The effects of cubicle or strawyard housing and a post-partum injection of prostaglandin on the production and reproductive performance of dairy cows

Author(s):  
S.A. Schofield ◽  
C.J.C. Phillips

The objective of the experiment was to compare the production and reproductive performance of dairy cows in two environments known to produce large differences in cow behaviour - the cubicle house and straw yard. In addition an injection of prostaglandin analogue was investigated in both environments as it has been previously reported that a post-partum injection.of PGF2 α can improve poor reproductive performance (Knight, 1985).Forty multiparous spring-calving cows were allocated for 12 weeks prepartum and 12 weeks postpartum t0o either a covered strawyard (S) stocked at 0.12 cows/m2 or a cubicle house (C) stocked at 0.17 cows/ m2. One half of each group received an injection PGF2 (P) 21 days post-partum, the other half receiving no injection (N). All cows were offered a complete diet ad libitum (ME 11.9 MJ/kg DM, CP 164g/kg) and results for the animal production and reproduction are presented for the postpartum period, and results for hoof condition presented for the entire winter.

2001 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. H. Gardner ◽  
C. K. Reynolds ◽  
R.H. Phipps ◽  
A.K. Jones ◽  
D.E. Beever

AbstractThe study compared the impact of feeding different energy supplements (barley, molassed sugar beet and fat) prior to calving and the effects of feeding supplemental fat post-partum, on subsequent production and reproductive efficiency of dairy cows. Forty-eight multiparous Holstein-Friesian dairy cows were assigned to one of two groups, six weeks prior to expected calving date and fed a grass based total mixed ration according to ME requirements for late gestation. Group 1 was supplemented with barley (B) or molassed sugar beet feed (SB) prior to calving and was then given a high starch lactation ration. Group 2 was supplemented with either fat (F) or no supplement (C) pre partum, and was then given a similar lactation ration as Group 1 but supplemented with fat. Lactation rations were fed through to week-20 post partum and the cows were monitored during this period. Milk yield (P<0.002) and milkfat (P<0.02) production were higher and milk protein concentration (P<0.001) was lower in Group 2. The number of days to first rise in progesterone following parturition was greater (P<0.01) in Group 2. Due to the design of the study, effects of prepartum supplementation were only evaluated within each lactation ration group. Conception rate to first service was higher (P<0.001) for B than SB supplemented cows in Group 1 and higher (P<0.02) for F than C supplemented cows in Group 2. Services per conception were lower (P=0.06) for B than SB supplemented cows in Group 1 and lower (P<0.05) for F than C supplemented cows in Group 2. Overall pregnancy rates and days open were not significantly different between the groups. The data shows that pre-partum nutrition had an important role in determining subsequent fertility. Despite having negative effects early post partum, supplementing with fat did not affect overall reproductive performance but it did improve milk production.


Reproduction ◽  
2002 ◽  
pp. 419-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
JG Gong ◽  
WJ Lee ◽  
PC Garnsworthy ◽  
R Webb

Although it has become increasingly clear that fertility in modern dairy cattle is declining in association with increased milk yields, the underlying mechanism is poorly understood. The first ovulation post partum is delayed in dairy cows undergoing selection for genetic merit for milk yield in association with lower circulating insulin concentrations. The aim of this study was to investigate whether feeding a diet to increase circulating insulin concentrations can overcome this delay in the first ovulation post partum. The experiment was a 2 x 2 factorial design (n = 10 per group) involving diet and genetic merit for milk yield. The dietary treatment started on the day of calving and lasted for 50 days. Plasma samples were collected each day and ovarian ultra-sonography was performed three times a week during the experimental feeding period. Milk yield was recorded each day, and body weight and body condition score were determined each week. Milk samples were collected three times a week from day 50 to day 105 post partum, and reproductive performance data were recorded for all the cows as part of the routine farm practice. The dietary treatment induced significant differences in plasma insulin concentrations in both high and low genetic merit cows. Although high genetic merit cows produced more milk, lost more body weight and had lower body condition scores during the experiment, no significant effect of diet was observed on these measurements. The high insulin inducing diet increased the proportion of cows ovulating within 50 days of calving and reduced the intervals from calving to first ovulation, and tended to reduce the intervals from calving to first service and to conception. These fertility parameters were also more favourable in low than in high genetic merit cows, but no interaction between diet and genetic merit was observed for any of these parameters. Genetic merit, but not diet, also affected the number of services required per conception and the conception rate. In conclusion, these results have confirmed that genetic selection for high milk yield is associated with a decrease in reproductive performance in dairy cows. More importantly, this study has demonstrated that it is possible to alleviate this problem by nutritional manipulation.


