Spring-calving Holstein-Friesian Cows Research Articles

Effects of wild-type, AR1 and AR37 endophyte-infected perennial ryegrass on dairy production in Victoria, Australia

A 3-year experiment compared the effects of wild-type ryegrass endophyte and two novel endophytes on milk production in dairy cattle. On three 9.9-ha farmlets in West Gippsland, Victoria, pasture swards were established that were dominant in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) infected with either wild-type, AR1 or AR37 endophytes. Each farmlet was stocked with 25 spring-calving Holstein–Friesian cows, which rotationally grazed nine paddocks within their farmlet during three lactations over 3 years. The three endophytes are known to produce different alkaloids, with wild-type producing ergot alkaloids, lolitrems and peramine, AR1 producing peramine and AR37 producing epoxy-janthitrems. These alkaloids were present in fresh pasture as well as hay and silage made from that pasture. Grazed pasture comprised 53% of estimated annual DM intake. The proportion was least from December to March when the daily ration of 2 kg DM/cow.day cereal grain was increased to 6 kg/day and forage supplements were fed consisting of purchased lucerne (Medicago sativa) hay and pasture silage grown on the farmlets. There were no differences in pasture accumulation rates or nutritive characteristics of ryegrass pastures on the three farmlets and no differences in the production of milk, fat or protein by cows grazing pasture infected with the three endophytes. Ryegrass staggers was only observed in four cows consuming the wild-type-infected ryegrass in the first year when the highest concentrations of lolitrem B were recorded in pasture. Soil samples showed lower numbers of root aphids (Aploneura lentisci), mealybugs (Pseudococcidae) and pasture tunnel moths (Philobota spp.) beneath ryegrass infected with the AR37 endophyte compared with the other two endophytes. Numbers of redheaded (Adoryphorus couloni) and blackheaded (Aphodius tasmaniae) cockchafers did not differ between treatments. Under dairy management and supplementary feeding regimes common to south-eastern Australia, the novel endophytes AR1 and AR37 had no effect on the milk production compared with the wild-type endophyte, and did not cause ryegrass staggers.

Effects of a perennial ryegrass diet or total mixed ration diet offered to spring-calving Holstein-Friesian dairy cows on methane emissions, dry matter intake, and milk production

The objective of the present study was to compare the enteric methane (CH4) emissions and milk production of spring-calving Holstein-Friesian cows offered either a grazed perennial ryegrass diet or a total mixed ration (TMR) diet for 10 wk in early lactation. Forty-eight spring-calving Holstein-Friesian dairy cows were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 nutritional treatments for 10 wk: 1) grass or 2) TMR. The grass group received an allocation of 17kg of dry matter (DM) of grass per cow per day with a pre-grazing herbage mass of 1,492kg of DM/ha. The TMR offered per cow per day was composed of maize silage (7.5kg of DM), concentrate blend (8.6kg of DM), grass silage (3.5kg of DM), molasses (0.7kg of DM), and straw (0.5kg of DM). Daily CH4 emissions were determined via the emissions from ruminants using a calibrated tracer technique for 5 consecutive days during wk 4 and 10 of the study. Simultaneously, herbage dry matter intake (DMI) for the grass group was estimated using the n-alkane technique, whereas DMI for the TMR group was recorded using the Griffith Elder feeding system. Cows offered TMR had higher milk yield (29.5 vs. 21.1kg/d), solids-corrected milk yield (27.7 vs. 20.1kg/d), fat and protein (FP) yield (2.09 vs. 1.54kg/d), bodyweight change (0.54kg of gain/d vs. 0.37kg of loss/d), and body condition score change (0.36 unit gain vs. 0.33 unit loss) than did the grass group over the course of the 10-wk study. Methane emissions were higher for the TMR group than the grass group (397 vs. 251 g/cow per day). The TMR group also emitted more CH4 per kg of FP (200 vs. 174g/kg of FP) than did the grass group. They also emitted more CH4 per kg of DMI (20.28 vs. 18.06g/kg of DMI) than did the grass group. In this study, spring-calving cows, consuming a high quality perennial ryegrass diet in the spring, produced less enteric CH4 emissions per cow, per unit of intake, and per unit of FP than did cows offered a standard TMR diet.

