Holstein Cows Research Articles

Frequencies of β-casein variants and their influence on genetic merit for production traits in Holstein cows

Context Traits considered for selection are influenced by social, consumer, and breeder demands. In the past decades, there has been increasing global interest in producing milk free from the β-casein (CSN2) A1 allele because of the health benefits it may have. This has encouraged many breeders to select A2A2 cows in their dairy cattle herds. Aims This study aimed to evaluate the genetic variation in the bovine CSN2 gene regarding A1-like and A2-like variants and to assess the potential association between these variants and production traits in Holstein cows. Methods In total, 2600 Holstein cows from three commercial dairy farms with different breeding objectives and phenotypic records taken over different seasons, periods, and lactations were genotyped for single-nucleotide polymorphism rs43703011, which distinguishes A1-like from A2-like β-casein variants. Allele and genotype frequencies were determined and their breeding values for milk, fat, and protein yields, and fat and protein percentages were estimated. The influence of CSN2 genotypes on these breeding values was studied through a one-way ANOVA. For the significant CSN2 genotype–breeding value associations, allele substitution effects were estimated. Key results We found allele frequencies for A1-like and A2-like alleles in the ranges 0.262–0.366 and 0.634–0.738 respectively, and genotype frequencies in the ranges of 0.043–0.125, 0.43–0.537, and 0.393–0.523 for A1A1, A1A2 and A2A2 genotypes respectively. We demonstrated that the A2-like CSN2 variant correlates with higher estimated breeding values (EBVs) for milk, protein, and fat yields, and lower EBVs for fat and protein percentages. Conclusions These results are valuable to visualize the trends in CSN2 allele and genotype frequency changes over the years and to analyze the effect of the different variants of β-casein on production performance. Implications Our findings contribute to evaluating the consequences on dairy performance of selection for the A2-like variant.

13 Donor age effects on embryo morphokinetics in Holstein cattle: insights into prepubertal embryo development

13 Donor age effects on embryo morphokinetics in Holstein cattle: insights into prepubertal embryo development

Role of Milk Intake in Modulating Serum Lipid Profiles and Gut Metabolites

Background/Objectives: Milk is one of the main sources of nutrition in people’s daily diet, but the fat in milk raises health concerns in consumers. Here, we aimed to elucidate the impact of Buffalo milk and Holstein cow milk consumption on blood lipid health through metabolomics analysis. Methods: Golden hamsters were administered Murrah Buffalo milk (BM) or Holstein cow milk (HM), and the body weight and serum lipid indicators were tested and recorded. The hamsters receiving equal amounts of physiological saline were used as the negative control (NC). Serum and fecal samples were collected, and LC-MS was used to identify the metabolites in the samples. Results: The results showed that both the BM and HM groups exhibited a significant reduction in body weight compared to that of the NC group from day 9, and the serum TG, TC, and LDL-C levels were significantly lower than those of the NC group. Further analysis identified 564 and 567 metabolites in the serum and fecal samples shared in the BM and HM groups and significantly different from those in the NC group, which were mainly enriched in the pathways related to lipid metabolism, such as fatty acid biosynthesis, arachidonic acid metabolism, and primary bile acid biosynthesis. Correlation analysis further suggested that milk intake can increase the levels of Muramic Acid, Oleoyl Ethanolamide, Seratrodast, Chenodeoxycholic Acid, Docosahexaenoic Acid Ethyl Ester, and Deoxycholic Acid in the serum and gut microbiota, which may affect TG, TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C in the serum, and thereby benefit the body’s lipid health. Conclusions: The results further confirmed that milk intake has a beneficial effect on blood lipid health by altering multiple metabolites in the serum and the gut. This study provides novel evidence that milk consumption is beneficial to health and is a reference for guiding people to a healthy diet.

