking system and test-day records with the use of lactation curves

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 408-415
Author(s):  
B. Sitkowska ◽  
M. Kolenda ◽  
D. Piwczyński
Keyword(s):  
Bayesian Information Criterion ◽  
Information Criterion ◽  
Coefficient Of Determination ◽  
Dairy Herds ◽  
Lactation Curve ◽  
Milk Performance ◽  
Automatic Milking System ◽  
Automatic Milking ◽  
Automatic Milking Systems ◽  
Wood Model

Objective: The aim of the paper was to compare the fit of data derived from daily automatic milking systems (AMS) and monthly test-day records with the use of lactation curves; data was analysed separately for primiparas and multiparas.Methods: The study was carried out on three Polish Holstein-Friesians (PHF) dairy herds. The farms were equipped with an automatic milking system which provided information on milking performance throughout lactation. Once a month cows were also subjected to test-day milkings (method A4). Most studies described in the literature are based on test-day data; therefore, we aimed to compare models based on both test-day and AMS data to determine which mathematical model (Wood or Wilmink) would be the better fit.Results: Results show that lactation curves constructed from data derived from the AMS were better adjusted to the actual milk yield (MY) data regardless of the lactation number and model. Also, we found that the Wilmink model may be a better fit for modelling the lactation curve of PHF cows milked by an AMS as it had the lowest values of Akaike information criterion, Bayesian information criterion, mean square error, the highest coefficient of determination values, and was more accurate in estimating MY than the Wood model. Although both models underestimated peak MY, mean, and total MY, the Wilmink model was closer to the real values.Conclusion: Models of lactation curves may have an economic impact and may be helpful in terms of herd management and decision-making as they assist in forecasting MY at any moment of lactation. Also, data obtained from modelling can help with monitoring milk performance of each cow, diet planning, as well as monitoring the health of the cow.

scholarly journals Association between Udder and Quarter Level Indicators and Milk Somatic Cell Count in Automatic Milking Systems

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 3485
Author(s):  
Maddalena Zucali ◽  
Luciana Bava ◽  
Alberto Tamburini ◽  
Giulia Gislon ◽  
Anna Sandrucci
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Somatic Cell ◽  
Cell Count ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Somatic Cell Count ◽  
Udder Health ◽  
Milk Flow ◽  
Automatic Milking ◽  
Automatic Milking Systems ◽  
Over Time

Automatic Milking Systems (AMS) record a lot of information, at udder and quarter level, which can be useful for improving the early detection of altered udder health conditions. A total of 752,000 records from 1003 lactating cows milked with two types of AMS in four farms were processed with the aim of identifying new indicators, starting from the variables provided by the AMS, useful to predict the risk of high milk somatic cell count (SCC). Considering the temporal pattern, the quarter vs. udder percentage difference in milk electrical conductivity showed an increase in the fourteen days preceding an official milk control higher than 300,000 SCC/mL. Similarly, deviations over time in quarter vs. udder milk yield, average milk flow, and milking time emerged as potential indicators for high SCC. The Logistic Analysis showed that Milk Production Rate (kg/h) and the within-cow within-milking percentage variations of single quarter vs. udder milk electrical conductivity, milk yield, and average milk flow are all risk factors for high milk SCC. The result suggests that these variables, alone or in combination, and their progression over time could be used to improve the early prediction of risk situations for udder health in AMS milked herds.

Optimizing udder health in dairy cattle

2021 ◽  
pp. 323-350
Author(s):  
Theo J. G. M. Lam ◽  
◽  
Sarne De Vliegher ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Dairy Herds ◽  
Future Trends ◽  
Intramammary Infections ◽  
Udder Health ◽  
Diagnostic Approaches ◽  
Level Problem ◽  
Milking Machine

In this chapter several aspects of udder health are discussed. Mastitis, inflammation of the mammary gland, which is generally caused by bacterial infections, is one of the most important and most studied diseases in dairy cattle. Diagnostic approaches are discussed with specific attention for the bacteriological causes of the disease. Subsequently immunological aspects of intramammary infections will be reviewed. Because treatment of mastitis in unavoidable at some point in time in most dairy herds, attention is given to treatment of mastitis with an emphasis on different types of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance. The most important part of udder health management, however, is the preventive management. From that perspective, breeding, housing and nutrition are shortly discussed, as are the milking machine and milking procedures. Finally attention is given to problem solving once mastitis has led to a herd level problem and some future trends are discussed.

scholarly journals A genetic study of new udder health indicator traits with data from automatic milking systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 103 (8) ◽  
pp. 7188-7198 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.B. Wethal ◽  
M. Svendsen ◽  
B. Heringstad
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Study ◽  
Health Indicator ◽  
Udder Health ◽  
Automatic Milking ◽  
Automatic Milking Systems ◽  
Indicator Traits

A simulation study to investigate the added value in using differential somatic cell count as an additional indicator for udder health management in dairy herds

2020 ◽  
Vol 182 ◽  
pp. 105090
Author(s):  
Maya Gussmann ◽  
Carsten Kirkeby ◽  
Daniel Schwarz ◽  
Michael Farre ◽  
Tariq Halasa
Keyword(s):  
Somatic Cell ◽  
Cell Count ◽  
Simulation Study ◽  
Somatic Cell Count ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Dairy Herds ◽  
Udder Health

Evaluation of automatic milking system variables in dairy cows with different levels of lactation stage and reproduction status

2019 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 410-415
Author(s):  
Vida Juozaitiene ◽  
Arunas Juozaitis ◽  
Judita Zymantiene ◽  
Ugne Spancerniene ◽  
Ramunas Antanaitis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Dairy Herds ◽  
Additional Tool ◽  
Milk Flow ◽  
Lactation Stage ◽  
Automatic Milking System ◽  
Automatic Milking ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
Automatic Milking Systems ◽  
Group 1

AbstractIn this study, we hypothesized that differences of automatic milking systems (AMS) variables in dairy cows during estrus and through diverse stages of lactation can be suggested as alternative indicators to support the pregnancy in dairy farms using automatic milking systems. The key objectives were: (1) to determine the variation of automatic milking system indicators during lactation and to estimate the relationship with reproduction status in dairy cows; (2) to test the hypothesis that milking traits of cows can be influenced by estrus and conceiving, and can be used as a predictor of the likelihood of reproductive success in dairy herds. Estrus synchronization was performed in 368 healthy Lithuanian Black and White cows. All cows (n = 368) were synchronized and inseminated for the first time on the 91st day in milk (DIM). Cows not pregnant (17.39%) were synchronized and inseminated again at 132 DIM. After the first insemination pregnant (n = 304) cows were identified as group 1, after the second insemination pregnant (n = 58) cows – as group 2. Overall, 12 01 713 records of udder quarters in cows from 5 to 305 DIM were evaluated. The results revealed the reduction in milk yield during estrus 11.05% on 91 DIM and 13.89% on 132 DIM (P < 0.001) and an increment in milk flow traits in cows after 91 DIM (P < 0.05), also a slight decline in milk flow traits on 132 DIM. Furthermore, milking frequency (MF) of cows decreased significantly (P < 0.001) after conceiving. The interval between milkings (MI) increased (40.30%) during estrus of cows in group 1 (P < 0.001), and thereafter gradually increased, however in group 2 there was a temporary increment (6.06%) on the 91 DIM and steady rise (42.13%) on 132 DIM was noticed. The results highlight that changes in AMS indicators of cows may be considered as an additional tool for improvement of reproductive management in dairy herds, but further research-based studies are necessary before practical application.

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