Short communication: Effect of a stable pen management strategy for precalving cows on dry matter intake, plasma nonesterified fatty acid levels, and milk production

Coonen, Jennifer; Maroney, Michael J.; Crump, P.M.; Grummer, R. H.

doi:10.3168/jds.2010-3729

Cited by 8 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…In contrast, Silva et al (2013) found that regrouping cows weekly did not affect NEFA or BHB compared with stable groups before calving. Similarly, Coonen et al (2011) found no effect of twice-weekly regroupings before calving on NEFA compared with stable groups. Least squares means (±SE) of the number of actor and reactor replacements for groups (n = 8/treatment) during a baseline period (5 wk before calving) and when dairy cows were housed in either an unpredictable and competitive, or a predictable and noncompetitive social environment in the 4 wk before calving.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Exposure to an unpredictable and competitive social environment affects behavior and health of transition dairy cows

Proudfoot

Weary

LeBlanc

et al. 2018

Journal of Dairy Science

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Social factors are important determinants of disease in humans and and laboratory animals, but less research has been done using farm animals. The objective of this study was to determine if an unpredictable and competitive social environment affects behavior and health during the transition period when dairy cows are at high risk of disease. Five weeks before calving, 64 cows were assigned to a predictable and noncompetitive social environment (predictable) or an unpredictable and competitive social environment (unpredictable) using 8 groups of 4 animals per treatment. Each group consisted of 3 multiparous and 1 primiparous cow. At first enrollment (baseline; 5 wk before calving), all groups had access to 4 electronic feed bins. At 4 wk before calving, cows in the predictable groups were given access to 6 feed bins, and cows in the unpredictable groups were moved into a new pen with 4 resident cows each trained to consume feed from one bin. Each cow in the unpredictable group was then provided access to only 1 of the 4 feed bins which they shared with 1 resident cow (resulting in 2 cows/bin), creating a competitive feeding environment. To create an unpredictable environment, access to morning feed was delayed 0, 1, 2, or 3 h every other day. On alternate days, the cows in unpredictable groups were assigned to feed from a new feed bin (and thus had to compete with a new resident partner). Feeding and social behavior were collected electronically from the feed bins. Blood was sampled at baseline (wk -5), wk -2, wk -1, and wk +1 relative to calving to measure inflammatory (haptoglobin and tumor necrosis factor-α) and metabolic (nonesterified fatty acids, β-hydroxybutyrate, calcium, and glucose) biomarkers. Uterine cytology was performed 3 to 5 wk after calving to diagnose cytological endometritis. Data were analyzed using mixed models including baseline data as a covariate, week as a repeated measure, treatment as a main effect, and a treatment by week interaction. The probability of cytological endometritis at the group level was analyzed using Mann-Whitney U tests. Parity was included in separate models to determine any parity × treatment interactions. Cows from both treatments consumed the same amount of feed, but cows in the unpredictable group spent less time feeding and had a higher rate of feed intake. Cows in the unpredictable groups also visited the feed bins less often, consumed more feed during each visit, and were involved in more social replacements at the feed bin compared with predictable groups. Cows in the unpredictable groups had higher serum concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids and tumor necrosis factor-α, but lower β-hydroxybutyrate compared with predictable groups. Multiparous cows in unpredictable groups were more likely to be diagnosed with cytological endometritis after calving compared with cows in the predictable groups, but primiparous cows in unpredictable groups showed a tendency for the opposite response. These results suggest that an unpredictable and competitive social environ...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Exposure to an unpredictable and competitive social environment affects behavior and health of transition dairy cows

Proudfoot

Weary

LeBlanc

et al. 2018

Journal of Dairy Science

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“…During the transition period, dairy cows are in a state of great metabolic stress because of the increased demand for nutrients to maintain fetal growth and milk synthesis. Transition dairy cows tend to have negative energy and amino acid balance after calving, which leads to an increase in fat and protein mobilization in tissues [1,2]. A negative methyl donor balance also likely occurs in transition cows because milk is high in methylated compounds [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Dietary Rumen-Protected Betaine Supplementation on Performance of Postpartum Dairy Cows and Immunity of Newborn Calves