Dietary Saccharomyces cerevisiae supplementation improves feed intake and milk quality of dairy cows

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of daily dietary supplementation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae-contained product (SCP) on feed consumption, milk yield and quality of milking cows under Vietnam weather condition from November 2022 to January 2023 at the dairy farm of ANOVA Binh Duong. The study was conducted using a total of 94 Holstein Friesian (HF) crossbred cows with at least 3/4 HF blood, with days in milk (DIM) at days, and lasted 30 days (the first 15 days for the control without SCP supplementation (control) and the next 15 days for the SCP treatment with SCP addition at 5 g/cow per day (SCP). Results showed that the average feed intake (as fed) of cows in the control period was significantly lower than that of cows in the SCP period (P < 0.01). The SCP supplementation did not affect (P > 0.05) the milk productivity and milk fat, while milk protein, lactose, and solids not fat (SNF) from the milk of cows in the SCP group were significantly improved (P < 0.01). The SCP supplementation also significantly enhanced (P < 0.05) the body condition score (BCS) of dairy cows. Briefly, these results suggest that the dietary SCP addition of 5 g/cow per day seems to significantly improve the feed intake, BCS and milk quality parameters of lactating cows.

Effect of post-milking teat dipping on milk quality and udder health of crossbred cows.

We aimed to determine the efficacy of different post-milking teat dips in the prevention of intramammary infection and teat condition scores in common crossbred cows (Holstein Frisian × Tharparkar) found in Indian sub-tropical conditions. Eighty healthy crossbred cows were selected and randomly divided into four groups: untreated control, 1% w/v iodine, 5% v/v lactic acid and finally essential oil mix (eucalyptus, lavender, peppermint, and tea tree oils). Samples were collected quarter-wise (n = 308). Sampling as well as teat scoring was done simultaneously. 1st sample was collected before starting teat dipping, followed by 15th day in milk (DIM), 45th DIM and 90th DIM, respectively. The study found that post-milking teat dipping significantly reduced the mean California mastitis test score, somatic cell count and electrical conductivity of the milk in the treatment groups compared to the control group, and also improved milk yield in the treatment groups. There were no differences between the individual treatments. The study also found a significant reduction in teat end condition and teat skin condition after 90 d of post-milking teat dipping.

EFFECTS OF INJECTABLE MINERAL AND VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTATION ON THE FERTILITY OF DAIRY COWS IN FTAI PROTOCOL

The study aimed to assess the impact of injectable mineral and vitamin supplementation, specifically Kit Adaptador®MIN and Adaptador®VIT (Biogénesis Bagó, Brazil), administered at the initiation of a fixed-time artificial insemination (FTAI) protocol, on the reproductive performance and fertility of Holstein cows. One hundred animals were divided into a non-supplemented control group (CG, n=50) and a treated group (TG, n=50). The TG received mineral and vitamin supplementation (1 mL/100kg live weight, IM) on the first day of the FTAI protocol (D0), along with intravaginal progesterone (P4) implantation and estradiol benzoate administration. Blood samples were collected at D0 and D17 to assess superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme activity and P4 levels. Ovarian and uterine ultrasound evaluations were conducted at D0 and D17, with follow-up exams performed 30 days post-FTAI for pregnancy diagnosis. Results showed a larger corpus luteum diameter in supplemented cows (CG=2.14±0.11 cm vs TG=2.64±0.11 cm, P=0.0037), along with increased SOD activity (CG=22% vs TG=25.36%, P=0.045). Moreover, there was a significant difference in pregnancy rates between groups (CG=18.18% vs TG=39.13%, P=0.0029). Injectable mineral and vitamin supplementation at the start of the FTAI protocol may impact post-ovulation corpus luteum development, enhance pregnancy rates, and stimulate essential endogenous antioxidant mechanisms in Holstein cows.

Association of the HSPA2 Gene with some Reproductive Traits in Holstein Friesian Cattle Reared in Egypt

Association of the HSPA2 Gene with some Reproductive Traits in Holstein Friesian Cattle Reared in Egypt

Estimates of Heritability, Repeatability and Correlation of Some Productive and Reproductive Traits of Holstein Cows in Egypt

Estimates of Heritability, Repeatability and Correlation of Some Productive and Reproductive Traits of Holstein Cows in Egypt

