Effect of Chinese Herb Additive on Blood Biochemical Indices and Production Performance in Transition Dairy Cows

The objective of the experiment was to investigate the effect of Chinese herb additive on production performance and blood biochemical indices in transition dairy cows.Thirty six Holstein dairy cows were randomly assigned to three treatments,supplemented with 0,150 and 300 g/d Chinese herb additive,respectively.Experimental duration was 7 weeks and the first week was the preliminary period.After delivery,feed,blood and milk samples were collected once a week for the measurement of dry matter intake,blood biochemical indexes and milk components.The results showed that cows fed 150 and 300 g/d Chinese herb additive tended to increase milk production (5.1% and 10.6% respectively) compared to control group,but the difference was not significant (P<0.05).Meanwhile,the somatic cell count in milk significantly decreased (P<0.05),which decreased by 62.7% and 76.6%,respectively.Feeding Chinese herb additive had no significant effect on dry matter intake and other milk composition (P>0.05).Compared to control group,cows received Chinese herb additive significantly decreased the content of serum NEFA (P<0.05),which decreased by 29.0% and 35.1%,respectively.There was no significant difference on other indexes in serum (P>0.05).The results showed that dietary supplementation with 300 g/d Chinese herb additive had a good effect for transition dairy cows,which could significantly reduce the somatic cell count in milk and the content of NEFA in blood,and would improve the health status of dairy cows,and the postpartum production performance of dairy cows.