scholarly journals Assessment of welfare indicators in grazing dairy cows in Northeast Brazil

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (6supl2) ◽  
pp. 3225-3236
Author(s):  
Severino Guilherme Caetano Gonçalves dos Santos ◽  
◽  
Edilson Paes Saraiva ◽  
Vinicius de França Carvalho Fonseca ◽  
Carla Aparecida Soares Saraiva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Body Condition Score ◽  
Behavioral Assessment ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Access Time ◽  
Pasture Management ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Condition Score

The welfare of dairy cows is a major global concern, due to its impact on cow health and productivity, as well as public health. The aim of this study was to identify the main problems related to welfare in dairy herds managed on pasture in the state of Paraíba, Brazil. For this investigation, a cross-sectional study was conducted in 12 dairy farms in the municipalities of Areia, Alagoa Grande, Serraria, and Pilões, Paraíba, Brazil. Each farm was visited only once, recording the number of cows in the herd, type and number of milkings per day, daily milk yield, and access time to the pasture. Body condition score, cleanliness score, bodily injuries, and qualitative behavioral assessment (QBA) were measured. A total of 335 dairy cows were evaluated; herds ranged from 14 to 43 lactating cows, with an average milk yield of 8.4 ± 3.25 kg day-1. Of the 335 cows observed, 26% had a low body condition score, 82% had bodily injuries, and 20% had dirt on their legs. For the QBA, a principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that PC1 had a high correlation mainly with positive body expressions (e.g., sociable, active, and happy), and PC2 was associated with negative terms of body expression (e.g., apathetic, frustrated, and fearful). In conclusion, evaluating indicators of cows’ body condition, bodily injury, and cleanliness highlighted the importance of promoting improvements in pasture, management, and housing conditions to enable better performance, health, and welfare of the animals.

scholarly journals Genetic Relationships among Body Condition Score, Body Weight, Milk Yield, and Fertility in Dairy Cows

2003 ◽  
Vol 86 (6) ◽  
pp. 2193-2204 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.P. Berry ◽  
F. Buckley ◽  
P. Dillon ◽  
R.D. Evans ◽  
M. Rath ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Body Condition Score ◽  
Genetic Relationships ◽  
Condition Score

Effect of Body Condition Score Variation on Milk Yield and Fertility in Post-partum Dairy Cows

2003 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 647-649 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Formigoni ◽  
P. Pezzi ◽  
A. Gramenzi ◽  
G. Martino ◽  
E. Neri
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Body Condition Score ◽  
Post Partum ◽  
Condition Score

scholarly journals Distribution of dominant follicles in postpartum dairy cows

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-191
Author(s):  
Benjamin Cengic ◽  
Nazif Varatanovic ◽  
Tarik Mutevelic ◽  
Amel Cutuk ◽  
Ermin Saljic
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Corpus Luteum ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Body Condition Score ◽  
Diagnostic Ultrasound ◽  
Ovarian Activity ◽  
Pathological Effect ◽  
Condition Score

Clinical and subclinical disorders and diseases cause reproductive failures and decline in milk production. Etiology of disorders is mainly because of pathological effect of microorganisms, lapses in nutrition and lodging, as well as in management. After partrition, body is under stress and milk yield is highest, which favors appearance of metabolic and infective diseases. Status of puerperium, number of lactation, body condition score and season of parturition, have highest effect to cyclic ovarian activity. Regular development of dominant follicles, ovulation, formation of corpus luteum and luteolysis is necessary for establishment of regular cyclic ovarian activity, which leads to better fertility. Experiment had included 50 cows during first 52 days of lactation. Cows were separated in two main groups, those with normal puerperium - NP (n=32) and abnormal puerperium - AP (n=18). Examinations have been performed during period of 6 to 52 days postpartum. Ovarian dominant follicles have been observed using diagnostic ultrasound linear scanner. The highest number of dominant follicles are present during first two examinations, then their number declines and later in last two examinations rise again. Decrease in number of dominant follicles in both groups is most expressed in period of 14-30 days. During first examination, left ovaries have more dominant follicles, compared with right ovaries, while during later examinations, it is changed in favor of right ovaries. Increased number of vital dominant follicles from period 38-45 days postpartum and absence of abnormal uterine content in lumen in same period postpartum is sign of upcoming fertile estrus.

scholarly journals Association of Body Condition Score and Score Change during the Late Dry Period on Temporal Patterns of Beta-Hydroxybutyrate Concentration and Milk Yield and Composition in Early Lactation of Dairy Cows

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1054
Author(s):  
Zelmar Rodriguez ◽  
Elise Shepley ◽  
Pedro P. C. Ferro ◽  
Nilon L. Moraes ◽  
Acir M. Antunes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Body Condition Score ◽  
Milk Composition ◽  
Early Lactation ◽  
Dry Period ◽  
Fat Reserves ◽  
Condition Score ◽  
Beta Hydroxybutyrate

