scholarly journals Feeding behaviour in dairy cows with and without the influence of clinical diseases or subclinical disorders

2013 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 149-159
Author(s):  
J. Dollinger ◽  
O. Kaufmann
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
Reference Group ◽  
Post Partum ◽  
Behaviour Pattern ◽  
Time Range ◽  
Feeding Time ◽  
Strong Correlations ◽  
Fresh Matter

Abstract. The objective of this study was to describe and compare circadian pattern of feed intake and feeding behaviour in healthy and diseased dairy cows. Test animals (n=138) were separated into two groups according to their health status. Health and management data were used to exclude cows with clinical or subclinical diseases. Fifteen cows of the test herd complied with the defined criteria and formed the reference group »healthy«. The behaviour of the remaining 123 cows was compared with the reference group. Both groups were used to analyse the feed intake and feeding behaviour on a daily base and in the course of 24 h. During a defined time range from day 28 post-partum to day 56 post-partum behavioural differences within these groups were analysed. There were no significant differences in daily feed intake (40.7 vs. 41.9 kg fresh matter per day, P=0.42). However, feeding behaviour pattern differed between the two groups (daily feeder visits, daily feeding time, number of daily feeder visit, number of daily meals, meal duration, feeding time within a meal, feeder visits per meal). For example, average feeder visit was shorter in the group with subclinical/ clinical health disorders than in the reference group (7.2 vs. 8.1 min, P=0.024). Differences in circadian feeding behaviour could be detected by analysing the feed intake and feeding time over the course of the day. Linear regression analyses showed strong correlations between feeding time and feed intake on hourly base (R² = 0.8) and on daily base (R² = 0.7).

scholarly journals Association of Feed Efficiency, Feeding Rate, and Behaviour with the Milk Performance of Dairy Cows

Dairy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 684-694
Author(s):  
Lenka Krpálková ◽  
Niall O’Mahony ◽  
Anderson Carvalho ◽  
Sean Campbell ◽  
Gerard Corkery ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Feed Efficiency ◽  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
Feeding Rate ◽  
Feeding Time ◽  
Feed Conversion ◽  
Milk Performance

Identification of the associations of cow feed efficiency with feeding behaviour and milk production is important for supporting recommendations of strategies that optimise milk yield. The objective of this study was to identify associations between measures of feed efficiency, feed intake, feeding rate, rumination time, feeding time, and milk production using data collected from 26 dairy cows during a 3 month period in 2018. Cows averaged (mean ± standard deviation) 2.2 ± 1.7 lactations, 128 ± 40 days in milk, 27.5 ± 5.5 kg/day milk, 1.95 ± 0.69 kg feed/1 kg milk—the measure used to express feed conversion ratio (FCR), 575 ± 72 min/day rumination time, and 264 ± 67 min/day feeding time during the observation period. The coefficient of variation for rumination time (min/d) was 12.5%. A mixed linear model was selected for analyses. The most feed inefficient cows with the highest FCR (≥2.6 kg feed/1 kg milk) showed the lowest milk yield (24.8 kg/day), highest feed intake (78.8 kg), highest feeding rate (0.26 kg/min) and BCS (3.35 point). However, the relative milk yield (milk yield per 100 kg of body weight) was the highest (4.01 kg/day) in the most efficient group with the lowest FCR (≤1.4 kg feed/1 kg milk). Our study showed that the most efficient cows with the lowest FCR (≤1.4 kg feed/1 kg milk) had the highest rumination time (597 min/day; p < 0.05), feeding time (298 min/day; p < 0.05), rumination/activity ratio (4.39; p < 0.05) and rumination/feeding ratio (2.04; p < 0.05). Less active cows (activity time 164 min/day; p < 0.05) were the most efficient cows with the lowest FCR (≤1.4 kg feed/1 kg milk). The behavioural differences observed in this study provide new insight into the association of feed behaviour and feed efficiency with milk performance. Incorporating feeding behaviour into the dry matter intake model can improve its accuracy in the future and benefit breeding programmes.

scholarly journals Investigations on automatically measured feed intake amount in dairy cows during the oestrus period

2015 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Halli ◽  
C. Koch ◽  
F.-J. Romberg ◽  
S. Hoy
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
Fresh Matter ◽  
Oestrus Cycle ◽  
Number Of Visits ◽  
Time Spent Feeding ◽  
Daily Milk Yield ◽  
Daily Milk