Evaluation of a high-fibre total mixed ration as a dry cow feeding strategy for spring-calving Holstein Friesian dairy cows

This study compared the milk production, body condition score (BCS), bodyweight (BW), plasma analyte profiles and reproductive performance, of spring-calving Holstein Friesian cows offered either grass silage or a wheat straw-based total mixed ration (TMR) during the dry period. Fifty-eight multiparous cows were paired according to parity (2, 3 or > 3), expected calving date and BCS, and randomly assigned to one of two experimental treatments: (i) a high-fibre total mixed ration (HF-TMR) containing 400 g/kg wheat straw on a DM basis, or (ii) a control diet of perennial ryegrass silage (GS). Diets were offered ad libitum for the duration of the dry period (overall mean 88 ± 17d). Post-calving, cows were offered 15 kg DM of perennial ryegrass ( Lolium perenne), supplemented with 3 kg DM of concentrate daily. At calving, BCS (3.48 and 3.11, P = 0.04) and BW (709 and 651 kg, P = 0.01) were greater for treatment GS than treatment HF-TMR. There was no difference between treatments ( P > 0.05) in the degree of BCS or BW change during weeks 1–8 post-partum. Solids-corrected milk yield (30.7 and 28.5 kg/d, P = 0.03), and fat yield (1.38 and 1.25 kg/d, P = 0.02) were greater for treatment GS than for treatment HF-TMR for weeks 1–8 post-partum. Plasma profiles were similar for most metabolites for both treatments from week one pre-partum to week four post-partum. β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) was greater for treatment GS than for treatment HF-TMR (0.31 and 0.12 mmol/L, P = 0.02) as was glutamate-dehydrogenase (GLDH) (2.63 and 2.33 iu/L, P = 0.03). No difference ( P > 0.05) was observed for measures of subsequent fertility. In conclusion, this study found that offering a HF-TMR during the dry period did not confer any subsequent advantage relative to moderate quality grass silage, where cows were not over conditioned in the dry period.

Effects of diets fed to dairy cows before and after calving on their plasma progesterone profiles after calving

Four weeks before their predicted mean second lactation calving date, 60 spring-calving Holstein-Friesian cows were blocked into groups of six on the basis of their predicted calving date and body...

Effect of offering rumen-protected fat supplements on fertility and performance in spring-calving Holstein–Friesian cows

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of two different rumen-protected fat supplements, on reproductive performance and milk production, in grass-based spring calving cows. Two hundred and one Holstein–Friesian cows with an average lactation number of 3.6 (20% first lactation, 16% second lactation and 64% third lactation or greater) were grouped into blocks of three on the basis of calving date, lactation number and previous lactation milk yield for cows of second lactation or greater and on the basis of calving date for first lactation animals. From within-blocks individual animals were assigned at random, within 10 days post-calving, to one of the following three treatments: (1) Megalac Plus 3% (MP; 0.4 kg/day, containing Ca salt of palm fatty acids and Ca salt of methionine hydroxy analogue), (2) Megapro Gold (MPG; 1.5 kg/day, containing Ca salt of palm fatty acids, extracted rapeseed meal and whey permeate), and (3) Control (C; unsupplemented). Cows were supplemented for on average 103 days (range 54–134 days). The average milk yield over the first 12 weeks of lactation was higher ( P<0.05) for both fat supplements compared to C and was higher for MP compared to C over the full lactation. Both supplements reduced ( P<0.05) milk protein concentration over the first 6 weeks of lactation. MPG increased ( P<0.05) conception rate to first service compared to C. Conception rate to first service was similar ( P=0.14) on MP compared to C. For pregnancy to second service, C had a higher ( P<0.05) conception rate than MP. There were no significant differences between treatments in overall pregnancy rate, services per conception, number of cows served in the first 3 weeks of the breeding season or the 6-weeks in-calf rate. Comparing the combined fat treatments to C resulted in a higher ( P<0.05) conception rate to first service for the fat treatments but no significant difference in overall pregnancy rate. In conclusion, fat supplements increased conception rate to first service but did not significantly affect the proportion of cows pregnant at the end of the breeding season.