Universal bovine identification via depth data and deep metric learning

This paper proposes and evaluates, for the first time, a top-down (dorsal view), depth-only deep learning system for accurately identifying individual cattle and provides associated code, datasets, and training weights for immediate reproducibility. An increase in herd size skews the cow-to-human ratio at the farm and makes the manual monitoring of individuals more challenging. Therefore, real-time cattle identification is essential for the farms and a crucial step towards precision livestock farming. Underpinned by our previous work, this paper introduces a deep-metric learning method for cattle identification using depth data as a novel biometric measure acquired with an off-the-shelf 3D camera. In contrast to our previous work, which was limited to breeds with distinct coat patterns, this study introduces a breed-agnostic pipeline for universal cattle identification. The results show that depth, as a biometric, can potentially broaden the real-world applicability of our method to the rest 68% of UK cattle breeds that lack distinctive coat patterns. The method relies on Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Multi-Layered Perceptron (MLP) backbones that learn well-generalised embedding spaces from the body shape to differentiate individuals — requiring neither species-specific coat patterns nor close-up muzzle prints for operation. The network embeddings are clustered using a simple algorithm such as k-Nearest Neighbours (k-NN) for highly accurate identification, thus eliminating the need to retrain the network for enrolling new individuals. We evaluate two backbone architectures, Residual Neural Network (ResNet), as previously used to identify Holstein Friesians using RGB images, and PointNet, which is specialised to operate on 3D point clouds. We also present CowDepth2023, a new dataset containing 21,490 synchronised colour-depth image pairs of 99 cows, to evaluate the backbones. Both ResNet and PointNet architectures, which consume depth maps and point clouds, respectively, led to high accuracy that is on par with the coat pattern-based backbone. This new universal methodology also addresses the case of all-black and all-white breeds, where the previous coat pattern-based approach fell short. The ResNet colour backbone resulted in 99.97% k-NN identification accuracy, while the PointNet accuracy was 99.36%. Furthermore, we also show that the PointNet architecture is robust to noise and missing data by significantly reducing the number of 3D points and observing the drop in accuracy. Our research indicates that these techniques can identify animals using dorsal-view depth maps alone. Regardless of the substantial inter-class variety in the body shape, we show that the models spatially rely on similar body surfaces using Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-CAM) and Point Cloud Saliency Mapping (PC-SM).

Effects of a sorbitol-containing additive fed to dairy cows for 30 days postpartum.

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of early postpartum supplementation of Rally®, a sorbitol-containing feed additive (RAL), on lactation performance and automatic milking system (AMS) metrics on a commercial dairy farm. Multiparous (MT) and primiparous (PP) Holstein cows were randomly assigned to either RAL supplementation (570 g/d RAL; RAL-MT, n = 75, RAL-PP, n = 34) or control (CTL-MT, n = 72; CTL-PP, n = 38). The RAL cows were supplemented from 1 to 30 d in milk via an automated feed dispenser in the AMS. Milk production and other metrics were recorded for 1 to 90 DIM. Outcomes were analyzed with a linear mixed effect model with repeated measures. Analyses were conducted separately for the 2 periods: supplementation (1-30 DIM) or post-supplementation (31-90 DIM). Multiparous cows fed RAL produced 3.52 ± 1.29 kg more ECM per day than CTL cows during the supplementation period. The number of refusal visits/d to the AMS (visits when was not time for cows to be milked) during the supplementation period was 0.66 fewer for multiparous cows fed RAL than CTL cows. Daily milk yield and ECM yield, and number of refusal visits/d were similar for primiparous cows fed RAL or CTL during the supplementation period. Multiparous cows fed RAL continued to produce 2.17 ± 1.11 kg more ECM per day than CTL cows during the post-supplementation period. Rumination time during the post- supplementation period was 12.5 min less for multiparous cows fed RAL than CTL cows. The number of refusal visits/d during the post-supplementation period was 0.59 fewer for multiparous cows fed RAL compared with CTL cows. Daily milk yield and ECM yield, rumination time, and number of refusal visits per day during the post-supplementation period were similar between primiparous cows fed RAL and CTL cows. The results from this study indicate that RAL supplementation during the first 30 DIM increased milk yields when fed to multiparous cows.

