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.     

奶牛饲喂技术与设备的现状分析

随着我国奶牛养殖业的高速发展,对奶牛饲喂机械化设备的需求较为迫切.为此,介绍了传统饲喂、TMR饲喂和饲喂机器人等3种饲喂技术,并对其配套设备的优缺点进行了分析,指出了以个体奶牛体况的精细化饲养来实现数字化养殖是将来的发展趋势.     

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.     

基于MVC设计模式的奶牛繁殖智能提醒系统

在奶牛场管理中,根据奶牛繁殖过程的生命周期性,从其生物特性和生理特点等各个管理角度出发,在.NET环境下,采用MVC设计模式来构造奶牛繁殖智能提醒系统,并应用到奶牛场,从而为奶牛生产者提供技术支持,以实现牛场生产过程的数字化和智能化.     

黑龙江省机械化挤奶站建设利用的现状、问题与对策

黑龙江省是我国重要的乳品生产基地,机械化集中挤奶站是奶源基地建设的有效生产组织形式。本文首先从发展规模、投资经营方式、奶站布局和设备选型方面分析了黑龙江省机械化集中挤奶站建设利用的现状,然后从设备选型、配套方案、使用管理和奶站企业关系等方面提出了存在的问题,最后基于问题产生的根源,结合实际经验,从科学研究、技能培训和关系协调等方面给出了解决问题的对策建议。     

黑龙江省奶牛小区建设生产关键环节的探讨

随着奶牛养殖业的快速、持续发展,饲料浪费、环境污染和奶牛疫病等问题日益突出,加快推进畜牧业生产方式转变已成为人们的共识.各地在转变生产方式的实践中总结出了很多行之有效的方法,其中养殖小区就是比较普遍的一种.为此,对黑龙江省奶牛小区的建设、生产中的关键环节及关键技术进行了深入细致的分析和阐述,旨在为黑龙江省奶牛养殖小区的规划设计、建设施工和生产运行提供理论依据.     

用孕酮阴道栓治疗乏情牛的试验

用孕酮阴道栓治疗乏情牛,一至三天内同期发情率为89.6%。72头牛采用冷冻精液授精,第一情期受孕率为33.3%,笫二情期受孕率为19.4%。证明孕酮阴道栓治疗乏情牛是有效的。