Herd characteristics influence farmers’ preferences for trait improvements in Danish Red and Danish Jersey cows

The aim of this study was to characterize preferences of farmers for breeding goal traits with Danish Red (DR) or Danish Jersey (DJ) cows. A breed-specific survey was established to characterize farmers’ preferences for improvements in 10 traits, by means of pairwise rankings using the online software 1000Minds. These pairwise rankings were based on equal economic worth of trait improvements. The DR survey was filled in by 87 farmers and the DJ survey by 76 farmers. Both DR and DJ farmers gave the highest preference to improvements in mastitis, and the lowest to calving difficulty. By means of a cluster analysis, three distinct clusters of farmers were identified per breed. Comparisons of herd characteristics between clusters suggest that farmers choose to improve traits that are problematic in their herds. This study shows that heterogeneity exists in farmers’ preferences for trait improvements and that herd characteristics influence these preferences in DR and DJ.     

Use of thermal imaging for identification of foot lesions in dairy cattle

The objective of this study was to investigate the use of infrared thermography (IRT) for detection of foot lesions in dairy cattle. Thermal images of the rear feet of 139 lactating dairy cows were taken with a thermal camera and evaluated using imaging software. Foot lesions identified in the study included white line disease (WLD), sole ulcer (SU) and digital dermatitis (DD). Temperatures at the coronary band (CBT) and the skin (ST) were recorded. Cows were scored for locomotion on a scale of 1–5 (1?=?normal and 5?=?severely lame). CBT was higher for all types of foot lesion (34.1?±?2.3, 33.8?±?1.6 and 33.1?±?1.6°C for WLD, SU and DD, respectively) than for healthy (32.6?±?1.9°C) feet. ST was higher only for WLD (33.2?±?2.0°C) compared to healthy feet (31.5?±?1.7°C). ΔT (temperature difference between CBT and ST) was higher for SU (2.1?±?0.8°C) than healthy feet (1.1?±?0.9°C). Locomotion scores (LSs) were similar between healthy cows (2.2?±?0.7) and DD (2.4?±?0.7) but greater for SU and WLD cows (3.0?±?0.9, 3.0?±?0.8) than healthy cows. The threshold values established for CBT and ST were 33.5°C (sensitivity?=?77.8%, specificity?=?65.2%) and 33.7°C (sensitivity?=?44.4%, specificity?=?92.9%) for SU, and 34.4^oC (sensitivity?=?28.1%, specificity?=?88.6%) and 31.8°C (sensitivity?=?60.7%, specificity?=?55.4%) for overall lesion, respectively. These results indicate that IRT can be a useful tool for detection of SU, but not WLD and DD. In addition, CBT and ΔT were the best indicators for the detection of foot lesions.     

Relationship between calving difficulty and fertility traits in first‐parity Iranian Holsteins under standard and recursive models

The main objective of this study was to estimate the genetic and phenotypic relationships between calving difficulty (CD) and fertility traits, including success at first service (SF), number of inseminations to conception (INS), interval from calving to first service (CTFS), interval between first and last service (IFL) and days open (DO), in first‐parity Iranian Holsteins under standard (SMMs) and recursive (RMMs) mixed models. The data analysed in this paper included 29 950 records on CD and fertility traits, collected in the time period from 1995 to 2014 by the Animal Breeding and Improvement Center of Iran. Under all observed SMMs and RMMs, five bivariate sire‐maternal grandsire models (ten bivariate analyses in total) were used for the analyses. Recursive models were applied with a view to consider that CD influences the fertility traits in the subsequent reproductive cycle and the genetic determination of CD and fertility traits by fitting CD as covariate for any of the fertility traits studied. The existence of such cause‐and‐effect is considered in RMMs but not in SMMs. Our results implied a statistically non‐zero magnitude of the causal relationships between CD and all the fertility traits studied, with the former influencing the latter. The causal effects of CD on SF (on the observed scale, %), INS, CTFS, IFL and DO were ?2.23%, 0.10 services, 1.93 days, 3.76 days and 5.61 days, respectively. Direct genetic correlations between CD and the fertility traits under both models were not statistically different from zero (95% HPD interval included zero), except for the correlation between CD and CTFS, which were 0.197 and 0.134 under SMM and RMM, respectively, indicating that genes associated with difficult births also increase intervals between calving and the first insemination afterwards. Comparison of both models by the deviance information criterion (DIC) demonstrated the plausibility of RMMs over SMMs.     