Abstract. The aim of this study was to determine whether feed intake amount and feed intake behaviour could be related to oestrus in dairy cows. Furthermore, we investigated whether oestrus had an effect on daily milk yield. A total of 138 oestrus cycles, leading to conception of 100 cows, were analysed. The parameters "daily fresh matter intake amount (kg)", "daily number of visits to the feeding trough" and "time spent feeding per day (min)" were electronically measured and recorded. For a sub-quantity of all animals, daily milk yield (kg) was recorded continuously and stored in the herd management software. Special attention was given to the day of oestrus, which was defined as the day of successful insemination. All remaining days of the oestrus cycle were considered as the reference period. Among all animals and cycles, fresh matter intake amount per day, number of visits per day, and time spent feeding per day were reduced by 10.3, 9.1 and 20.8 %, respectively, on the day of oestrus. Fresh matter intake was significantly lower in primiparous cows than in multiparous cows. However, number of visits to the trough and time spent feeding per day were significantly higher in primiparous cows compared to multiparous cows. Day of oestrus did not have a significant effect on daily milk yield, as this parameter was characterized by high variation among all days of the oestrus cycle. In conclusion, if an RIC system is used, monitoring of feeding behaviour appears to be a potential auxiliary aid in oestrus detection.

scholarly journals Night-restricted feeding of dairy cows modifies daily rhythms of feed intake, milk synthesis and plasma metabolites compared with day-restricted feeding

2020 ◽  
Vol 123 (8) ◽  
pp. 849-858 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac J. Salfer ◽  
Kevin J. Harvatine
Keyword(s):  
Body Temperature ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Milk Fat ◽  
Plasma Metabolites ◽  
Feeding Time ◽  
Restricted Feeding ◽  
Daily Rhythms ◽  
Peripheral Tissues ◽  
Night Feeding

AbstractThe timing of feed intake can alter circadian rhythms of peripheral tissues. Milk synthesis displays a daily rhythm across several species, but the effect of feeding time on these rhythms is poorly characterised. The objective of this experiment was to determine if the time of feed intake modifies the daily patterns of milk synthesis, plasma metabolites and body temperature in dairy cows. Sixteen lactating Holstein dairy cows were randomly assigned to one of the two treatment sequences in a cross-over design with 17 d periods. Treatments included day-restricted feeding (DRF; feed available from 07.00 to 23.00 hours) and night-restricted feeding (NRF; feed available from 19.00 to 11.00 hours). Cows were milked every 6 h on the last 7 d of each period, and blood samples were collected to represent every 4 h over the day. Peak milk yield was shifted from morning in DRF to evening in NRF, while milk fat, protein and lactose concentration peaked in the evening in DRF and the morning in NRF. Plasma glucose, insulin, NEFA and urea nitrogen concentration fit daily rhythms in all treatments. Night feeding increased the amplitude of glucose, insulin and NEFA rhythms and shifted the daily rhythms by 8 to 12 h (P < 0·05). Night feeding also phase-delayed the rhythm of core body temperature and DRF increased its amplitude. Altering the time of feed availability shifts the daily rhythms of milk synthesis and plasma hormone and metabolite concentrations and body temperature, suggesting that these rhythms may be entrained by food intake.

scholarly journals Inter- and Intra-Individual Variation in the Behavior of Feed Intake on Nutrient Availability in Early Lactating Dairy Cows

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Theresa Rumphorst ◽  
Theresa Scheu ◽  
Christian Koch ◽  
Albert Sundrum
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Behavior ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Individual Variation ◽  
Nutrient Digestibility ◽  
Feeding Time ◽  
Meal Frequency ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Protein Milk

Since energetic deficits in dairy cows can only be reduced at an animal level, the objective of the present study was to determine the extent of variation in intake behavior within and between animals during early lactation, to explore the magnitude of interactions between feed intake, intake behavior and nutrient digestibility, and to identify levers for maximizing feed intake at the individual animal level. Feeding behavior, intake and nutrient digestibility of 28 German Holstein dairy cows, fed TMR with 7.0 MJ NEL, were studied between the 2nd and 15th week after calving. Dry matter intake was assessed daily and nutrient digestibility weekly, with iNDF240 as an intrinsic marker. Results showed high intra- and inter-individual variation in intake behavior parameters with coefficients of variation (CV) up to 0.58 in meal frequency. Nutrient digestibility varied only slightly with CV values up to 0.10 in crude protein. Milk yield, meal frequency, feeding time, feeding rate and meal size had significant positive effects on DMI (p < 0.01). To achieve long-term improvements in feed intake, it is important to optimize feed intake and feeding behavior of individual animals by improving feeding conditions and develop technical tools to identify animals with insufficient feed intake.

