Effect of hyperketonaemia, feeding frequency and intake of concentrate and energy on milk yield in dairy cows

Abstract

AbstractThe effects of acetone concentration in milk, feeding frequency, and intake of concentrates and energy in total diet on milk yield were studied in 38624 lactations from 474 herds during 3 years. Herd-related data on feeding factors were collected once per indoor feeding period. Milk acetone concentrations higher than 0·40 mmol/l were deemed to denote hyperketonaemia, whether subclinical or clinical. The lactation curves of ketotic cows had an abnormal shape, with an inverted peak in early lactation. Most of the reduction in milk yield took place during the first 100 days of lactation with an estimated loss of proportionately 0·085 (acetone concentration ≤0·40v.>2·00 mmol/l). The loss in 200-day milk yield was estimated to 328 kg 40 g/kg fat-corrected milk (FCM) at an overall mean of 5056 kg. If a herd's performance is monitored by lactation curves, a low peak — and hence an apparently high persistency – can indicate a ketosis problem. More frequent feeding of concentrates was correlated with a proportionately 0·033 to 0·074 higher milk yield in multiparous cows, but inconsistent between years. A more variable proportional response (−0·035 to 0·131) was observed in primiparous cows depending on interactions with, for example, breed. A greater total energy supply, including a larger amount of concentrate (maximum in lactation), was correlated with a higher milk yield, about 0·06 kg FCM per day per MJ metabolizable energy and 0·5 kg FCM per day per kg concentrate, respectively. However, increased feeding of concentrates at calving (parity 1) and 15 days after calving (multiparous cows) was correlated with decreased milk yield, by about −0–3 and −0–5 kg FCM per day per kg concentrate, respectively.