The structure of latent pathologies in radiography of the distal extremities in Holstein cattle

The structure of latent pathologies in radiography of the distal extremities in Holstein cattle

Effects of milk extracellular vesicles from Holstein Friesian and Brown Swiss heat-stressed dairy cows on bovine mammary epithelial cells

Effects of milk extracellular vesicles from Holstein Friesian and Brown Swiss heat-stressed dairy cows on bovine mammary epithelial cells

A diet containing mango peel silage impacts upon feed intake, energy supply and growth performances of male dairy calves

The major challenges for disposal of waste from fruit processing factories are high transportation costs, limited landfill availability and environmental pollution. Therefore, developing efficient waste management techniques to reduce transportation costs and environment pollution is important. In 2021, global mango production was estimated to be at 57 million tons and mango peel (MP) represents 7–24% of the whole fruit weight. MP has been considered for use as ruminant feed in the form of fresh, dried, or silage. Fresh MP was abundant during the mango season and high in fermentable carbohydrate, which can easily breakdown and pollute the environment if a proper waste management method is not implemented. Thus, in this study, fresh MP was ensiled after sun-drying for one day and then fed to male dairy calves as a roughage source to evaluate its effect on feed intake, digestibility, energy balance, BW gain, feed efficiency and blood metabolites. Eight growing crossbred weaned male dairy calves (Holstein Friesians × Zebu) were allocated into two groups [Control (n = 4) and mango peel silage (MPS, n = 4)]. This experiment lasted for 12 weeks and calves were housed in 3.0 × 1.5 meters individual pen with concrete floor. Before feeding times, the weights of feed ingredients were weighed and mixed for 15 min. Calves were then given their respective diets ad libitum twice a day, at 0800 and 1600 h. Daily feed offered and refusals were recorded to determine the daily feed intake. A digestion trial was performed over the last five days of the experiment. BW and measurements were recorded every two weeks to determine the weight gain and body physical changes. Blood was collected at the end of experiment to analyze serum biochemical parameters. Ensiling improved the energy and protein content and decreased fiber content of MP, thereby improving the forage quality. Feeding a diet containing MPS at 30% of DM weight, compared to an isonitrogenous Control diet increased (P < 0.05) feed intake, energy supply and energy balance, changes in body measurements, weight gain, feed efficiency, and glucose concentration, as well as lowered (P < 0.05) the blood urea nitrogen concentration of male dairy calves. Ensiling fresh MP after sun-drying for one day led to stable, high-DM silage. Therefore, ensiling fresh MP could improve the feed supply for ruminant production and be an effective waste management strategy for fruit processing businesses.

Changes in Photoperiod During the Dry Period Impact Colostrum Production in Holstein and Jersey Cows

Changes in Photoperiod During the Dry Period Impact Colostrum Production in Holstein and Jersey Cows

Effects of calcium and buffer sources on lactational performance, ruminal fermentation, nutrient digestibility, and metabolism of dairy cows

The objective was to investigate the effects of calcium and rumen buffer sources on lactational performance, ruminal fermentation, enteric gas emissions, apparent total-tract digestibility of nutrients, and blood variables of lactating dairy cows. A replicated 3 × 3 Latin square design experiment was conducted with 9 primi- and 9 multiparous mid-lactation Holstein cows. Cows were fed the same basal diet, except for the inclusion (as % DMI) of the following minerals: (1) CON, 0.80% limestone and 0.55% NaCl; (2) BICARB, 0.80% limestone and 0.80% NaHCO3; and (3) ARAG, 0.80% aragonite and 0.55% NaCl. Dry matter intake was decreased by ARAG compared with CON but not with BICARB. Treatments did not affect milk yield, ECM, or yields of milk components. Feed efficiency was increased by BICARB compared with CON but not with ARAG (i.e., 1.72, 1.64, and 1.70, respectively). Compared with CON, milk fat was increased by both BICARB and ARAG (3.32% vs. 3.58%, respectively). Milk protein concentration tended to be slightly decreased (i.e., 2%) by ARAG compared with CON but not with BICARB. Milk total solids and MUN concentrations were increased by BICARB and tended to be increased by ARAG, compared with CON. Treatments did not affect ruminal fermentation variables, except that ARAG increased butyrate molar proportion, compared with CON but not with BICARB. Additionally, ruminal NH3 concentration was greater for ARAG than for BICARB. Enteric gas emission and apparent total-tract digestibility of nutrients were not affected by treatments in the current study. Blood pH was not affected by treatments, and blood ionized Ca concentration was greater for ARAG than for BICARB, but neither was different from CON. Treatments did not affect plasma haptoglobin, β-hydroxybutyrate, or urea N concentrations. Overall, rumen buffering capacity of ARAG appears to be similar to that of BICARB, which was supported by increased milk fat, compared with CON. Compared with BICARB, ARAG increased ionized Ca concentration because of decreased base excess and HCO3- concentrations in blood.