The effect of long-term daily administration of bovine somatotrophin on the performance of dairy cows over a second consecutive lactation

1989 ◽  
Vol 1989 ◽  
pp. 20-20
Author(s):  
R.F. Butterwick ◽  
T.E.C. Weekes ◽  
P. Rowlinson ◽  
D.S. Parker ◽  
D.G. Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Body Condition Score ◽  
Post Partum ◽  
Reproductive Status ◽  
Condition Score ◽  
Bovine Somatotrophin

The objectives of the trial were to investigate the effects of bovine somatotrophin (BST) from either week 2 or week 10 post-partum on the yields of milk, milk components, body weight, body condition, feed intake, health and reproductive status of dairy cows over a second consecutive lactation. The results from the heifer lactation have been reported previously (Butterwick et al. 1988).17 Friesian dairy cows in their second lactation were continued on the same treatment as in their heifer lactation: daily subcutaneous injection of recombinantly derived bovine somatotrophin (BST;25mg/d) from either week 2 (BST2;n=6) or week 10 (BSTl0;n=5) post-partum, or injection of a buffer solution from week 2 of lactation (C;n=6). Treatments continued until week 42 of lactation or until 60 days prior to predicted calving date, if this occurred before week 42 of lactation. Initially cows were housed in cubicles and fed ad libitum through Calan doors, on a diet consisting of concentrate and grass silage (Table 1) on a 60:40 dry matter ratio. After day 110 of lactation cows were turned out to pasture but continued to receive concentrates according to milk yield and body condition score. Milk yield and feed intake were recorded daily, milk composition, body weight and body condition score were recorded twice weekly. Health and reproductive status were monitored over the lactation.

Review: Feeding behaviour of dairy cattle: Meaures and applications

2010 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
M A.G. von Keyserlingk ◽  
D M Weary
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
Feeding Rate ◽  
Post Partum ◽  
Feeding Activity ◽  
Daily Intake ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Cattle Feeding ◽  
Intensively Managed

There is growing scientific interest in feeding behaviour of dairy cattle, in part because dairy nutritionists are now becoming interested in how changes in feed intake are mediated by changes in behaviour and, in part, because changes in feeding behaviour are increasingly recognized as useful indicator of cow health. In this review we describe key methodological approaches to the study of feeding behaviour in dairy cattle. We also review empirical work addressing how changes in management and housing can affect this behaviour. We show how cows divide their daily intake into several discrete feeding events made up of a number of visits or “meals” that are separated by longer periods with little feeding activity. Feeding behaviour can be described using several measures, including the number and duration of meals, as well as intake and feeding rate. Feeding behaviour within a group of intensively managed cows is often highly synchronized, similar to that seen in extensively housed cattle, with delivery of fresh feed appearing to be the primary factor stimulating feeding by housed dairy cows. Competition at the feed bunk can affect feeding behaviour, increasing the feeding rate and reducing intake, especially for subordinate animals. We also review empirical work showing that feed intake, feeding times, and feeding rate are altered when cows are ill. Feeding behaviour changes in the days before calving, and these changes are greatest among cows at greatest risk of succumbing to disease in the early post partum period. These results suggest that monitoring changes in feeding behaviour may be useful in early detection and prevention of disease in transition cows.Key words: Dairy cattle, feeding behaviour, management, health

scholarly journals Selenium Biofortified Alfalfa Hay Supplemented to Dairy Heifers During the Peripartum Affects the Antioxidant Function of Albumin but Has Little Impact on Metabolic and Immune Function

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shana Jaaf ◽  
Matteo Mezzetti ◽  
Erminio Trevisi ◽  
Gita Cherian ◽  
Massimo Bionaz
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Post Partum ◽  
Oxidative Status ◽  
Advanced Oxidation Protein Products ◽  
Plasma Albumin ◽  
Dairy Heifers ◽  
Oxidative Function

