On-farm management decisions to improve beef quality of market dairy cows

A 3-phase study was conducted to assess on-farm management decisions to reduce antibiotic residue violations and improve carcass characteristics in market (cull) dairy cows. In Phase 1, questionnaires were mailed to dairy producers (n = 142) to determine current on-farm management strategies for reducing antibiotic residues in market dairy cattle. In Phase 2, Holstein market cows (n = 77) were assigned randomly to each of the 3 feeding treatments (0, 30, or 60 d). Average daily gain (ADG), body condition score (BCS), and carcass characteristics were assessed. Phase 3 determined the meat withdrawal time of Holstein cows (n = 62) administered procaine penicillin G. Eighty-six percent of dairy farms responding to the questionnaire had at least one cow condemned annually, and no producer had a designated feeding protocol for market cows prior to selling. In Phase 2, ADG was greater in cows fed for 30 d (1.4+/-0.6 kg/d) than in cows fed for 60 d (0.9+/-0.4 kg/d). Additional feeding did not influence the carcass characteristics studied with the exception of kidney, pelvic and heart fat, which was higher in cows fed for 60 d compared with those fed for 0 and 30 d. In Phase 3, 31% of cows treated with procaine penicillin G exceeded the 10-d label withdrawal recommendation by an average of 3.1+/-1.9 d. Feeding market cows may not influence carcass characteristics, but can increase ADG and may ensure that recommended meat withdrawal times for antibiotics are exceeded.     

Pregnancy rates after timed AI of heifers following removal of intravaginal progesterone inserts

Reproductive performance of dairy heifers was compared for each of 2 synchronization protocols: The first group of 54 heifers was synchronized using intravaginal progesterone inserts (CIDR) plus estradiol cypionate (ECP) on d 0, PGF(2alpha) on d 7, and ECP again on d 8 (CIDR-ECP); a second group of 56 heifers was synchronized using CIDR and ECP on d 0, PGF(2alpha) on d 7, and GnRH on d 9 (CIDR-GnRH). All heifers received timed artificial insemination (TAI) at 48, 56, or 72 h after CIDR removal on d 7. Pregnancy diagnosis was conducted by ultrasonography 32 +/- 1 d post AI to confirm pregnancy and at 60 +/- 1 d post AI to determine embryo survival. Ovaries were monitored by ultrasonography daily from d 0 to 7 and twice daily from d 8 to ovulation to examine emergence of a new wave of follicles, size of the ovulatory follicle, and timing of ovulation on 15 heifers per protocol. New follicular development was detected 3.7 +/- 0.2 d after CIDR insertion. Heifers receiving CIDR-ECP had a shorter interval from CIDR removal to ovulation than heifers receiving CIDR-GnRH (63.8 +/- 3.0 vs. 71.6 +/- 2.3 h, respectively); however, ovulation occurred 39.8 +/- 3.0 h after ECP or 23.6 +/- 2.3 h after GnRH. Diameters of ovulatory follicles did not differ between treatments. Overall pregnancy rate for synchronized heifers was 60.1%, and embryo survival was 98%. Pregnancy rate for heifers synchronized with CIDR-ECP was 63.0% and similar to that in heifers synchronized with CIDR-GnRH (57.1%). Pregnancy rate was affected by time of AI for heifers synchronized using CIDR-ECP but not for those synchronized with CIDR-GnRH. Heifers in the CIDR-ECP group that were inseminated 56 h after CIDR removal had a higher pregnancy rate (81.0%) compared with heifers inseminated 48 (66.7%) or 72 h (50.0%) after CIDR removal. Either ECP or GnRH used in a CIDR-based TAI program in dairy heifers can achieve acceptable reproductive performance.     

