Feeding dairy calves and replacement heifers in South-western Sweden: a survey

Daily feed rations, their nutrient contents and live weight gains were recorded for calves and replacement heifers from birth to calving in 122 Swedish dairy herds. Preweaned calves were fed whole milk (45% of the herds), milk replacer alone or milk replacer combined with whole milk. Calf starters were the most frequently used concentrates for preweaned calves, whereas grain dominated for weaned calves and heifers. Grain was supplemented with protein concentrates until 6 months of age and at calving. Grass/clover hay was the dominant forage for preweaned calves, whereas grass/clover silage alone or in combination with hay was the most common forage for calves and replacement heifers from 6 months of age. Heifers grazed semi-natural grasslands, leys or a combination of semi-natural grasslands and leys in 33, 15 and 52% of the herds, respectively. According to Swedish recommendations, calves in a majority of the herds were fed too low concentrations of crude protein from weaning to 6 months of age and calves were fed too low a metabolizable energy content inadequate for a daily weight gain of 700 g at weaning. Median live weight gain from birth to calving was only 567 g per day. Correct feed ration formulations and strategic grazing management could be means to increase weight gain and hence to decrease rearing costs of calves and replacement heifers in Swedish dairy herds.     

硫酸铜对西门塔尔牛发情周期生殖激素分泌的影响

选用16头18月龄、体况良好、体重380±14kg的西门塔尔牛育成母牛,采用完全随机区组设计分为4组,研究日粮添加硫酸铜(0、8、16和24mg铜/kg)对母牛发情周期生殖激素分泌规律的影响。结果表明:与对照组比较,8mg/kg组发情周期促黄体素(LH)、促卵泡素(FSH)、孕酮(P4)、雌二醇(E2)水平显著提高(P<0.05);16mg/kg组有提高趋势,但差异不显著(P>0.05)。添加8mg铜/kg的硫酸铜对母牛发情周期生殖激素分泌有促进作用,加上基础日粮的含铜量,建议日粮以硫酸铜为铜源时铜水平为13.87mg/kg。     

Effects of limit‐feeding diets with different forage‐to‐concentrate ratios on nutrient intake,rumination, ruminal fermentation,digestibility, blood parameters and growth in Holstein heifers

The objective of this study was using a wide range of dietary concentrate levels to investigate the major effects of limit‐feeding on heifers. Twenty‐four Holstein heifers were blocked into six groups and fed with one of four diets containing different levels of concentrate (20%, 40%, 60% and 80% on a dry matter (DM) basis) but with same intakes of metabolizable energy for 28 days. Increasing levels of dietary concentrate caused decreased (P ≤ 0.02) intakes of dry matter (DMI) and neutral detergent fiber and total rumination time, but increased (P < 0.01) nonfiberous carbohydrates intake, ruminal concentrations of NH₃‐N, propionate and butyrate, and digestibility of DM and crude protein. Dietary concentrate levels had no significant effect on most plasma concentrations and body measurements. The corrected average daily gain (CADG) and feed efficency (ADG/DMI, CFE) were linearly increased (P < 0.01) with increasing dietary concentrate levels when gut fill impact was removed. In conclusion, heifers limit‐fed high concentrate diets increased most ruminal fermentation parameters, CADG and CFE with similar body growth and blood metabolites as heifers fed low concentrate diets, and had the potential to be used as an effective feeding strategy in dairy heifers.     

Investigation of the association between the interval from internal teat sealant administration to calving and early lactation clinical mastitis in New Zealand dairy heifers

AIMS: To examine the association between the interval from internal teat sealant (ITS) administration to calving and the incidence of farmer-recorded clinical mastitis in the first 30 days of lactation in pasture-based dairy heifers.

METHODS: Heifers that were administered an ITS by a single veterinary business in the South Island of New Zealand over the winter of 2014 were enrolled in a cross-sectional observational study. ITS was administered to all heifers on each participating farm on a single calendar day. The dates of calving and farmer-diagnosed clinical mastitis were recorded by farm staff. The interval from ITS administration to calving was categorised into four approximately evenly sized groups: <35, 35–48, 49–69 and >69 days. The quartile of the farm’s calving period in which each heifer calved was also investigated as a potential confounding variable. A hierarchical logistic regression model was constructed to determine the association between the interval from ITS administration to calving with the odds of clinical mastitis in the first 30 days of lactation.

