Use of virginiamycin improves performance of high-prolific sows during gestation and lactation over two cycles

Feed additives can be used as potential strategies to enhance the efficiency of nutrient utilization by the sow can impact on the reduction of feed costs and in addition improve sow and litter health. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the supplementation of virginiamycin (VM) in diets for gestating and lactating sows over two consecutive productive cycles on the animals productive and reproductive performance. Sows that received VM showed a lower BW, body protein and energy losses during both lactations when compared to control sows (P = 0.001). VM treatment increased (+6%; P = 0.001) piglet weaning weight. The litter daily gain was also influenced (P = 0.001) by the treatments were litters from VM fed sows showed an improved daily gain when compared to control sows (2.61 vs. 2.24 kg d-1 respectively). Average daily milk production improved by 17% (P = 0.001) in the VM sows when compared with the control. Also, an improvement in milk fatty acid profiles were found in sows fed VM. As a conclusion, we can infer that the constant use of VM in the diets of sows during gestation and lactation improves both sow and litter performance.

The Relationship Between The PIT-1 Gene at The Rate of Daily Milk Production and Some of Its Components in Buffaloes

This study was conducted at the College of Agriculture/University of Al-Muthanna for the period between 1/10/2020 until 30/6/2020, 60 buffaloes were used in the experiment with the aim of determining the genotypes and their distribution ratios for the PIT-1 gene. The genotypes were altered (P<0.01), which amounted to 18.52 and 81.48 respectively, and the allelic frequency was 0.10 and 0.90 for each of the two alleles A, B, respectively. Daily milk production and fat percentage were not significantly affected, milk protein percentage was significantly affected (P<0.05) in the eleventh week, reaching a maximum of 3.88±0.28 (BB), as well. Significant differences (P<0.05) were found in the percentage of genetic non-fatty solids in the first week of the study, with a maximum of 23.28 (BB). BB genotype.

PSVIII-14 Effect of Certillus, a direct-fed microbial, on milk yield, milk components, and feed intake in primi- and multiparous lactating Holstein cows

To determine the effect of Certillus on milk production, milk components and feed efficiency, primiparous (n = 13) and multiparous (n = 12) Holstein cows were assigned to one of two dietary groups starting from 8 to 120 days of lactation. The controls (n = 13) received regular TMR ration, and treated cows (n =12) received control TMR plus 2 x 109 cfu/head of Certillus (Church & Dwight Co., Inc., Waukesha, WI). Cows were housed in an open-air free-stall barn with 16 Insentec electronic feeders (8 feeders/group) to record daily feed events and intake (DMI). Cows were provided with ad libitum TMR fed twice daily and were milked twice daily. Milk samples were taken weekly during successive a.m./p.m. milkings and analyzed for percentage milk fat, protein, lactose, and milk urea nitrogen (MUN). Data were analyzed using a repeated-measures 2 x 2 factorial ANOVA. Daily milk production (4%FCM) was influenced (P &lt; 0.05) by treatment x parity, week and parity, averaging 11% greater (P &lt; 0.05) in Certillus-fed than control cows. Milk fat percentage increased (P &lt; 0.005) from 4.02 to 4.41 + 0.09% with Certillus feeding. Milk lactose was influenced (P &lt; 0.05) by week and treatment x parity. Milk protein was affected by week (P &lt; 0.001) only. Certillus decreased (P &lt; 0.05) MUN levels such that MUN was 1.0 mg/dL greater (P &lt; 0.001) in Certillus-fed than control cows. Feed intake was reduced by 9% (P &lt; 0.01) and feed efficiency (kg 4%FCM/kg DMI) was improved by 14% (P &lt; 0.05) in Certillus-fed versus control cows. We conclude that Certillus may hold potential as an effective direct-fed microbial to increase feed efficiency and milk production.

