Effect of relationships among clinical mastitis incidence,reproductive performance,and culling rate on the lifetime of dairy cows at Hiroshima University Farm

Farm managers' decision to cull dairy cows is based on the cows' milk production, history of disorder(s), and reproductive performance, each of which affects dairy cows' lifetime (herd life and productive lifespan). We investigated the relationships among the incidence of clinical mastitis (CM), the reproductive performance, and the culling rate. We also assessed the effects of these relationships on the lifetimes of dairy cows, using the records made before and after the introduction of an automatic milking system (AMS) at Hiroshima University Farm. Milk yield, CM incidence density, and culling rate of dairy cows increased after the AMS introduction. The CM incidence was associated with an elongation of the calving interval in cows with the same parity. CM in the 1st parity might have caused the reductions of the cows' lifetime and their parity at culling. A higher age at first calving (AFC) was associated with an increase in culling rate but did not lead to a significant decrease in lifetime. Investigations of the factors mediating CM in the 1st parity or AFC with CM incidence or culling rate in the later stages might contribute to the control of lifetime of dairy cows.     

影响荷斯坦奶牛产犊间隔的因素及其研究进展

产犊间隔（calving internal,CI）又称胎间距,即两次产犊间的时间间隔,能够综合反映奶牛发情、配种、妊娠和产犊等繁殖性能,是衡量奶牛繁殖性能的一个重要指标,同时也是影响奶牛产奶量和产犊数量的重要因素,对奶牛养殖经济效益具有直接影响。最新研究显示,适宜产犊间隔与牛群泌乳能力相关,泌乳能力越高,适宜产犊间隔应越长。但是,即使中国规模化牛场产奶量已经有了大幅提升,中国大多数牧场还在追求更短的产犊间隔。为此,作者对影响荷斯坦奶牛产犊间隔的因素及其研究进展进行概述,并简要阐述了产犊间隔对牛场经济效益的影响,以期为中国荷斯坦奶牛养殖确定适宜产犊间隔提供一定的借鉴和理论依据。     

荷斯坦奶牛休息时间的群体特征及影响因素分析

为探究北京地区荷斯坦奶牛休息时间的群体规律及影响因素,本研究收集了北京地区某规模化牧场2018年4月至2020年4月共838头荷斯坦奶牛的休息时间及对应的奶牛生产性能测定记录及环境温湿度数据,利用SAS 9.2软件的GLM过程分析了年份、季节、场区、胎次和泌乳月等因素对荷斯坦奶牛休息时间的影响,并分析了休息时间对荷斯坦奶牛生产性能的影响。结果显示,荷斯坦奶牛平均休息时间为397.39 min/d,范围为87.74~707.03 min/d,变异系数为26%;休息时间随季节呈先降低后升高的趋势,夏季最低,冬季最高;随环境温湿度的升高而逐渐降低;产犊和发病对休息时间均有较大影响,产犊和发病当天奶牛休息时间均存在一个峰值,之后逐渐降低至正常水平;测定年份、季节、场区、胎次和泌乳月份对休息时间均有极显著影响（P<0.01）;荷斯坦奶牛产奶量随休息时间的升高而降低。本研究为利用自动化记录设备探究奶牛的行为规律及利用连续测定的休息时间数据提高牛群的精准管理水平提供了理论依据。     

Management of calving in Norwegian cubicle-housed dairy herds.

Sixty of the 65 dairy farms with cubicle houses in the Norwegian county of Oppland were included in a field study of the management of calving in 1990. The farmers recorded the location of the cow when giving birth, farmer presence and whether assistance was given during calving, occurrence of suckling, and time after birth when cow and calf were separated. Such data were recorded for a total of 1125 calvings. About 10% occurred on pasture, while 78% of the remaining calvings took place in the cubicle-equipped section. Thirteen percent calved in a calving pen, the remaining cows being tethered at the time of calving. Thirty-two percent of the calvings took place in houses lacking a calving pen altogether. Farmers were present during 41% of the calvings. Suckling most frequently occurred after pasture calvings, and was least frequent after calvings within the cubicle-equipped section of the cowhouse. Injuries to the calf caused by trampling or contact with fittings etc. were rare, and no more common in association with calving in the cubicle-equipped section than with calving taking place with the cow isolated from the rest of the herd. All calves were removed from their dams within 24 h after birth.     

Reproduction and Lactational Performance of Cattle in a Smallholder Dairy System in Zimbabwe

A study was conducted in two adjacent locations. Nharira (communal) and Lancashire (small-scale commercial) farming areas in Zimbabwe to characterize the breeds and evaluate the reproductive and lactation performance of dairy cattle under smallholder management. The types of cows identified were Friesian, Jersey and Red Dane, and an indigenous Sanga breed called the Mashona and its crossbreds. Both sectors used more exotic and crossbred cows than indigenous cows. The mean monthly weights of the dairy cows were higher in Lancashire than in Nharira and the calving intervals were longer in Nharira than in Lancashire. The mean age at first calving was higher and the mean total lactation yields were greater in Nharira than in Lancashire, but the mean 305-day lactation yields were not significantly different. The mean lactation lengths were longer for the cows from Nharira. It was concluded that the reproductive and lactation performances were low. The calving intervals were extended, probably owing to suboptimal nutrition and heat stress, particularly during the dry season, and to poor management practices, such as delayed mating due to the poor availability of bulls.     

