LOOSE HOUSING FOR DAIRY CATTLE*

Proven favorable to housing for high producing dairy cows, cold loose housing at the Wisconsin Station has shown the way to specialized dairy farming in the Midwest. This system allows free, active cows to wait on themselves and bring the milk to the elevated stall milking parlor. Here the operator quickly and effectively milks his cows with the aid of a cleaned in place milk pipeline which carries the milk to the refrigerated bulk tank in the milk room. Success requires careful planning, a workable layout, effective equipment and an operator willing to adjust himself and his hard management practices to his new system of housing.

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Productive and reproductive performance of crossbred and indigenous dairy cows at smallholdings in selected towns of Jimma Zone, Ethiopia

Animal Production Science ◽

10.1071/an19380 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 61 (1) ◽

pp. 92

Author(s):

Belay Duguma

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cattle ◽

Dairy Cows ◽

Milk Yield ◽

Reproductive Performance ◽

Management Practices ◽

Production Systems ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Jimma Zone ◽

Improvement Programs

Context Evaluation of the performance of dairy cows kept in different production systems is essential for the development of appropriate breeding strategies. Aims To examine milk production and reproductive performance of crossbred (CB) and indigenous (I) dairy cows, farmers’ traits preference for CB and I breeding females, and factors affecting the performance of dairy cattle on smallholdings in selected towns of Jimma Zone, Ethiopia. Methods In total, 52 smallholder dairy cattle farmers were randomly sampled and data were collected through individual face-to-face interviews by using structured questionnaires. The traits studied were daily milk yield (DMY), lactation milk yield (LMY), lactation length (LL), age at first service (AFS), age at first calving (AFC), calving interval (CI), days open (DO), and number of service per conception (NSC), all being factors affecting performance of dairy cattle and farmers’ preferred dairy traits. Results On average, CB cows had significantly (P < 0.05) higher DMY (6.0 ± 0.33 vs 1.8 ± 0.07 L/cow), LMY (1466.7 ± 1.13 vs 376.0 ± 21.02 L (L)), LL (8.1 ± 0.41 vs 6.9 ± 0.22 months), and lower AFS (2.69 ± 0.1 vs 3.3 ± 0.07 years), AFC (3.7 ± 0.13 vs 4.3 ± 0.07 years) and CI (21.2 ± 1.37 vs 29.8 ± 1.30 months) than did I cows. However, DO and NSC were not significantly (P > 0.05) affected by genotype. In order of perceived importance, high milk yield (mean rank = 0.306), LL (0.292) and fertility (0.199) were farmers’ most preferred traits for CB breeding cows, and the corresponding preferred traits for I cows were high milk yield (0.253), adaptability (0.229) and LL (0.192). The most important factors perceived by farmers affecting the performance of dairy cattle were breed, nutrition, diseases, breeding and management practices Conclusions The findings of the study indicated that even though CB cows performed better, the performance of both breeds of dairy cows in the study area was found to be generally low due to delayed AFS, late AFC, long CI, shorter LL, low daily and LMY and high NSC. Implications The study highlighted that there is a potential for increasing the performance of dairy cows in the study area, through improved management strategies leading to shorter AFS, AFC, CI and lower NSC. Furthermore, future breed-improvement programs should take into consideration farmers’ trait preferences in design of sustainable improvement programs.

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Prenatal programming of later performance in dairy cattle

Vlaams Diergeneeskundig Tijdschrift ◽

10.21825/vdt.v89i1.15985 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 89 (1) ◽

Author(s):

M. Van Eetvelde ◽

G. Opsomer

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cattle ◽

Dairy Cows ◽

Milk Yield ◽

Management Practices ◽

Body Growth ◽

Postnatal Life ◽

Prenatal Programming ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

And Performance

Prenatal programming refers to the fact that insults during pre- and early postnatal life can have long-term consequences on the health and performance. In diary cattle, physiological conditions, such as maternal body growth, milk yield and parity, and environmental conditions during gestation can create a suboptimal environment for the developing fetus. As a consequence, adaptations of the placental and newborn phenotype take place. In addition, potential long-term effects of prenatal programming influence body growth, fertility, milk yield and longevity in dairy cows. These results suggest that the current management systems may pose a risk for the long-term health and performance of dairy cattle. Hence, in management practices, all pre- and postnatal aspects should carefully be considered in order to raise healthier and more productive dairy cows.