Effect of maternal heat stress at different stages of pregnancy on the reproductive performance and antral follicle count of the progeny of Holstein cows

The objective was to evaluate the effect of maternal exposure to heat stress conditions at different stages of pregnancy on the reproductive performance and antral follicle count of progeny. The study was conducted at five commercial dairy farms located in southeastern Brazil. Retrospective data (2002 and 2015) on reproductive indices of daughters of Holstein cows that were exposed to heat stress conditions in the first (n = 447), second (n = 729) or third (n = 746) trimester of pregnancy and daughters of cows not exposed to heat stress (n = 359) were analyzed. Antral follicle count (AFC) and ovarian size were determined in a subgroup of animals (n = 242) by transrectal ultrasound. Statistical analysis was performed using the SAS GLIMMIX procedure. The number of services after first calving was lower in daughters of cows not exposed to heat stress conditions than in those exposed during different trimesters of pregnancy (P = 0.03). The calving interval was longer for daughters of cows exposed to heat stress conditions in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy than for those not exposed to heat stress (P = 0.01). In addition, the probability of pregnancy at first AI, (P = 0.01) and the AFC (P = 0.001) were greater in daughters of cows not exposed to heat stress conditions than in those exposed during the different phases of the gestational period. These findings indicate that maternal heat stress in different stages of pregnancy negatively affect the future fertility and AFC of bovine offspring.

Rumen-protected methionine supplementation improves lactation performance and alleviates inflammation during a subclinical mastitis challenge in lactating dairy cows

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of rumen-protected Met on lactation performance, inflammation, and immune response, and liver glutathione of lactating dairy cows during a subclinical mastitis challenge (SMC). Thirty-two Holstein cows (145 ± 51 DIM) were enrolled in a randomized complete block design. At -21 d relative to the SMC, cows were assigned to dietary treatments, and data were collected before and during the SMC. Cows were blocked according to parity, DIM, and milk yield and received a basal diet (17.4% CP; Lys 7.01% MP and Met 2.14% MP) plus 100 g/d of ground corn (CON; n = 16) or a basal diet plus 100 g/d of ground corn and rumen-protected Met (SM, Smartamine M at 0.09% of dietary DM; n = 16), fed as a top-dress. At 0 d, the mammary gland's rear right quarter was infused with 100,000 cfu of Streptococcus uberis (O140J). Milk yield was recorded twice daily from 0 until 3 d relative to SMC. Milk samples were collected during each milking from 0 to 3 d relative to SMC, blood samples were collected at 0, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h relative to SMC. The mTOR pathway activation was assessed in immune cells in blood and milk samples by measuring quantity and phosphorylation status of mTOR-related proteins, including AKT, S6RP, and 4EBP1. For the ratio of phosphorylated to total AKT, S6RP, and 4EBP1, blood samples were collected at 0, 12, and 24 h, and milk samples at 24 h relative to SMC. Liver biopsies were performed at -10 d and 24 h relative to SMC for measurement of glutathione. Linear mixed models with repeated measures were used to analyze the results. There was a trend for greater milk yield per milking (+ 0.8 kg) and per day (+1.7 kg) after SMC in SM cows compared with CON. The DMI was not affected by dietary treatments. Reactive oxygen metabolites were lower in SM cows than in CON. Milk somatic cell linear score was not affected by dietary treatments, and a score >4 at 24 h confirmed subclinical mastitis. The SM cows had greater milk fat percentage at 24 and 36 h post SMC, resulting in overall greater milk fat. Milk protein tended to be greater in SM cows than in CON. We observed greater liver glutathione in SM cows than in CON. Among inflammation biomarkers, ceruloplasmin was lower for SM cows compared with CON. In milk, greater phosphorylated (p) AKT:AKT and pS6RP:S6RP ratios were observed in immune cell populations from SM cows compared with CON. Blood neutrophils had a greater p4EBP1:4EBP1 ratio in SM cows compared with CON. Overall, our results show that Met supplementation during an SMC positively affected milk performance, lowered the risk of oxidative stress, and attenuated inflammation partially by increasing liver glutathione and immune cells' protein synthesis via mTOR signaling.