Dairy Production and Reproduction by Crosses of Holstein,Jersey or Brown Swiss Sires with Holstein-Friesian/Gir Dams

The performance was compared of cows sired by Holstein, Jersey or Brown Swiss bulls out of Holstein-Friesian×Gir dams of 1/2 to 3/4 Holstein-Friesian content. The animals were kept in a single herd under the same management. The data were analysed by least-squares techniques under a model that included the fixed effects of breed of sire, Bos taurus fraction of the dam, parity, year and season of calving, and a random cow effect. Based on 480 observations, the milk yields per lactation for the Holstein, Jersey and Brown Swiss sired groups were 2821±163, 2320±61 and 2418±119 kg, respectively. The corresponding means for fat yield per lactation were 96.9±6.6, 86.8±2.5 and 92.8±4.8 kg; for protein yield per lactation were 85.3±5.1, 71.3±1.9 and 76.3±3.7 kg; for lactation length, 339±18, 283±7 and 313±14 days for fat percentage, 3.37±0.10, 3.73±0.04 and 3.77±0.07%; and for protein percentage, 3.02±0.05, 3.10±0.02 and 3.16±0.04%. The respective calving intervals were 487±24, 408±11 and 461±245 days. The yields of milk and protein per day of calving interval were similar in the Jersey and Holstein sired groups, while the former had higher yields of fat, implying that production economics might favour the smaller Jersey crosses in production systems in which the males were not reared. Crossing with Brown Swiss did not improve performance over the Holstein sired crosses.     

Evaluating environmental impacts of the Japanese beef cow–calf system by the life cycle assessment method

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the environmental impacts of a beef cow–calf system using a life cycle assessment (LCA) method and to investigate the effects of scenarios to reduce environmental impacts on the LCA results. The functional unit was defined as one marketed beef calf, and the processes associated with the cow–calf life cycle, such as feed production, feed transport, animal management, the biological activity of the animal and the treatment of cattle waste were included in the system boundary. The present results showed that the total contributions of one beef calf throughout its life cycle to global warming, acidification, eutrophication and energy consumption were 4550 kg of CO₂ equivalents, 40.1 kg of SO₂ equivalents, 7.0 kg of phosphate (PO₄) equivalents and 16.1 GJ, respectively. The contribution of each process to the total environmental impact in each environmental impact category showed a similar tendency to the contribution of each process in each environmental category reported in the case of the beef fattening system as a whole. The results from this analysis showed that shortening calving intervals by 1 month reduced environmental impacts by 5.7–5.8% in all the environmental impact categories examined in the current study, and increasing the number of calves per cow also reduced environmental impacts in all the categories, although the effects were smaller.     

Effect of meloxicam administration after calving on milk production,acute phase proteins,and behavior in dairy cows

Calving is an intrinsically risky process that can cause welfare and economic problems. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug meloxicam on various physiological and behavioral measures which can be related to pain in cattle. Sixty Friesian dairy cows from first to sixth parity were studied around calving and were randomly allocated into 2 homogeneous groups relative to parity and treated with either meloxicam or a placebo after calving. Treatments were administered on average 3.4 hours after calving, within a maximum of 6 hours. Calf positions at calving and calving assistance (unassisted or easy manual pull) were recorded. Milk production, rectal temperature, and activity (calculated as the number of steps per hour) were measured on each cow. From a subsample of 20 cows, haptoglobin (Hp) and serum amyloid A (SAA) concentrations were also obtained. The following behaviors were observed on video recordings: posture, changing posture, location of cow in pen, feeding, and tail up behaviors 2 days before and after calving. Statistical analysis was carried out with the SAS software using MIXED or GENMOD procedures. Most variables showed a parity and/or time effect around calving. This study did not demonstrate any significant effect of meloxicam on milk production or on acute phase responses of Hp and SAA. However, postcalving activity was significantly increased in meloxicam-treated heifers.     

基于DHI数据的非参数统计方法分析产犊季节对奶牛产奶性状的影响

产犊季节对奶牛产奶有着重要的影响.随着奶牛生产性能测定(DHI)技术的逐渐普及,DHI已经成为提高奶牛场饲养管理水平和牛奶品质的有效工具.通过整理奶牛场多年的DHI检测数据,使用非参数统计方法,分析产犊季节对奶牛产奶性状的影响.结果表明,春秋季节产犊的奶牛产奶性能更高.该研究结果可为奶牛场科学制定奶牛配种和产犊计划、充分挖掘和利用DHI数据提供重要参考.     

利用IVM/IVF技术生产试管犊牛的研究

本研究利用卵母细胞体外成熟(IVM)、体外受精(IVF)技术,体外生产牛胚胎,以获得试管牛.结果表明:卵母细胞体外培养22～24h后,其成熟率为85％;体外受精率为83％.体外受精卵分别在颗粒细胞单层(GCM)和输卵管细胞单层(OCM)上培养,其胚胎最后产量(以授精时卵母细胞的数目为基数)分别为19％和29％,差异极显著(P<0.01).若体外受精卵先在GCM中培养72h后,再将已发生卵裂的(>4细胞)胚胎移到OCM中培养,其胚胎最后产量为35％.由此表明,早期胚胎在其发育过程中至少存在着3个发育相期,即1～8细胞、8～16细胞和16细胞～囊胚3个阶段,各阶段需要不同的培养环境.IVM/IVF胚胎移植到受体黄牛体内后,其足月时的妊娠率为15％.第一头试管犊牛已于1993年4月18日凌晨产出.