Effect of type of supplement offered out of parlour on grazing behaviour and performance by lactating dairy cows grazing continuously stocked grass swards

AbstractTwo 4-week experiments were conducted to examine the effect of type of supplement, offered through automatic feeders at pasture, on supplement intake and grazing behaviour by multiparous spring-calving Holstein-Friesian cows grazing continuously stocked grass pastures. Four supplement formulations were used: a dairy concentrate containing 180 g crude protein per kg fresh weight (treatment DC), a high digestible undegraded protein supplement (treatment HP), a high starch, low protein supplement (treatment HS) and a high fibre supplement (treatment HF). In experiment 1, groups of eight cows were provided with access to one of diets DC, HP or HS, with a maximum of 4 kg being available during each of two periods, between 16:00 and 03:30 h and between 03:30 and 14:30 h. During experiment 2, groups of eight cows were provided access to diet DC, HP, HS or HF, up to a maximum of 8 kg between 16:00 and 14:30 h the following day. Detailed measurements of grazing, ruminating and supplement eating behaviour were made using jaw movement recorders and the transponder-controlled out-of-parlour feeder software. Treatment had no effect on intake rate per min or daily intake of supplement in either experiment, but did affect the temporal pattern of concentrate meals. Treatment did not affect grazing bite mass, bite rate or intake rate in either experiment. During experiment 1, compared with treatment DC, treatment HS reduced total eating time, total grazing jaw movements and daily herbage intake and increased ruminative mastications per bolus and ruminative mastications per kg grass OM intake. In experiment 2, compared with treatment DC, only treatment HS reduced total eating time, total grazing jaw movements and daily herbage intake. Treatments HS and HF both increased ruminative mastications per bolus. The results indicate that when supplements are available at pasture there is a conflict between the time required to consume supplements and herbage and that supplement type can affect both the temporal pattern of supplement intake and subsequent grazing activity.

The effect of cow genetic index and grass-based feeding system on the performance of spring-calving Holstein-Friesian cows in second lactation

AbstractThe objective of this study was to investigate the effect of both cow genetic index (CGI) and feeding system on the performance of second lactation Holstein-Friesian dairy cows on grass-based feeding systems. There was no interaction between CGI and feeding system for any of the parameters measured. Cows of high genetic index (HGI) produced significantly higher yields of milk (P &lt; 0.001), fat (P &lt; 0.001) protein (P &lt; 0.0001) and lactose (P &lt; 0.001) than medium genetic index cows (MGI). CGI had no effect on the concentration of milk constituents. Averaged across four intake measurements the HGI cows had significantly (P &lt; 0.001) higher grass dry-matter intake (GDMI) and total dry-matter intake (TDMI). Live weight was similar for both genotypes during lactation. The HGI cows had significantly (P &lt; 0.05) higher live-weight loss in the first 10 weeks of lactation, significantly lower live-weight gain from week 10 to the end of lactation and higher (P &lt; 0.05) live-weight gain during the dry period. Condition score was significantly lower with the HGI (P &lt; 0.001) at all stages of lactation. There was a higher proportion (P &lt; 0.05) of the HGI cows non-pregnant at the end of the 13-week breeding season. Feeding system had a significant effect on the yield of milk (P &lt; 0.001), fat (P &lt; 0.001), protein (P &lt; 0.001) and lactose (P &lt; 0.001). Feeding system B produced significantly higher (P &lt; 0.05) milk yield and yield of constituents (when compared with feeding systems A and C). Over the period when feeding systems were being applied, feeding system C had significantly higher (P &lt; 0.05) milk protein concentration. Feeding system had a significant effect (P &lt; 0.001) on both GDMI and TDMI. Feeding system had no effect on live weight, condition score or fertility performance.