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Mitigation strategies to reduce enteric methane emissions from dairy cows: Update review

Canadian Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.4141/a03-109 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 84 (3) ◽

pp. 319-335 ◽

Cited By ~ 230

Author(s):

D. Boadi ◽

C. Benchaar ◽

J. Chiquette ◽

D. Massé

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cattle ◽

Dairy Cows ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Management Practices ◽

Genetic Selection ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Ruminal Fermentation ◽

Enteric Methane ◽

Dietary Strategies

Enteric methane (CH4) emission is a major contributor to Canadian greenhouse gas emissions, and also a loss of feed energy during production. The objective of this paper is to provide an update on current management practices and new dietary strategies recently proposed to reduce CH4 emissions from ruminants. Existing mitigation strategies for dairy, e.g., the addition of ionophores, fats, use of high-quality forages, and increased use of grains, have been well researched and applied. These nutritional changes reduce CH4 emissions by manipulating ruminal fermentation, directly inhibiting methanogens and protozoa, or by diverting hydrogen ions away from methanogens. Current literature has identified new CH4 mitigation options. These include the addition of probiotics, acetogens, bacteriocins, archaeal viruses, organic acids, plant extracts (e.g., essential oils) to the diet, as well as immunization, and genetic selection of cows. These new strategies are promising, but more research is needed to validate these approaches and to assess in vivo their effectiveness in reducing CH4 production by dairy cows. It is also important to evaluate CH4 mitigation strategies in terms of the total greenhouse gas budget and to consider the cost associated with the various strategies. More basic understanding of the natural differences in digestion efficiencies among animals as well as a better knowledge of methanogens and their interaction with other organisms in the rumen would enable us to exploit the potential of some of the new CH4 mitigation strategies for dairy cattle production. Key words: Enteric methane, dairy cattle, mitigation

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Short term fasting as a tool to design effective grazing strategies for lactating dairy cattle: a review

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1071/ea06130 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 47 (9) ◽

pp. 1075 ◽

Cited By ~ 53

Author(s):

P. Chilibroste ◽

P. Soca ◽

D. A. Mattiauda ◽

O. Bentancur ◽

P. H. Robinson

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cattle ◽

Dairy Cows ◽

Foraging Behaviour ◽

Management Practices ◽

Eating Patterns ◽

Short Term ◽

Rumen Ph ◽

Grazing Strategies ◽

And Performance ◽

Grazing Dairy Cows

Varying the time since the last meal (i.e. fasting) is a means of manipulating foraging behaviour. Management practices that restrict grazing time, and/or change the timing of the grazing session, may be analogous to changes introduced with different fasting regimes, suggesting that the same pattern of responses on foraging behaviour could be expected. Concepts related to eating patterns of grazing dairy cows are briefly reviewed, and impacts of short-term (i.e. within day) fasts on ingestive behaviours are discussed. Finally, several experiments that examined impacts of short-term fasts on eating patterns, ingestive behaviours and performance of lactating dairy cows are reviewed. Management practices that create shorter grazing sessions (i.e. longer fasting periods before grazing), and/or involve afternoon grazing, result in longer initial grazing bouts, higher intake rates, reductions in rumination time during the grazing session, as well as more pronounced changes in rumen pH, concentrations of rumen fermentation metabolites and rumen load. All of these changes have been associated with improvements in performance of grazing dairy cattle. These concepts and findings have implications in defining optimal grazing strategies, as well as allowing cattle performance, sward conditions and nutrient balances to be predicted and analysed in an integrated manner.

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Effects of Retinoic Acid and 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 on IFN-gamma Secretion by Mononuclear Leukocytes from Nulliparous and Postparturient Dairy Cattle

International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research ◽

10.1024/0300-9831.70.3.92 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 70 (3) ◽

pp. 92-101 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Burim Ametaj ◽

Brian Nonnecke ◽

Ronald Horst ◽

Donald Beitz

Keyword(s):