Risk factors associated with the incidence rate of clinical mastitis in smallholder dairy cows in the Dar es Salaam region of Tanzania

Smallholder dairy herds around the Dar es Salaam region of Tanzania supply 86% of raw milk consumed by the city dwellers. Previous studies have indicated that clinical mastitis is an important disease affecting smallholder dairy cows and an 18-month questionnaire-based longitudinal field-study was conducted between July 2003 and March 2005 to elucidate risk factors associated with the incidence. A total of 6057 quarter-level observations from 317 lactating cows on 87 randomly selected smallholder dairy herds were analysed at the quarter and cow level using logistic and Poisson regression models, respectively. At the quarter level, the average incidence rate of clinical mastitis was 38.4 cases per 100 quarter-years at risk whereas at the cow level the incidence rate was 43.3 cases per 100 cow-years at risk. The incidence was significantly (P< or =0.001) associated with cow factors (body condition score, parity, stage of lactation, and udder consistency), housing (floor type) conditions and milking (cow and udder preparation) practices. It was concluded that the extrapolation of the classic ten-point mastitis control plan into smallholder dairy herds should be undertaken cautiously. An integrated approach to dairy extension should focus more on the creation of mastitis awareness among smallholder producers and on the improvement of animal nutrition and reproduction indices-factors that may also have a direct impact on milk yield.     

Assessing the within-herd prevalence of Coxiella burnetii milk-shedder cows using a real-time PCR applied to bulk tank milk

Thirty-seven bulk tank milk (BTM) and individual milk samples of all contributing cows were tested for Coxiella burnetii detection by a real-time PCR assay and used to assess the relationship between the BTM PCR-response and (i) the within-herd prevalence of milk-shedder cows and (ii) the proportion of heavy milk-shedder cows. The within-herd prevalence of milk-shedder cows (i) was found to be significantly higher in herds with a positive BTM and (ii) increased significantly with the estimated titre in Coxiella burnetii obtained in positive BTM. The proportion of heavy milk-shedder cows among the milk-shedder cows increased significantly with an increased estimated titre in Coxiella burnetii in positive BTM. Therefore, a real-time PCR assay applied to BTM samples collected repeatedly over time appears to be a valuable tool to assess on a larger scale the status of herds towards Coxiella shedding, and to evaluate the efficiency of control actions aimed at controlling and/or preventing Coxiella shedding in dairy herds.     

Loser cows in Danish dairy herds: definition, prevalence and consequences

During the last few years, many Danish dairy farmers have expressed increasing concerns regarding a group of cows, which we have chosen to term ‘loser cows’. Until now, a loser cow has not been described scientifically. We defined a loser cow on the basis of a clinical examination of the cow. A total of 15,151 clinical examinations were made on 6,451 individual cows from 39 randomly selected, large Danish dairy herds with loose-housing systems using a clinical protocol. Scores for the clinical signs lameness, body condition, hock lesions, other cutaneous lesions, vaginal discharge, condition of hair coat and general condition were converted into a loser cow score. Cows with a loser cow score of 8 or more were classified as loser cows. The overall prevalence of loser cows was 2.15%, 4.50% and 2.98% during the first, second and third round of herd visits, respectively.

The associations between the loser cow state and milk production, mortality, morbidity, culling and workload for the farmer were evaluated using data from herd visits and from the Danish Cattle Database and a number of different statistical techniques. It was concluded that the loser cow state has significant negative consequences for both the farmer and the cow. On average, loser cows yielded 0.61 to 2.24 kg energy corrected milk less per day than non-loser cows depending on parity. Hazard ratio for death or euthanasia was 5.69 for loser cows compared to non-loser cows. Incidence rate ratio for disease treatments was 0.69 for non-loser cows compared to loser cows. Loser cows were often culled in an ‘unfavourable’ way and generally caused extra workload for the farmer.

A simplified version of the loser cow score was evaluated and is recommended for future research and use in practice.     