1983 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 445-451 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Bryant ◽  
P. Rowlinson ◽  
H. A. M. Van der Steen

ABSTRACTNursing frequency, suckling duration and teat order were recorded in 12 ‘hybrid’ sows and their litters from parturition to weaning at day 42 post partum. Sows and their litters were moved from the farrowing quarters at day 20; half were housed as a group (G) and fed ad libitum with a boar present and the other half were housed individually (S) with no boar present and ration-fed to scale.Some differences occurred in behaviour from day 20. A significantly greater number of false nursing periods, significant synchronization of nursing periods, and a tendency for more long and short nursing intervals occurred in G than S sows and litters. The duration of the preliminary nosing phase and the total nursing period were significantly longer in S than G litters. Teat order scores, indicating consistency of piglet suckling position on the sow, tended to be greater in S than G litters, and there was a fall in the score for G litters in the weeks following grouping. This was associated with a check in live-weight gain.All G sows showed oestrus during lactation, on average 15 days after grouping. There was no incidence of lactational oestrus in the S sows which showed oestrus 5 days after weaning.


2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 113
Author(s):  
I. H. Kim ◽  
H. C. Lee ◽  
H. G. Kang

Earlier postpartum cyclicity based on hormonal analysis was related to the subsequent fertility, although it has not been clarified under field conditions. This field study examined the relationship between the detection of corpus luteum (CL) at the first post partum month and subsequent reproductive performance in dairy cows. Holstein dairy cows underwent ultrasonography (Sonoace 600 with 7.5 MHz linear-array transducer; Medison Co. Ltd., Korea) at 30 (±7) days postpartum to determine the existence of CL in ovaries and then divided into 2 groups based on the existence of CL; the CL group (n = 156) or the non-CL group (n = 281). At the same time of ultrasonography, all cows were scored for body condition. Cows received the normal herd reproductive management program including oestrous detection or synchronization, or synchronization of ovulation in the breeding period. Pregnancy was determined per rectum 60 days after artificial insemination by both ultrasonography and palpation. Reproductive performance data were collected for a minimum of 210 days postpartum. Reproduction data between the CL and non-CL groups were evaluated by t-test, chi-square test, or logistic regression using an SAS program (Version 9.1: SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC, USA). The proportion of cows with CL in ovaries at 30 (±7) days postpartum was 35.7% of all cows. The number of days to first insemination after calving was more delayed (P < 0.0001) in the non-CL group (100.1 ± 2.7 days) than in the CL group (80.9 ± 2.9 days), while the pregnancy rate to first insemination did not differ (P > 0.05) between the CL group (44.2%) and the non-CL group (45.9%). The CL group had higher pregnancy proportions (PP) within 60 (odds ratio, OR = 2.3; P = 0.0063), 90 (OR = 1.6; P = 0.04), and 120 days (OR = 1.5; P = 0.05) postpartum than the non-CL group; however, the PP within 150 or 210 days postpartum did not differ between the 2 groups (P > 0.05). Besides, logistic analysis revealed that cows with body condition score (BCS) ≥3.00 were more likely to have CL (OR = 1.8; P = 0.015) compared with cows with BCS ≤ 2.75, while primiparous cows were less likely to have CL (OR = 0.6; P = 0.0085) compared with multiparous cows. In addition, cows that underwent ultrasonography later than 30 days postpartum were more likely to have CL (OR = 1.6; P = 0.0192) compared with cows that underwent ultrasonography earlier. In conclusion, the earlier cyclicity based on the detection of CL using ultrasonography at the first postpartum month, which might be in part due to a higher BCS, predicts an enhanced reproductive performance in dairy cows, particularly during the early and early-mid lactations. This work was supported by the research grant of the Chungbuk National University in 2010.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 340-350
Author(s):  
Rashida Khaton ◽  
Md Abul Hasnat ◽  
Md Royhan Gofur ◽  
Md Zakir Hossain ◽  
Md Alauddin ◽  
...  