Retinoic Acid ◽

Dairy Cattle ◽

Dairy Cows ◽

Dairy Cow ◽

Pokeweed Mitogen ◽

Mononuclear Leukocytes ◽

Combined Effects ◽

Ifn Gamma ◽

Dihydroxyvitamin D ◽

1,25 Dihydroxyvitamin D

Individual and combined effects of several isomers of retinoic acid (RA) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-(OH)2D3) on interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) secretion by blood mononuclear leukocytes (MNL) from nulliparous and postparturient Holstein cattle were evaluated in vitro. In the first experiment, effects on incubation period (24 to 72 hours) and time of supplementation (0 to 32 hours) with all-trans, 9-cis, 13-cis-, and 9,13-dicis-RAs (0 to 100 nM) on IFN-gamma secretion by pokeweed mitogen (PWM)-stimulated (0 and 10 mug/ml) MNL from nulliparous cattle were evaluated. In the second experiment, MNL from postparturient cows (bled at 0, 2, 4, and 16 days postpartum) were stimulated with PWM (0 and 10 mug/ml) in the presence of RA isomers (9-cis- or 9,13-dicis-RA; 0 to 100 nM), 1,25-(OH)2D3 (0 to 100 nM), or with combinations of these metabolites. The results show that individual isomers of RA had no effect on IFN-gamma secretion by PWM-stimulated MNL from nulliparous or postparturient cows. Furthermore 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 inhibited IFN-gamma secretion by MNL from nulliparous and postparturient dairy cows; however, the degree of inhibition was greater when 9-cis- and 9,13-dicis-RA were also present in the cultures. Finally mononuclear leukocytes from postparturient dairy cows produced substantially less IFN-gamma than did MNL from nulliparous cattle. It is concluded that retinoic acids individually did not affect the capacity of leukocytes from dairy cattle to secrete IFN-gamma. This result is in marked contrast to studies in monogastric species indicating that RAs inhibit IFN-gamma secretion by peripheral blood T cells. Inhibition of IFN-gamma secretion by 1,25-(OH)2D3 was potentiated by 9-cis- and 9,13-di-cis-retinoics acids, suggesting that an excess of dietary vitamins A and D may compromise further the naturally immunosuppressed postparturient dairy cow. Additional research is necessary to determine if the combined effects of these metabolites on IFN-gamma secretion represent an increased susceptibility of the dairy cow to infectious diseases during the periparturient period. Lower secretion of IFN-gamma by MNL from postpartutient dairy cows, relative to nulliparous cattle, suggests that recently-calved cows are naturally immunosuppressed.

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COMPARATIVE DESCRIPTION OF MILK PRODUCTIVITY OF COWS UKRAINIAN RED-AND-WHITE DAIRY CATTLE AND UKRAINIAN BLACK-AND-WHITE DAIRY CATTLE AND HOLSTEIN BREEDS IN SERF «OLEKSANDRIVSKE»

Animal Breeding and Genetics ◽

10.31073/abg.52.01 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 52 ◽

pp. 6-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

M. V. Gladiy ◽

G. S. Kovalenko ◽

S. V. Priyma ◽

G. A. Holyosa ◽

A. V. Tuchyk ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cattle ◽

Dairy Cows ◽

Milk Yield ◽

Fat Content ◽

Holstein Cows ◽

Milk Productivity ◽

Black And White ◽

The Third ◽

Fat Yield ◽

Selection Of

The main goal of dairy breeds selection should be improving breeding and productive qualities of animals under modern conditions. The majority of farms, using native breeds to produce milk, has created optimal conditions for keeping and feeding, selection and matching, growing of replacements etc. Further improvement of created native dairy breeds for economically useful traits occurs at total use of purebred Holstein bulls (semen) of foreign selection. In order to realistically assess milk productivity (milk yield, fat content in milk and fat yield) of Ukrainian Black-and-White and Red-and-White Dairy cows should be conducted a comparative analysis of Holstein cows under the same conditions of feeding and keeping. It was established that Ukrainian Red-and-White Dairy cows were characterized by the highest milk yields for 305 days of all lactations, taken into account, the among three investigated breeds. Their milk yield during the first lactation was 5933 kg of milk, during the second – 6393 kg, the third – 6391 kg and during higher lactation – 6650 kg. Ukrainian Black-and-White Dairy cows were second by milk yield (except for the second lactation), during the first lactation – 5932 kg of milk, the third – 6462 kg and higher – 6541 kg, and Holstein cows were third, during the first lactation – 5794 kg of milk, the second – 6381 kg, the third – 6335 kg and higher – 6469 kg. The fat content was almost the same and varied within 3.49-3.58% in milk of Ukrainian Red-and-White Dairy cattle, 3.50-3.60% in milk of Ukrainian Black-and-White Dairy cattle and 3.50-3.56% in Holsteins’ milk. The difference between the breeds was within 0.01-0.04%. All the investigated breeds had predominance in fat yield for three lactations over standards of these breeds: Ukrainian Red-and-White Dairy cows from 75.1 to 93.4 kg, Ukrainian Black-and-White Dairy cows – 75.1-89.0 kg respectively and Holstein cows – 41.9-60.2 kg. It was found different level of positive correlation between milk yield and fat yield in all the cases and high correlation (r = 0.604-0.921, P < 0.001) in five cases (41.7%) Negative correlation coefficients indicate that selection of animals to higher milk yield in the herd will decrease the second trait – fat content in milk. Positive and highly significant correlation between milk yield and fat yield indicates that selection of cows in the herd to higher milk yields will increase fat yield. It was revealed that bulls were among the factors impacted the milk productivity (milk yield, fat content, fat yield) of three investigated breeds. So, the force (η²x) of father’s impact on milk yield was15.4-47.9%, fat content – 22.0-43.4% and fat yield – 14.9-47.7% taking into account a lactation and a breed. The force of lines impact (η²x) was second; it was on milk yield 6.1-24.5%, fat content – 4.1-17.1 and fat yield – 5.8-23.5%. The force of breeds impact (η²x) was last; it was on milk yield 0.3-2.9%, fat content – 0.2-0.3% and fat yield – 0.6-2.7%. So, the comparative studies of milk productivity of Ukrainian Red-and-White and Black-and-White Dairy cattle with Holsteins indicate that under similar conditions of feeding and keeping, these native breeds can compete with Holstein cattle. The milk yield for 305 days of higher lactation was 6650 kg of milk in Ukrainian Red-and-White Dairy cows, 6541 kg in Ukrainian Black-and-White Dairy cows and 6469 kg in Holsteins. It was found the inverse correlation r = -0.025-0.316 between milk yield and fat content in milk in most cases. Selection and matching of animals in the herd should be carried out simultaneously on these traits. It was found positive repeatability of milk yields between the first and second, the third and higher lactations (rs = 0.036-0.741), indicating the reliability of forecasting increase in milk productivity during the next lactations in all herd. Bulls have the greatest impact (η²x) on milk productivity among the factors taken into account: milk yield – 15.4-47.9%, fat content in milk – 22.0-43.4% and fat yield – 14.9-47.7%.

