Effects of oral administration of acidogenic boluses at dry-off on performance and behavior of dairy cattle

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of oral acidogenic mineral boluses (196 g) containing anionic salts to facilitate the transition from lactation to the dry stage by inducing a mild and temporary metabolic acidosis at dry-off. In experiment 1, 84 lactating cows were randomly allocated to 1 of 3 treatment groups consisting of an oral administration of 0, 1, or 2 boluses 5 d before dry-off to evaluate the effects on milk production. In experiment 2, 16 lactating cows were involved in a crossover study to evaluate the effects of the administration of 2 boluses on milk production, feed intake, and urine pH. In experiment 3, 152 lactating cows were allocated to 1 of 2 treatments (control: no treatment; bolus: 2 oral boluses the day before last milking) to evaluate udder pressure, incidence of milk leakage, and lying behavior during the first days following dry-off. Also, milk yield in the subsequent lactation for all enrolled cows was recorded during the first 60 DIM. In experiment 1, cows receiving 2 boluses had the greatest reduction in milk production (-2.56 kg/d of milk) compared with those receiving 1 bolus or no treatment (-1.15 and -0.23 kg/d, respectively) the second day after bolus application. In experiment 2, the application of oral boluses decreased feed intake of cows during the first 3 d following treatment, and milk production was reduced on d 2 and 3 after bolus application. Reduced urine pH at 8 and 24 h after treatment was observed in bolus cows compared with control cows. In experiment 3, bolus cows had lower udder pressure after drying off, but incidence of milk leakage did not differ between treatments. Bolus cows had an additional 85 min of lying time in the 24 h following dry-off. Serum P and β-OH-butyrate concentrations were lower in bolus cows than in control cows after dry-off, but no other differences in blood parameters between treatments were observed. Also, no differences in milk yield in the subsequent lactation were observed between treatments. It is concluded that oral bolus application diminishes feed intake and milk production, and, if applied at dry-off, it decreases udder pressure and increases lying time during the first 24 h after dry-off.

Drying-off practices on Swiss dairy farms: Status quo and adoption potential of integrating incomplete milking

“…Antibiotic dry cow therapy (DCT), teat sealants, and changes in cows' housing are also applied for drying-off. Furthermore, drying-off can be supported by pharmaceuticals such as dopamine agonists that inhibit prolactin release (Lacasse et al, 2019), casein hydrolysates (Ponchon et al, 2014), chitosan hydrogels (Lanctôt et al, 2017), and acidogenic mineral boluses that induce transient metabolic acidogenesis (Maynou et al, 2018). However, these compounds are not commonly commercially available.…”

A randomized clinical trial evaluating the effects of administration of acidogenic boluses at dry-off on rumination and activity behavior in the 14 subsequent days

“…Some of the strategies that have been investigated include a decrease in the quality or quantity of the feed offered to cows in the weeks before dry-off ( Odensten et al, 2005 ; Ollier et al, 2014 ), decreased milking frequency and gradual cessation of milking ( Tucker et al, 2009 ), and the use of pharmacological agents (e.g., casein hydrolysate and prolactin-release inhibitors; Ponchon et al, 2014 ; Bach et al, 2015 ). The use of acidogenic boluses in late-lactation cows has recently been demonstrated to decrease milk yield of high-producing dairy cows, resulting in lower udder pressure, particularly in the first 2 d after dry-off ( Maynou et al, 2018 ).…”

“…The administration of acidogenic boluses containing ammonium chloride, a strong acidifying agent, leads to a temporary state of metabolic acidosis ( Maynou et al, 2018 ). Severe metabolic acidosis has been associated with decreased rumination time ( DeVries et al, 2009 ), whereas mild metabolic acidosis, such as that observed when feeding diets with negative dietary cation-anion differences ( Goff et al, 2020 ), has not.…”

“…Severe metabolic acidosis has been associated with decreased rumination time ( DeVries et al, 2009 ), whereas mild metabolic acidosis, such as that observed when feeding diets with negative dietary cation-anion differences ( Goff et al, 2020 ), has not. While urine pH measured after the administration of acidogenic boluses is consistent with only a mild metabolic acidosis ( Maynou et al, 2018 ), the effect of acidogenic boluses on rumination activity has not been investigated.…”

“…The parameter used for the sample size calculation was the TDA. It has been previously reported that each 5 kg/d of milk production at dry-off is associated with 19 extra minutes of activity after dry-off ( Rajala-Schultz et al, 2018 ) and that that the administration of acidogenic boluses decreases milk production by 2.5 kg/d ( Maynou et al, 2018 ). Therefore, a minimum of 15 cows per study group was necessary to detect a minimum of 38 min/d difference in TDA when comparing TRT and CON with standard deviation of 36 min/d, with an 80% power at a 5% type-I error risk.…”