Monitoring the body condition score (BCS) of dairy cows is a management strategy that can assist dairy producers in decision-making. The BCS and its variations reflect the level of body fat reserves and fat mobilization throughout the different stages of lactation. Cows that mobilize excessive amounts of fat reserves in response to the increased energy requirements of the transition period are more likely to have higher beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) concentration in blood, leading to a higher incidence of hyperketonemia postpartum. In this study, our main objective was to evaluate how both BCS (at 21 d prior to the expected calving date, −21 BCS) and change in BCS during the late dry period (−21 d to calving, ∆BCS) are associated with temporal patterns of blood BHB concentrations during the first two weeks of lactation. Our secondary objective was to characterize the relationship between the change in BCS in the late dry period, and milk yield and milk composition in the first milk test postpartum. In this retrospective cohort study, we assessed BCS at 21 (±3) days before the expected calving date and within three days after calving. Blood BHB concentration was measured at days 3 (±1), 7 (±1), and 14 (±1) postpartum. Hyperketonemia (HYK) was defined as blood BHB ≥ 1.2 mmol/L. To evaluate how −21 BCS and ∆BCS during the late dry period were associated with BHB in early lactation, linear mixed-effects regression models with an unstructured covariate matrix were performed. The association between ∆BCS and incidence of postpartum HYK were determined using a multivariable log-binomial model. A linear regression model was used to evaluate the association between ∆BCS and milk yield and milk composition in the first monthly test-day. Covariates used for model adjustment include parity, season, and baseline BCS. We observed that cows with BCS ≥ 4.0 at 21 d before their expected calving date had the highest BHB concentration postpartum, but no evidence that BCS ≥ 4.0 at 21 d was associated with fluctuations of BHB over time. Cows that experienced a large BCS loss (larger than 0.5 units) during the late dry period had a 61% (95% CI: 1.04, 2.50) higher risk of developing HYK in early lactation and had higher BHB concentrations during early lactation compared with cows with no ∆BCS prepartum. These associations were observed independently of the BCS at −21 d prepartum (baseline). In addition, cows that lost more than 0.5 BCS unit in the late dry period produced 3.3 kg less milk (95% CI: −7.06, 0.45) at the first milk test compared to cows that had no ∆BCS during the late dry period. No evidence of an association between −21 BCS and ∆BCS in the late dry period and milk composition was observed in our study. These results suggest that dynamic measures of BCS during the late dry period, such as ∆BCS, are better at evaluating blood BHB patterns in early lactation than BCS measured at a single time point. Cows with larger BCS loss during the late dry period and with greater parity are more likely to have higher concentrations of blood BHB postpartum, with the highest concentrations reported at 7 d post-calving.

PSXIV-15 The effects of body condition score on the milk production and energy balance of transition dairy cows

2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 472-472
Author(s):  
YangYi Hao
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Body Fat ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Body Condition Score ◽  
Rumen Ph ◽  
Transition Dairy Cows ◽  
Condition Score

Abstract Our objective was to evaluate the effects of body condition score (BCS) on the milk production and energy balance of transition dairy cows. Seventy-five multiparous dairy cows were separated into four groups according to the BCS, HH (4.25 ± 0.23 and 3.35 ± 0.19 BCS, pre and postpartum, respectively, n = 17), HM (4.14 ± 0.15 and 2.92 ± 0.24, n = 19), MM (3.10 ± 0.21 and 2.78 ± 0.17, n = 23), ML (2.88 ± 0.23 and 2.46 ± 0.19, n = 16). The milk yield, rumen pH, etc., data were collected and analyzed using a one-way ANOVA model in SAS (SAS version 9.4, SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA). The ML group had a higher milk yield and total solid yield than the MM group (P < 0.05), while the HH and HM groups had no difference with other groups. The HM and ML groups had a higher milk fat content than the MM group (P < 0.05), while the HH group had no difference with other groups. Milk protein content in the HH group was higher than the ML group (P < 0.05). The milk lactose, total solids, urea content in these groups had no difference. The ML group had a higher milk acetone content than the HH group (P < 0.05). The BCS change in the HH and HM groups was higher than the MM and ML groups, and that in the ML group was higher than the MM group (P < 0.05). The rumen pH had no difference within these groups. These findings collectively indicated the prepartum dairy cow with middle BCS would have a more efficient body fat utilization and a better milk production performance. Furthermore, reducing body fat loss is necessary to avoid the negative energy balance.

Palmitic acid-enriched fat supplementation alleviates negative production responses during early lactation of Holstein dairy cows

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (13) ◽  
pp. 1598
Author(s):  
Hani M. El-Zaiat ◽  
Dyaaeldin Mohamed ◽  
Sobhy M. Sallam
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Palmitic Acid ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Body Condition Score ◽  
Fat Content ◽  
Lactation Period ◽  
Early Lactation ◽  
Condition Score

Effects of rumen-protected fat (RPF) on suppressing the negative performance responses in early lactation period of Holstein dairy cows were investigated. Three hundred multiparous Holstein cows (647 ± 16 kg bodyweight and 90 days in milk (DIM)) were randomly housed into three free-stall barns (100 cows per barn) and assigned to the treatments for 90 days, as follows: (1) control (CTL) diet without RPF; (2) calcium salt of palm fatty acids (CaFA) 30 g/kg DM, and (3) fractionated fatty acids of palm oil (FFA) 25 g/kg DM. Cows were fed total mixed ration containing 580 g of concentrate and 420 g of roughage per kilogram DM. Cows fed FFA exhibited a higher (P < 0.05) DM intake and body condition score than did those fed CaFA or CTL diets respectively. Moreover, cows fed the FFA diet showed decreased (P < 0.05) changes to bodyweight at 30 DIM and to body condition score at 60 DIM and increased digestibility of ether extract and neutral detergent fibre. Blood concentrations of triglycerides, cholesterol and glucose were higher (P < 0.05) for cows fed FFA diet than for those fed the other diets, between 4 and 30 DIM, whereas concentrations of non-esterified fatty acids, β-hydroxybutyric acid and urine ketones were lower for cows fed RPF sources (P < 0.05). Relative to CTL diet, CaFA and FFA diets increased (P < 0.05) milk yield and milk fat content at 4–30 DIM. Feeding FFA improved feed efficiency by 8.9% (P = 0.006), between 31 and 60 DIM, compared with CaFA. Inclusion of a palmitic acid-enriched fat supplement in Holstein cow diet increased milk yield and fat content and mitigated the deleterious effects of metabolic disorders during the early lactation period.

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