Characterization of circulating miRNA in cow milk and colostrum.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short RNA molecules, typically 21-25 nucleotides long, synthesized within eukaryotic cells. They play a crucial role in coordinating complex gene expression regulatory networks. The miRNAs are involved in post-transcriptional regulation, either by degrading target mRNA or suppressing their transcription, thereby influencing protein translation. Also, the variation of miRNAs expression in different milk components suggests diverse metabolic pathways. Additionally, characteristics of farm production systems exert a noticeable influence on miRNAs profiles, shaping the functional properties of bovine milk. In this study, milk and colostrum samples of Holstein cows (Bos taurus) were collected for RNA extraction and sequencing. Sequencing data underwent quality controls, and short non-coding RNA reads were analyzed to identify and compare miRNAs profiles. The sequencing runs yielded 73,567,661 and 44,283,978 reads for milk and colostrum samples, respectively. Following trimming, 8,335,860 and 7,778,212 reads for milk and colostrum samples were retained. A total of 4.3% milk and 37.8% colostrum reads were identified as miRNAs. Overall, 157 miRNAs were common to milk and colostrum, 2 were unique to milk, and 90 were unique to colostrum. After applying a minimal cutoff of 100 reads per miRNA, 146 miRNAs were considered as expressed. In milk, bta-miR-101 was unique; in colostrum, bta-miR-18a, bta-miR-262-3p, bta-miR-130a, and bta-miR-224 were unique; and 141 miRNAs were common to colostrum and milk. Chromosome distribution of these miRNAs varied, with higher representation on autosome 19 and sexual chromosome X. Overall, colostrum contained a greater number of miRNAs, although specific miRNAs such as miR-11-988b, miR-140, and miR-146b were more abundant in milk. Conversely, miRNAs such as miR-7a-5p, let-7e, and miR-16a were more prevalent in colostrum. Validation through qPCR confirmed the expression levels of selected miRNAs from RNA sequencing, establishing concordance between the methods. Analysis of gene regulation by specific miRNAs identified key miRNAs (e.g., miR-223, miR-181a, and miR-155) involved in regulating various genes. Distinct miRNAs profiles in milk and colostrum suggest various functionalities, potentially influencing calf development and immune responses. The study unveils a comprehensive map of miRNAs in milk and colostrum and highlights their potential roles in regulating biological processes, as they play an essential role in calf development, disease resistance, and metabolism.

Evaluating the influence of heritable, metabolic, and production variables on the postpartum estrus expression of Holstein cows in a voluntary milking system

Evaluating the influence of heritable, metabolic, and production variables on the postpartum estrus expression of Holstein cows in a voluntary milking system

Losing a Herd Mate: Negative Effects on Milk Yield and Udder Health Indicators in Loose-Housed Dairy Cattle.

Feral cattle (Bos taurus) live in socially stable herds. Due to farm management practices, intensively managed dairy cows experience frequent regrouping, which can disrupt affiliative bonds and induce social stress. This study examines how changes in herd composition affect milk yield and udder health traits in resident dairy cows exposed to the withdrawal of herd members or the introduction of new individuals. Milk yield, electrical conductivity, and blood presence in milk were measured in 798 cows using precision dairy sensors over 9 years. Milk yield decreased significantly (p < 0.001) one day after the removal of familiar herd members, while introducing cows had no effect. A higher number of cows being withdrawn (up to 10) was associated with reduced milk yield (p < 0.001), elevated milk electrical conductivity (p = 0.01), and an increased prevalence of blood presence in milk (p = 0.01), which can indicate potential udder health issues linked to social stress. Holstein Friesian, primiparous, and first-lactation-stage cows were more affected than Czech Simental and multiparous cows later in lactation. These findings underscore the influence of social stability on dairy cow welfare and productivity, emphasising the need for strategies to mitigate stress when herd changes are necessary.