Abstract Background: the peripartum is the most critical period in dairy cows with high incidence of diseases due to immune dysfunctions, often paired with systemic inflammation and oxidative stress. Selenium is a trace mineral that plays an important role in anti-oxidative function and immune response. We hypothesize that supplementing dairy cows with a relatively small amount of Se-biofortified hay during the last 40 days of pregnancy and early lactation improves performance, metabolism, oxidative status, and immune response.Methods: ten Jersey and 8 Holstein pregnant dairy heifers were divided into two groups and supplemented with 1 kg/100 kg BW of Se-biofortified (Sel; n=9; 3.2 ppm Se) or non-biofortified (Ctr; n=9; 0.4 ppm Se) alfalfa hay from 40 days prior- to 2 weeks post-partum. Heifers were monitored daily for feed intake, activity, and milk yield, and weekly for BW and BCS. Milk samples were assessed for components and fatty acid profile. Blood samples were collected regularly to assess metabolic, oxidative, and inflammatory biomarkers, and to evaluate leukocytes phagocytosis and differential through flow cytometry.Results: supplementation of Se biofortified hay did not affect feed intake, milk yield, BW, BCS, milk components, and any of the parameters measured on leukocytes but increased the hematocrit. Animal receiving Se biofortified hay had larger concentration of plasma albumin and a tendency for larger blood urea, indicating a possible better liver status, especially post-partum. None of the parameters measured in plasma related to the oxidative status were affected, except the concentration of advanced oxidation protein products that was greater in Sel vs. Ctr. The concentration of advanced oxidation protein products was negatively correlated with parameters related to inflammation but positively associated to plasma albumin suggesting a possible improved anti-oxidative function of circulating albumin by Se-biofortified hay supplementation.Conclusions: feeding Se-biofortified hay during pregnancy in dairy heifers had little effect on metabolic, inflammatory, and oxidative status parameters with no effect on performance or immune response. Supplementation with Se-biofortified hay increased plasma level of albumin, possibly as consequence of improved liver function, promoting the antioxidant role of albumin as indicated by increased AOPP.

scholarly journals Monitoring feeding behaviour of dairy cows using accelerometers

2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriele Mattachini ◽  
Elisabetta Riva ◽  
Francesca Perazzolo ◽  
Ezio Naldi ◽  
Giorgio Provolo
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Feeding Time ◽  
Accelerometer Data ◽  
Monitoring And Control ◽  
Number Of Visits ◽  
And Control ◽  
Visual Observations

Monitoring cow behaviour has become increasingly important in understanding the nutrition, production, management of the well being, and overall health of dairy cows. Methods of assessing behavioural activity have changed in recent years, favouring automatic recording techniques. Traditional methods to measure behaviour, such as direct observation or time-lapse video, are labour-intensive and time-consuming. Automated recording devices have become increasingly common to measure behaviour accurately. Thus, the development of automated monitoring systems that can continuously and accurately quantify feeding behaviour are required for efficient monitoring and control of modern and automated dairy farms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible use of a 3D accelerometer to record feeding behaviour of dairy cows. Feeding behaviour (feeding time and number of visits to the manger) of 12 lactating dairy cows was recorded for approximately 3 h with 3D-accelerometer data loggers (HOBO Pendant G logger). The sensors were positioned in the high part of the neck to monitor head movements. Behaviour was simultaneously recorded using visual observation as a reference. Linear regression analysis between the measurement methods showed that the recorded feeding time (R<sup>2</sup>=0.90, n=12, P&lt;0.001) was closely related to visual observations. In contrast, the number of visits was inadequately recorded by the 3D-accelerometer, showing a poor relationship with visual observations (R<sup>2</sup>=0.31, n=12, P&lt;0.06). Results suggest that the use of accelerometer sensors can be a reliable and suitable technology for monitoring feeding behaviour of individual dairy cows in free stall housing. However, further research is necessary to develop an appropriate device able to detect and recognise the movements connected with the head movement during feeding. Such a device could be part of an automatic livestock management tool for the efficient monitoring and control of comfort and welfare of dairy cows under the intensive conditions of modern automated dairy farms.

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