Performance evaluation of existing dairying is important to design relevant dairy development strategies and implement context specific interventions for future development of the dairy enterprise. The present study was carried out to evaluate the clinical trends (reproductive performance and disorders) of dairy cows of Rajshahi district, Bangladesh. A total of 500 cows randomly selected and data were collected directly from the dairy farms owners from 6 upazilas and 4 metro thanas of Rajshahi district by using questionnaires and diagnosis of reproductive disorders (RD) was made on the basis of history, clinical signs and response to treatment. The average reproductive performance (RP) were recorded as age at puberty 26.42±0.22 m, age at first calving 35.48±0.22 m, post-partum heat period 121.85±3.48 days, service per conception 1.93±0.04, days open 136.80±3.57 days and calving interval 401.04±3.94 days. The better RP was found at metro thanas compared to upazilas, though no significant difference was found except on service per conception (p<0.05). The overall prevalence of RD was 78.6% in Rajshahi district. Among the reproductive and productive disorders, anoestrus 24.6% was the highest prevalent disorders followed by abortion 13.4%, repeat breeding 11.4%, retained placenta 10.2%, dystocia 5.4%, mastitis 4.4%, vaginal prolapse 2.4%, pyometra 1.8%, metritis 1.6%, uterine prolapse 1.4%, milk fever 1.2% and still birth 0.8%. The highest occurrence of RD was recorded in Tanore upazila (92%) and the lowest in Poba upazila (62%). In comparison between the upazila and metro thanas the minimum occurrence of RD was recorded in metro thanas (31%) than upazilas (47.6%). Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. June 2020, 6(2): 340-350


2015 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Carlos Dos Santos Breda ◽  
Luiz Ernandes Kozicki

The study of ovarian follicular dynamics (OFD) and other changes in the bovine reproductive tract has developedsignificantly over the past two decades, primarily due to the use of non-invasive investigative approaches suchas ultrasound. Advances in ultrasound examinations have provided a better understanding of ovarian activity,uterine involution, oviducts status, and other segments of the reproductive tract in the bovine postpartumperiod. Procedures including tracking of the reproductive tract have likewise aided in the development of newmethodologies and techniques to improve reproductive performance in cattle. The aim of this review was tosummarize knowledge regarding the reproductive tract in dairy cows during the postpartum period.


2008 ◽  
Vol 53 (No. 2) ◽  
pp. 59-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Dolezel ◽  
M. Vecera ◽  
T. Palenik ◽  
S. Cech ◽  
M. Vyskocil

The objective of this field trial was to evaluate the impact of a control program based on systematic clinical examination on Day 10 ± 3<I> post partum (pp)</I> and treatment in the case of puerperal metritis on reproductive performance in dairy cows. Cows having serious dystocia as well as cows treated for retained placenta were not involved in the trial. The evaluation was performed by comparing reproductive performance between systematically examined cows (Group E, <I>n</I> = 83) and cows that were examined and treated occasionally on the basis of farmers’ notifications of a pathological condition (Group C, <I>n</I> = 95). In Group E, reproductive performance was compared between cows with a mild form of metritis (Group E1, <I>n</I> = 18), cows with a severe form of metritis (Group E2, <I>n</I> = 14) and cows without puerperal metritis (Group E0, <I>n</I> = 51). Clinical examination consisted in rectal and vaginal palpation with inspection of the lochia manually withdrawn from the vagina. Cows with puerperal metritis were treated with an intramuscular administration of PGF<sub>2&alpha;</sub> analogue – dinoprost. An intrauterine antibiotic (rifaximin foam) was added in cases of severe metritis. The examination and treatment (in cases of a pathological condition, <I>n</I> = 10) were repeated in Group E on Day 24 ± 3 <I>pp</I>. In addition, the incidence of puerperal metritis in the year seasons was evaluated. Occurrence of ovarian disorders (30.1 vs. 24.2%) and clinical endometritis (27.7 vs. 23.2%), calving to first service interval (83.2 vs. 85.4 days), pregnancy until Day 100 <I>pp</I> (30.8 vs. 35.3%) as well as until Day 150 <I>pp</I> (64.6 vs. 64.7%), services per conception (2.45 vs. 2.16), calving to conception interval (141.6 vs. 136.4 days), total culling rate (20.5 vs. 28.4%) and culling rate due to (sub)infertility (8.4 vs. 6.3) in Group E compared to Group C were not different. Only the first service pregnancy rate was lower in Group E (30.3 vs. 47.1%, <I>P</I> < 0.05). Even though no significant differences were found in the reproduction parameters between groups E1, E2 and E0, the worst parameters were in Group E2. The incidence of puerperal metritis in the year seasons was not different. The trial did not prove that there was a beneficial effect of systematic clinical examination on Day 10 ± 3 <I>pp</I> nor of treatment in cases of puerperal metritis, using PGF<sub>2&alpha;</sub> and intrauterine antibiotic, on reproductive performance in dairy cows.


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