Technical note: a computerized system for monitoring feeding behavior and individual feed intake of dairy cattle

The objective of this study was to develop and validate a computerized system to monitor feeding behavior and feed intake of loose-housed dairy cattle. The system consisted of 28 scales located in front of each self-locking place of a regular feedbunk. All cows had access to all scales indifferently. Each visit to the feedbunk was monitored by a transponder in the ear of each cow that was detected by a proximity reader located at the top right corner of each headlock. The data from the scales and the proximity readers were continuously recorded by a computer with an average scanning time of 3.5 s. The monitoring system was validated using all 28 feeding places and 51 lactating cows in a series of 4-h observations during 5 different d. During the observation periods, for each feeder, 2 observers recorded the cow number and the exact time of the visit. The observed data were then compared with the computer records. To validate the ability of the system to monitor feed consumption, on separate days, the amount of feed consumed by a cow during a visit was also measured manually with an external scale, and the feed that disappeared from each scale in 2 different 24-h periods was compared with the sum of feed consumed in each scale during these 2 periods. The average time spent in a given scale by each cow determined by direct observations was similar to that determined by the computer. The system was accurate and showed a high specificity (98.8%) and sensitivity (99.6%) for cow detections. Feed weights determined by the computer system were similar to those measured manually with an external scale, implying that the system was also accurate in measuring individual intake weights. In conclusion, the system provided a reasonable estimate of the number of visits per animal, length of each visit, amount of feed consumed per visit and animal, the total amount of feed consumed daily by each animal, and the rate at which animals consume feed.     

Effects of dietary amino acid balance on the response of dairy cows to an increase of milking frequency from twice to three times daily

An experiment was conducted to examine how the response of dairy cows to a change from twice to three times-daily milking is affected by deficiencies in the dietary supplies of three amino acids, His, Met, and Lys. Six cows were used in a 6 x 6 Latin square with 14-d periods. The three dietary treatments were: grass silage and a cereal-based supplement containing feather meal as the sole protein supplement; the same silage-cereal diet supplying similar amounts of metabolizable and rumen-undegradable protein but with additional amounts of His, Met, and Lys in the form of fish meal; and the fish meal diet with additional metabolizable energy in the form of an additional 2 kg/d of sugar beet pulp. Within each of these dietary treatments, the cows were milked twice and three times daily, making a total of six treatments. When cows were given the feather meal diet, even though dietary metabolizable energy was in considerable excess, a deficiency of specific amino acids prevented any increase in milk yield in response to increasing the frequency of milking from twice to three times daily. In contrast, when cows consumed a similar level of excess metabolizable energy and a similar level of rumen-undegradable protein for which the protein was of better amino acid balance (fish meal), the increased frequency of milking led to increased yield of milk and milk protein.     

Effects of various glucogenic sources on production and metabolic responses of dairy cows fed grass silage-based diets

Four rumen cannulated Finnish Ayrshire cows in midlactation were used in an experiment designed as a 4 x 5 incomplete Latin square with 2-wk periods to compare effects of glucogenic substrates on grass silage-based diets. The five treatments were continuous infusions of 1) water (control), 2) casein 300 g/d, 3) glucose 300 g/d, 4) propionic acid 247 g/d, and 5) barley starch 270 g/d. Substrates were infused either into the rumen (propionic acid) or into the abomasum (other substrates). As a basal diet, cows were fed a formic acid treated grass silage ad libitum (digestible organic matter 690 g/kg dry matter [DM], crude protein [CP] 131 g/kg DM) and a barley-rapeseed concentrate (CP 141g/kg DM) at a rate of 7 kg/d. Production responses to glucogenic substrates other than casein were negligible, suggesting that glucose supply of the cows did not primarily limit milk production. However, with casein cows produced significantly more milk, milk protein, and lactose than with other glucogenic substrates. Casein increased urea and essential amino acid (EAA), and decreased nonessential AA (NEAA) in arterial plasma compared with other substrates, suggesting that casein provided precursors both in terms of NEAA for gluconeogenesis and EAA for milk protein synthesis. This puts forward that providing the AA needs of the mammary gland for milk protein synthesis are met, glucose supply may become the next limiting factor for milk protein synthesis in cows fed diets based on restrictively fermented grass silage. The limited supply of AA from the basal diet, and possibly the low production levels of cows partly invalidated the hypothesis of monitoring differing glucogenic substrates for grass silage-based diets.     