Risk Factors of Forced Take-Off in Dairy Cows Milked Three Times per Day in A Rotary Milking Parlor: A Case Control Study

The aims of the research were to: (1) describe a protocol for the identification of cows that are subjected repeatedly to a forced retraction event at the end of milking; (2) study risk factors of repeated forced take-off (RFTO); and (3) assess the average milk flow rate at which the forced retraction event occurred. In a retrospective study, we collected milk flow data over a 1-week period from a 4300-cow dairy with a rotary milking parlor and a thrice-daily milking schedule. We identified 109 cases of RFTO and 2467 controls. A multivariable logistic regression model revealed associations of parity, stage of lactation, average daily milk production, and milking speed with RFTO. Cows in parity 3 or greater, animals ≤100 days in milk, high-producing animals, and cows with low milking speed had higher odds of RFTO. The average (least squares means (95% CI)) milk flow rates at the time of removal of the milking unit were 2.1 (2.0–2.1) kg/min in milking observations that were terminated with the forced retract and 1.5 (1.4–1.5) kg/min when milking units were removed with the automatic cluster remover. Future research to better understand the effect of RFTO on milk production, udder health, and animal well-being is warranted.

Longevity traits of Shami and Holstein Cows in Syria

This research aimed to study the effect of age at first calving (AFC) and first lactation milk yield (FLMY) on the longevity traits of Shami and Holstein cows under the Syrian environment and estimate longevity traits for both breeds. The complete records from birth to voluntary culling were collected for 569 Shami cows and 1699 Holstein cows during the period from 1982 to 2014 at two experimental stations, Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Syria. Data were analyzed using the General Linear Model (XLSTAT, 2020). The least square means of lifespan (LS), productive life (PL), a number of calvings (NC), lifetime milk production (LMP), and lifetime daily milk production (LDMP) were 93.7±0.14 months, 63.2±34 months, 4.2±0.14, 7683±0.14 kg, 2.6±0.14 kg for Shami cows, respectively. The corresponding values for Holstein cows were: 61.9±0.14 months, 31.6±34 months, 2.6±0.14, 10246±0.14 kg, 4.4±0.14 kg, respectively. The effect of AFC was significant on all studied traits except LS trait. Whereas, FLMY effect was significant only on LMP and LDMP traits. It was concluded that Shami cows had longer LS, PL, NC traits than Holstein ones, but their LMP and DLMY were lower. Reduction of AFC for Shami and Holstein cows to less than or equals to 25 months could be a proper management policy to improve each of PL, NC, LMP and LDMY. FLMY was found as an indicator for LMP and LDMY of Shami and Holstein cows.

Potential Benefits to Dairy Cow Welfare of Using a Ceftiofur–Ketoprofen Combination Drug for the Treatment of Inflammatory Disease Associated with Pyrexia: A Field Clinical Trial on Acute Puerperal Metritis

This study aimed at investigating the benefits of using a drug combining ceftiofur and ketoprofen in a single injection on dairy cow welfare in the case of inflammatory disease with pyrexia, such as acute puerperal metritis (APM). Cows of an Italian dairy farm were examined between 5 and 14 days of calving: those with APM were randomly treated either with combined ceftiofur–ketoprofen (CD) or ceftiofur alone (C), starting from Day 0, and an equal number of healthy cows served as a control (CTR). Clinical examination and blood sampling were performed until Day 7 in each group according to specific schedules. Daily cow activity was recorded until Day 14 and daily milk production until Day 30. Additional data on fertility were collected until 120 days in milk (DIM). Data of 20 cows per group were analyzed. Body temperature and haptoglobin concentration dropped between Day 0 and 4 in both CD and C, approaching the level of CTR. The cure rate at Day 7 (body temperature < 39.0 °C) was 65 (CD) and 55% (C), without statistical difference. Neither cow activity nor milk production differed among the three groups. Reproductive performances in both CD and C were similar to CTR, but CD cows were 2.8 times more likely to be pregnant within 120 DIM than C, becoming pregnant about 14 days sooner. Both treatments (CD and C) have been effective in bringing the cows back to health conditions (CTR), and further studies would be needed to confirm the positive effect observed for CD on days open of the affected cows.