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493. Concerning the interpretation of observations, obtained from records and experiments, on milking dairy cows

Journal of Dairy Research ◽

10.1017/s0022029900006634 ◽

1953 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

pp. 1-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

C. P. Cox

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cattle ◽

Dairy Cows ◽

Day Treatment ◽

Qualitative Difference ◽

Feeding Experiment ◽

Cattle Feeding ◽

The Difference

1. Some questions concerning the interpretation of observations on milking dairy cattle are considered.2. A formula is presented for analysing the contributions of changes in the numerator and denominator to the changes in a percentage or fraction, and the formula is applied to changes in the composition of milk.3. The depressions of the butterfat and solids-not-fat percentages consequent on diets reduced in hay in a dairy-cattle feeding experiment are examined with this constituent analysis.The contributions of changes in the magnitudes of the aqueous, butterfat and solids-not-fat constituents to the difference between the butterfat percentages of cows on two treatments, 18 lb. hay/day (control) and 6 lb. hay /day, are about equal. There is an apparent qualitative difference between the effects of the two non-control treatments, and a reduced yield of butterfat would alone largely account for the lower butterfat percentage of cows on the 2 lb. hay /day treatment.

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Occurrence of abortions induced by Neospora caninum in dairy cattle from Santa Catarina, southern Brazil

Revista Brasileira de Parasitologia Veterinária ◽

10.1590/s1984-29612017051 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 292-298 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Cesar Augusto Barbosa de Macedo ◽

Madlaine Frigo Silveira Barbosa de Macedo ◽

Ana Carolina Miura ◽

Alessandra Taroda ◽

Sergio Tosi Cardim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cattle ◽

Dairy Cows ◽

High Frequency ◽

Neospora Caninum ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Southern Brazil ◽

Chain Reaction ◽

Santa Catarina ◽

Tissue Samples ◽

Polymerase Chain

Abstract The aim of the present study was to investigate the occurrence of N. caninum associated with abortions of dairy cattle from Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Blood from dairy cows that aborted along with intrathoracic fluid and tissue samples (brain, heart, liver, and lung) from their fetuses were collected and used for serology; PCR, histopathological, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) evaluations were also conducted. Twenty-one cows (51.2%) out of 41, and eight fetuses (26.7%) out of 30 were ELISA (HerdCheck, IDEXX) positive for N. caninum. Dams > 36 months of age had a higher risk of being serum positive than younger animals. PCR and IHC revealed that 38.8% (14/36) and 25.0% (9/36) of the fetuses were positive for N. caninum, respectively for each of the tests. Seropositive cows had a higher frequency of fetuses that were also positive by either intrathoracic fluid, PCR, or IHC. In summary, the present study observed a high frequency of N. caninum in abortions from dairy cows from southern Brazil, with a higher N. caninum prevalence found in cows that were older than 36 months. In addition, serology, PCR, and IHC should be used all together for better diagnosis of neosporosis in cattle.

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