Effects of Bacillus amylolyticus on Rumen Dry Matter Digestibility,Fermentation Parameters and Metabolites of Dairy Cows北大核心CSCD

This experiment was conducted to study the effects of Bacillus amylolyticus on rumen dry matter digestibility, fermentation parameters and metabolites of dairy cows. Experiment 1: six dairy cows with permanent fistula and had the similar parity (2 to 3 fetuses), body weight [(662 ±57) kg], lactation days [(160 ± 22) d] and milk yield [(36.1 ±3.8) kg / d], were randomly divided into 3 groups with 2 cows per group. Using 3 ×3 Latin square design, each group was extra fed 0 (control group), 5 ×109 and 5 ×1010 CFU / d Bacillus amylolyticus, the trial period was 3 periods, 13 days for each period, including 10 days for the pre-trial period and 3 days for the trial period. At the beginning of the trial period, the rumen dry matter digestibility of cows was measured by nylon bag method. Experiment 2: thirty dairy cows with similar parity [(2.5 ±0.3) fetuses], initial body weight [(559.2 ± 7. 4) kg], milk yield [(35. 2 ± 1. 5) kg / d] and lactation days [(99 ± 22) d] were randomly divided into three groups with 10 cows in each group. Cows in the 3 groups were extra fed with 0 (control group), 5 ×109 and 5 ×1010 CFU / d Bacillus amylolyticus, respectively. The pre-trial period was 10 days and the trial period was 42 days. The rumen fluid was collected on the last day of the trial period, and the rumen fermentation parameters and metabolites were determined. The results showed as follows: compared with the control group, 1) supplementary feeding of 5 × 1010 CFU / d Bacillus amylolyticus could significantly improve the rumen dry matter digestibility of dairy cows at 12, 24, 36, 48 and 72 h (P <0.05), supplementary feeding of 5 ×109 CFU / d Bacillus amylolyticus could significantly improve the rumen dry matter digestibility of dairy cows at 36 and 48 h (P <0.05); 2) supplementary feeding of 5 ×109 CFU / d Bacillus amylolyticus could significantly increase the contents of isobutyric acid, butyric acid, isovaleric acid, valeric acid, total volatile fatty acid and microbial protein in the rumen of dairy cows (P < 0. 05), supplementary feeding of 5 × 1010 CFU / d Bacillus amylolyticus could significantly increase the contents of isobutyric acid and isovaleric acid in the rumen of dairy cows and significantly reduce the rumen acetic acid / propionic acid (P < 0. 05), supplementary feeding of 5 ×109 and 5 ×1010 Bacillus amylolyticus had no effects on rumen pH and ammonia nitrogen content (P >0.05); 3) eleven metabolic pathways related to differential metabolites were detected, and ascorbic acid and alginate metabolism were significantly enriched (P < 0. 05) . In conclusion, Bacillus amylolyticus can increase the rumen dry matter digestibility, and improve the rumen fermentation function of dairy cows by affecting the content of rumen metabolites. By comprehensive analysis, supplementary feeding of 5 × 109 CFU / d Bacillus amylolyticus can achieve better effect. © 2023 Authors. All rights reserved.     

小型乳制品加工厂的研究与设计

牛奶是人类生长发育全过程中最适宜的食品。牛奶中含有大量的优质蛋白质、氨基酸、脂肪、乳糖、多种维生素、多种免疫活性因子及人体必需的矿物质微量元素，是营养最全面、营养价值最高、最容易消化吸收的食品。为此，从牛奶在人们饮食中所处的地位出发，介绍了乳制品加工厂研究的意义，阐述了小型乳制品加工的生产工艺、厂房分布图和主要设备。     

奶牛养殖场粪污处理沼气工程技术与模式

本文综述了国内外奶牛养殖场沼气工程技术应用现状,分析了奶牛粪沼气发酵潜力和三种主要沼气发酵工艺的技术特点.     

不同阶段沼液作发酵接种物对牛粪产气的影响

在牛粪厌氧发酵中,不同阶段沼液的物理、化学性质及微生物种群有较大差异,利用不同发酵阶的沼液作接种物必然会影响到系统的产气特性。实验结果表明:以发酵20天的发酵沼液作接种物可以加快反应速度,增加产气量,提高COD去除率;用60天的发酵沼液作接种物不利于产气的进行。