Yield and chemical composition of milk of grazing and supplemented Tropical Milking criollo cows

Milk production under grazing conditions is carried out in the intertropical region of hot climates due to its low production cost. The Tropical Milking criollo breed (LT) is characterized by its hardiness in this region, and its high milk quality and cheese yield. Grazing supplementation can increase milk production; however, it can also change its chemical composition. The effect of supplementation with commercial feed in LT cows was evaluated concerning the quantity and physicochemical traits of their milk by lactation. The treatments used were feeding based only on grazing para grass (Brachiaria mutica) and grazing plus 1 kg supplementation with 20 % protein commercial feed for every 5 kg of milk produced daily. The daily milk production per cow increased from 5.82 ± 0.18 to 7.10 ± 0.18 kg due to supplementation. Dry matter intake was similar in both treatments. The concentration of fat, protein, lactose, non-fat, and total solids did not suffer modifications (p > 0.05), but the daily production of each component per cow increased in animals supplemented due to the multiplicative effect of the amount of milk. The number of calvings affected milk production, fat, and ureic nitrogen in milk, and somatic cell count (p ≤ 0.05). It can be concluded that the supplementation used in this study was enough to increase milk production by 22 %, without modifying its chemical composition.

Validation and Use of the RumiWatch Noseband Sensor for Monitoring Grazing Behaviours of Lactating Dairy Cows

Precision livestock farming (PLF) supports the development of sustainable dairy production. The sensors used in PLF provide valuable information for farm management, but they must be validated to ensure the accuracy. The goal of this study was to validate and use the RumiWatch sensor (RWS; Itin+Hoch GmbH, Liestal, Switzerland) to differentiate prehension bites, eating chews, mastication chews and rumination chews in pressure-based system. Twenty cows were used for 14 days to provide a validation dataset. The concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) was adopted to test the concordance between the RumiWatch sensor and video observation. The RumiWatch sensor performed well in counting prehension bites (CCC = 0.98), eating chews (CCC = 0.95) and rumination chews (CCC = 0.96), while it showed an acceptable concordance in counting mastication chews with video observation (CCC = 0.77). Moderate correlations were found between eating chews and daily milk production: daily milk production (kg/day) = 0.001151 × eating chews (chews/day) − 11.73 (R2 = 0.31; standard error (SE) = 8.88; p = 0.011), and between mastication chews and daily milk production: daily milk production (kg/day) = 0.001935 × mastication chews (chews/day) + 2.103 (R2 = 0.34; SE = 8.70; p = 0.007). Overall, the results indicated that the RumiWatch sensor can be confidently used to quantify and differentiate prehension bites, eating chews and rumination chews; in addition, ingestive behaviours explained up to 34% of the variation in milk production.

Implementing artificial intelligence as a part of precision dairy farming for enabling sustainable dairy farming

The purpose of this paper is to consider implementation of Artificial Intelligence as a part of Precision Dairy Farming, as a way of processing, analyzing and managing Big data, in order to enable sustainable dairy cattle farm. Increasing the volume of livestock production in the future and measuring the level of environmental impact becomes one of the most pressing concerns. The aim is to evaluate the impact of animal's production level on the ammonium pollution from dairy cattle farm using precision dairy farming technologies. The results indicate significant variability in estimated ammonium pollution from dairy cattle farms due to the animal's production indicating positive correlation between daily milk production and ammonium pollution. The test day records, as Artificial Intelligence application in precision dairy farming could be used both for assessing the ammonium pollution from farms and timely prevention and correction of inadequate management towards sustainable dairy production systems.

Characterization of dairy sheep farms in the Serra da Estrela PDO region

Sheep farming plays a key role in the sustainability of the most depressed rural regions of Portugal, particularly in the Serra da Estrela region, and is recognized as an important source of income for many local farmers. Thus, the management of local sheep breeds in the region has over generations given rise to its most emblematic product: Serra da Estrela cheese, with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). This study aims to briefly describe the sheep farms producing certified milk in the Serra da Estrela region. To this end, a survey form was drawn up and applied to 75 farms, randomly selected, from the defined geographical area of Serra da Estrela, from June to August 2020. The results show that the producers, mostly male, have an average age close to 51 years. On average, the herd size is equal to or greater than 100 animals and the daily milk production per animal varies between 0.47 and 1.0 L. The price of milk paid to the producer is, on average, at 1.25 Euros/L. Both the average herd size and the lactation length are higher than those described by others. The average daily milk production in most of these farms is in accordance with the standard average value related by other authors.