RESULTS: Analysis was performed on 7,126 eligible heifers from 31 farms, with ITS administered between 9 May and 11 July 2014. The mean interval from ITS administration to calving was 52.9 (SD 24.4, min 1, max 137) days. Clinical mastitis was diagnosed in 420/7,126 (5.9 (95% CI=5.4–6.5)%) heifers between calving and day 30 of lactation. In the final multivariable model, which included calving period quartile, interval from ITS administration to calving was not associated with the odds of clinical mastitis (p=0.516). Compared to an interval from ITS administration to calving of <35 days, the adjusted OR of clinical mastitis for intervals of 35–48, 49–69 and >69 days were 0.83 (95% CI=0.59–1.17), 0.71 (95% CI=0.45–1.11) and 0.68 (95% CI=0.36–1.29), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Within the range of intervals from ITS administration to calving observed in this study, there was no association with the odds of clinical mastitis in the first 30 days of lactation in dairy heifers. This study suggests that veterinary clinics may be able to extend their ITS administration service and treat dairy heifers earlier than the current recommendation of approximately 4 weeks before the planned start of calving.     

烟酸铬对西门塔尔牛瘤胃液pH值和氨态氮浓度的影响

试验选用4头平均体重(500±20)kg,年龄4岁,装有永久性瘤胃瘘管的西门塔尔牛阉牛,采用4×4拉丁方设计,以混合精料和风干玉米秸秆为基础日粮,研究日粮添加烟酸铬(0、40、801、20 mg/d)对瘤胃液pH值及氨态氮浓度的影响。结果表明:日粮添加烟酸铬对瘤胃pH值无显著差异(P>0.05);80 mg/d组瘤胃液氨态氮浓度显著低于对照组,其他各组间无明显差异(P>0.05)。综合以上结果,烟酸铬适宜添加水平为80 mg/d。     

赖氨酸铜对西门塔尔牛发情周期生殖激素分泌的影响

选用16头18月龄,体况良好,体重380±17 kg的西门塔尔牛育成母牛,采用完全随机区组设计,研究日粮添加赖氨酸铜（0、8、16和24 mgCu/kg DM）对发情周期生殖激素分泌规律的影响。结果表明：8 mg/kg组和16 mg/kg组显著提高了发情周期LH、FSH、P4和E2水平（P<0.05）;24 mg/kg组有提高趋势,但与对照组比差异不显著（P>0.05）。说明添加赖氨酸铜8~16 mgCu/kg DM对发情周期生殖激素分泌有促进作用,以8 mgCu/kg DM较佳。兼顾基础日粮含铜量,建议日粮铜水平为：13.87 mgCu/kg DM。     

西门塔尔牛级进杂交本地黄牛适宜代数的研究

研究了级进杂交对不同代次的西杂犊牛体重和西杂母牛泌乳性能的影响。结果表明,与本地犊牛相比,Ｆ１－Ｆ４西杂犊牛的初生重分别提高７０．１５％、８０．１９％、９０．０７％、１００．４５％;６月龄分别提高４３．７３％、５３．６５％、６３．５９％、５０．８５％;１２月龄分别提高２２．９９％、４８．１１％、５５．８５％、４６．７３％,差异均极显著（Ｐ〈０．０５）。综合考虑,级进杂交进行到Ｆ３较为合适。     

Consecutive changes in serum alkaline phosphatase isoenzyme 3 activities in Holstein heifers during the first 18 months of life

This study investigated consecutive fluctuations in serum activities of bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (ALP) isoenzyme 3 (ALP3) in 11 clinically healthy Holstein heifers during the first 18 months of life. ALP3 activities at the first sampling time point after weaning (3 months) were significantly lower than those at multiple time points during the pre-weaning period. Those activities increased from a minimum at 3 months to a peak at 6 months during the post-weaning period. In the anthropometric data, daily body weight and wither height gains appeared to be below the public data at 4 months and 4–5 months, respectively. The data suggested that serum ALP3 activity can be used to monitor skeletal growth of heifers at weaning.     

规模化奶牛场育成牛产污系数的测定

通过对华中地区重点监测点郑州市某千头奶牛场监测,制定出能表示该地区奶牛场育成牛产生污染物状况的产污系数。随机选择5头采食正常,健康,体重300 kg左右的育成牛,测定每头育成牛每天饲料采食量及饲料中粗蛋白、磷、铜、锌等指标,每天粪便产生量及粪中全氮、全磷、铜、锌、有机质等指标和每天尿液产生量及尿中COD、氨氮、全氮、全磷、铜、锌等指标,最后得出该奶牛场育成牛的年均产污系数为：氮126.02 g·head^-1·d^-1,磷60.94 g·head^-1·d^-1,有机质1966.18 g·head^-1·d^-1,铜0.143 g·head^-1·d^-1,锌0.953 g·head^-1·d^-1,COD98.908 g·head^-1·d^-1,氨氮1.579 g·head^-1·d^-1。育成牛中COD、有机质、氮、磷、锌等污染物排出量较大,且育成牛中COD、氮、磷、铜、锌、氨氮和有机质等污染物排出量随季节变化有不同变化,一旦饲粮满足育成牛的需要,多余的部分将被排到粪尿中,造成营养物质的流失和污染物产生量的增加。