Alternatives to linear analysis of energy balance data from lactating dairy cows

The current energy requirements system used in the United Kingdom for lactating dairy cows utilizes key parameters such as metabolizable energy intake (MEI) at maintenance (MEm), the efficiency of utilization of MEI for 1) maintenance, 2) milk production (kl), 3) growth (kg), and the efficiency of utilization of body stores for milk production (kt). Traditionally, these have been determined using linear regression methods to analyze energy balance data from calorimetry experiments. Many studies have highlighted a number of concerns over current energy feeding systems particularly in relation to these key parameters, and the linear models used for analyzing. Therefore, a database containing 652 dairy cow observations was assembled from calorimetry studies in the United Kingdom. Five functions for analyzing energy balance data were considered: straight line, two diminishing returns functions, (the Mitscherlich and the rectangular hyperbola), and two sigmoidal functions (the logistic and the Gompertz). Meta-analysis of the data was conducted to estimate kg and kt. Values of 0.83 to 0.86 and 0.66 to 0.69 were obtained for kg and kt using all the functions (with standard errors of 0.028 and 0.027), respectively, which were considerably different from previous reports of 0.60 to 0.75 for kg and 0.82 to 0.84 for kt. Using the estimated values of kg and kt, the data were corrected to allow for body tissue changes. Based on the definition of kl as the derivative of the ratio of milk energy derived from MEI to MEI directed towards milk production, MEm and kl were determined. Meta-analysis of the pooled data showed that the average kl ranged from 0.50 to 0.58 and MEm ranged between 0.34 and 0.64 MJ/kg of BW0.75 per day. Although the constrained Mitscherlich fitted the data as good as the straight line, more observations at high energy intakes (above 2.4 MJ/kg of BW0.75 per day) are required to determine conclusively whether milk energy is related to MEI linearly or not.     

Ventilation effects on air quality and on the yield and quality of ewe milk in winter

The effects of ventilation on air quality, and on the welfare and production performance of dairy ewes were assessed in a 6-wk trial conducted during the winter of 2002. Thirty-six midlactation Comisana ewes were divided into three groups of 12, which were randomly balanced for parity, time of lambing, and number of lambs suckled. Treatments were low (LOV), moderate (MOV), and programmed ventilation regimen (PROV). In LOV and MOV rooms, fans provided 10 ventilation cycles of 40 min each at a fan speed of 1 and 2 m/s, respectively. In the PROV room, the fan was programmed to maintain a 70% relative humidity. Mean ventilation rates were 23, 47, and 73 m3/h per ewe in LOV, MOV, and PROV rooms, respectively. Air concentrations of microorganisms and dust, and of gaseous pollutants were measured twice weekly. Cell-mediated immune response to phytohemagglutinin at d 1, 21 and 42, and humoral response to chicken egg albumin at d 11, 21, 30, and 40 were determined. At d 39, ewes were injected with 2 IU of porcine adreno-corticotropic-hormone/kg body weight(0.75), and subjected to blood sampling for evaluation of cortisol concentrations immediately before and 1, 2, and 4 h after adreno-corticotrophic-hormone injection. Milk yield was recorded daily. Individual milk samples were analyzed weekly for composition, renneting parameters, and somatic cell count. The LOV treatment resulted in higher air concentrations of NH3 and CO2 than the MOV and PROV treatments. Greater amounts of total and respirable dust were found in the PROV room than in the LOV and the MOV rooms. The LOV ewes had lower milk yield than the PROV ewes, lower milk casein content, and higher rate of clot formation than the MOV and PROV ewes. The ventilation regimen did not affect the immune and endocrine responses of the ewes. Results suggest that an intermittent ventilation regimen, providing a mean ventilation rate of 47 m3/h per ewe at a fan speed of 2 m/s, is required to sustain the yield and cheese-making ability of ewe milk during the winter season.     

Results of milk samples submitted for microbiological examination in Wisconsin from 1994 to 2001

The objective of this study was to examine the characteristics of milk samples submitted for microbiological examination at the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory between 1994 and 2001. Results (n = 83,650) of microbiological testing of milk samples (n = 77,172) submitted to the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory from January 1994 until June 2001 were analyzed. Submissions included milk samples obtained from cases of clinical and subclinical mastitis as well as samples obtained for mastitis surveillance programs. Results were recorded as no growth, contaminated, or identified as specific bacterial pathogens. Statistical analysis was performed to determine trends in the isolation of mastitis pathogens. The proportion of samples identified as contaminated decreased from 20.6 (1997) to 9.5% (2001). The proportion of samples coded as no growth increased from 22.6 (1994) to 49.7% (2001). Isolation of Staphylococcus aureus decreased from 17.7% (1994) of isolates to 9.7% (2001), while isolation of Streptococcus agalactiae decreased from 8.1 (1994) to 3.0% (2001). Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp. were isolated from 12.7 to 17.5%, environmental Streptococcus spp. were isolated from 11.6 to 20.1%, and Escherichia coli were isolated from 3.1 to 6.7% of all isolates. No growth and contaminated samples comprised almost 50% of total submissions, and it is important that producers have proper expectations when submitting milk samples. The proportion of isolates identified as Staph. aureus and Strep. agalactiae decreased, suggesting the proportion of contagious bacteria causing mastitis has decreased. Environmental and contagious pathogens demonstrated characteristic differences by season.     

