Abstract
Abstract. The aim of this study was to determine whether feed intake amount and feed intake behaviour could be related to oestrus in dairy cows. Furthermore, we investigated whether oestrus had an effect on daily milk yield. A total of 138 oestrus cycles, leading to conception of 100 cows, were analysed. The parameters "daily fresh matter intake amount (kg)", "daily number of visits to the feeding trough" and "time spent feeding per day (min)" were electronically measured and recorded. For a sub-quantity of all animals, daily milk yield (kg) was recorded continuously and stored in the herd management software. Special attention was given to the day of oestrus, which was defined as the day of successful insemination. All remaining days of the oestrus cycle were considered as the reference period. Among all animals and cycles, fresh matter intake amount per day, number of visits per day, and time spent feeding per day were reduced by 10.3, 9.1 and 20.8 %, respectively, on the day of oestrus. Fresh matter intake was significantly lower in primiparous cows than in multiparous cows. However, number of visits to the trough and time spent feeding per day were significantly higher in primiparous cows compared to multiparous cows. Day of oestrus did not have a significant effect on daily milk yield, as this parameter was characterized by high variation among all days of the oestrus cycle. In conclusion, if an RIC system is used, monitoring of feeding behaviour appears to be a potential auxiliary aid in oestrus detection.
Highlights
At 35 %, fertility management is the factor exerting the highest influence on fertility (Bostedt, 2006)
Pedometers, used for measurements of daily physical activity in dairy cows, have proven that movement activity is about 4 times higher during oestrus when housed in free stalls, and about 2.75 times higher in comfort stalls compared to the other stages of the oestrus cycle (Kiddy, 1977)
Using a microphone-based sensor system for continuous recording of rumination time, an average decrease of 17 % (74 min d−1) was determined on the day of oestrus compared to the reference period (Reith and Hoy, 2012)
Summary
At 35 %, fertility management is the factor exerting the highest influence on fertility (Bostedt, 2006). When compared to older cows, heifers show reduced oestrus intensity (Gwazdauskas et al, 1983). This can be observed in high-yielding dairy cows, accompanied by a decreased length of oestrus (Lopez et al, 2004). Visual heat detection becomes more problematic and is associated with a high expenditure of time. Using a microphone-based sensor system for continuous recording of rumination time, an average decrease of 17 % (74 min d−1) was determined on the day of oestrus compared to the reference period (mean of 3 days before and 3 days after oestrus) (Reith and Hoy, 2012)
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