Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of body condition score (BCS) on nutritional diseases and milk yield in dairy cattle. Fifty-nine randomly selected Holstein Friesian cattle, lactation numbers 3-6, were used in this study from a total of 350 dairy cattle in the establishment. All of the cows in the study were fed with the same total mixed ration (TMR), and BSC was determined by inspection and palpation in the first 5 days after calving. The cows were separated into two groups according to their BCS score as BCS ≤ 3 and BCS > 3, and Group 1 contained 36 cows (BCS ≤ 3), while Group 2 contained 23 cows (BCS > 3). One-month, 3-month, and 305-day milk yields and nutritional diseases as observed until postpartum day 35 have been determined in this study. Moreover, TMR analysis has been performed. As a result, the 1-month, 3-month, and 305-day milk yields were determined in Group 1 (BCS ≤ 3) and Group 2 (BCS > 3), and no difference was determined between the groups (P > 0.05).
Highlights
Body condition score (BCS) is a significant factor affecting dry matter consumption in high-yielding dairy cows
Nutritional diseases observed in animals with high milk yield are all associated with one another, and the presentation of one of these causes the appearance of others
The cows were separated into two groups according to BCS, consisting of BCS ≤ 3 and BCS 3 groups
Summary
Body condition score (BCS) is a significant factor affecting dry matter consumption in high-yielding dairy cows. Cows with obese condition (BCS 4) consume less dry matter (about 1.68% of live weight). Energy requirement, which increase in direct proportion with milk yield at the beginning of lactation, cannot be met with insufficient dry matter consumption, and this deficit is compensated with the mobilization of body fat (negative energy balance). Nutritional diseases observed in animals with high milk yield (ketosis, abomasal displacement, hypocalcemia, mastitis, metritis, retained placenta, retentio secundinarium, acidosis, laminitis, dystocia) are all associated with one another, and the presentation of one of these causes the appearance of others. Cows with negative energy levels are prone to hepatic lipidosis and ketosis. Loss of points in BCS reflects the amount of mobilized body fat and the severity of the negative energy level [4,5,6]
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