Effect of dietary carbohydrate composition and availability on utilization of ruminal ammonia nitrogen for milk protein synthesis in dairy cows

A trial with four ruminally and duodenally cannulated, late-lactation dairy cows was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary carbohydrate (CHO) composition and availability on ruminal ammonia N utilization and transfer into milk protein. Two diets were fed at 8-h intervals in a crossover design. The diets differed in CHO composition: the ruminally fermentable non-structural carbohydrates (RFSS) diet (barley and molasses) contained a larger proportion of ruminally available CHO in the nonstructural carbohydrate fractions and the ruminally fermentable fiber (RFNDF) diet (corn, beet pulp, and brewer's grains) contained a larger proportion of CHO in ruminally available fiber. Nitrogen-15 was used to label ruminal ammonia N and consequently microbial and milk N. Fermentation acids, enzyme activities, and microbial protein production in the rumen were not affected by diet. Ruminal ammonia concentration was lowered by RFNDF. Ruminal and total tract digestibility of nutrients did not differ between diets except that apparent ruminal degradability of crude protein was lower for RFNDF compared with RFSS. Partitioning of N losses between urine and feces was also not affected by diet. Milk yield and fat and protein content were not affected by treatment. Average concentration of milk urea N was lower for RFNDF than for RFSS. Proportion of milk protein N originating from ruminal microbial N (based on the areas under the 15N-enrichment curves) was higher for RFNDF than for RFSS. Cumulative recovery of 15N in milk protein was 13% higher for RFNDF than for RFSS indicating enhanced transfer of 15N-ammonia into milk protein with the former diet. The results suggested that, compared to diets containing higher levels of ruminally fermentable starch, diets providing higher concentration of ruminally fermentable fiber may enhance transfer of ruminal ammonia and microbial N into milk protein.     

Concentrate feeding strategy in lactating dairy cows: metabolic and endocrine changes with emphasis on leptin

This study aimed to evaluate metabolic and endocrine adaptations to energy intake in multiparous Holstein cows (n = 90; mean 9434 kg energy-corrected milk yield/305 d) over the first 20 wk postpartum and to assess the association of leptin with metabolic, endocrine, and zootechnical traits. Concentrates were fed automatically for 24 h at 30% (C30) or 50% (C50) of total dry matter intake (DMI) from wk 1 to 10 postpartum and at linearly reduced amounts thereafter. Roughage was fed for ad libitum intake. The DMI was measured over 24 h; milk yield and body weight (BW), twice/d; milk composition, 4 times/wk; and milk acetone, weekly. Blood samples for determination of metabolite, hormone, and electrolyte concentrations and enzyme activities were obtained at wk 2 prepartum, and at wk 1 to 16 and at wk 20 postpartum from 0730 to 0900. Body condition scores (BCS) and backfat thickness were measured postpartum and during wk 1, 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20. Energy balance (EB) was considerably lower, but milk yield only slightly lower, in C30 than C50. Metabolic stress was more marked in C30 than C50, expressed by lower, glucose, insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), triiodothyronine, milk protein, and lactose concentrations, higher nonesterified fatty acid, beta-hydroxybutyrate, growth hormone, and milk acetone concentrations, and an accelerated decrease in BCS and backfat thickness. Nevertheless, C30 adapted successfully and thus maintained high milk yields despite negative EB. Leptin concentrations were lower in C30 than in C50 over the first 20 wk postpartum and were positively associated with BCS, EB, BW, cholesterol, albumin, insulin, and IGF-1; negatively associated with DMI and triiodothyronine; and were higher in cows calving in spring than in fall. Leptin is one among several factors involved in the regulation of energy metabolism and may be important for overall homeostatic and homeorhetic control of metabolism and thus for maintenance of performance.