Wang

Guan

et al. 2019

Animals

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The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of rumen-protected betaine supplementation on performance of postpartum dairy cows and immunity of newborn calves. Twenty-four multiparous Holstein dairy cows were randomly divided into the control (CON, n = 12) and rumen-protected betaine (BET, n = 12) groups after blocking by parity and milk yield during the previous lactation cycle. The cows were fed a basal total mixed ration diet without BET (CON) or with BET at 20 g/d per cow (BET) from four weeks before expected calving to six weeks postpartum. The results showed that betaine supplementation had no effect on dry matter intake and milk yield of the cows. The BET cows tended to increase feed efficiency (energy-corrected milk/dry matter intake) and body weight loss postpartum compared to the CON cows. The plasma β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations of the BET cows were greater at d seven after calving than those of the CON cows. Moreover, compared to the CON calves, the BET calves had greater plasma total protein and globulin concentrations. The plasma glucose concentrations of the BET calves tended to decrease relative to CON cows. In conclusion, rumen-protected betaine supplementation from four weeks before expected calving tended to increase fat mobilization of postpartum dairy cows, and might improve the immunity of newborn calves.

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“…* denotes significant differences between treatments (P < 0.05) within week; † denotes a tendency between treatments (P = 0.054) within week. pen management did not find a difference in feed bunk displacements for prepartum cows (Coonen et al, 2011). Those researchers speculated that minimal disruption would occur with only a small number of animals moving into the dynamic pen.…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 97%

“…At times, pens will be underused while a few remaining cows await parturition. A study that examined stable pen management versus a dynamic pen did not find a difference in the number of displacements from the feed bunk, DMI, plasma NEFA concentrations, and milk production up to 30 DIM (Coonen et al, 2011). In that study, approximately 1 cow was added at a time to a small pen with only 10 cows.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Feeding times did not have a specific pattern within the weeks for the TRD treatment, likely due to the variation of gestation length within that group. Coonen et al (2011) examined DMI for 28 d prepartum comparing a stable and a dynamic prepartum grouping strategy, with no differences between the treatments. Dry matter intake was not examined in the current study because the study was performed on a large commercial dairy.…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

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Effect of prepartum grouping strategy on displacements from the feed bunk and feeding behavior of dairy cows

Lobeck-Luchterhand

Silva

Chebel

et al. 2014

Journal of Dairy Science

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The objective of the current study was to determine whether providing stable pen management affected displacements from the feed bunk and feeding behavior of prepartum dairy cows. Two hundred and twenty-four nonlactating Jersey primiparous and multiparous cows were enrolled in the study. The 2 treatments were all-in-all-out (AIAO; 44 cows were moved into the close-up prepartum pen as 1 group, with no additions during the 5-wk repetition) or traditional (TRD; with weekly entrance of new cows to maintain a pen density of 44 cows). Cows (253 ± 3 d of gestation) were balanced for parity and projected 305-d mature-equivalent milk yield and assigned randomly to either AIAO or TRD treatments. At enrollment, cows with a body condition score <2 or >4 (1-5 scale; 1 = emaciated and 5 = obese) or with a locomotion score >3 (1-5 scale; 1 = normal gait and 5 = severely lame) were not included. Displacements from the feed bunk were measured weekly for both treatments when TRD cows were moved into the close-up pen (d 0) and additionally on d 1, 2, 3, and 7 for 3h after fresh feed delivery. A displacement rate was created to take into account differences in stocking density throughout the experiment. Displacement rate was calculated as the number of displacements divided by the number of cows in the pen at that time. Feeding behavior was measured using video 10-min scan sampling for 24-h periods at d 0, 1, 2, and 7. Displacements and feeding behavior were recorded for all 5 wk of each repetition. Treatment × week interactions were detected for number of displacements and displacement rate. The TRD treatment had more displacements from the feed bunk than AIAO in wk 1, 3, and 5, with no differences in wk 2 and 4. Similarly, the TRD treatment had a greater displacement rate than the AIAO treatment in wk 1 and 5, with a tendency in wk 3. No differences between the treatments were detected in wk 2 and 4. A treatment × week interaction existed for feeding time. Cows housed in the AIAO treatment had longer average feeding times in wk 2 with a tendency in wk 3, but spent 39 fewer minutes eating than those in the TRD treatment during the wk 1 of the study. Housing prepartum close-up cows with stable pen management reduced displacements from the feed bunk and altered average daily feeding times.

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Short communication: Effect of a stable pen management strategy for precalving cows on dry matter intake, plasma nonesterified fatty acid levels, and milk production

Cited by 8 publications

References 11 publications

Exposure to an unpredictable and competitive social environment affects behavior and health of transition dairy cows

Exposure to an unpredictable and competitive social environment affects behavior and health of transition dairy cows

Effects of Dietary Rumen-Protected Betaine Supplementation on Performance of Postpartum Dairy Cows and Immunity of Newborn Calves

Effect of prepartum grouping strategy on displacements from the feed bunk and feeding behavior of dairy cows

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