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Ranzato G, Aernouts B, Lora I, Adriaens I, Ben Abdelkrim A, Gote MJ, Cozzi G. Comparison of 3 mathematical models to estimate lactation performance in dairy cows. J Dairy Sci 2024; 107:6888-6901. [PMID: 38754829 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2023-24224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Milk yield dynamics and production performance reflect how dairy cows cope with their environment. To optimize farm management, time series of individual cow milk yield have been studied in the context of precision livestock farming, and many mathematical models have been proposed to translate raw data into useful information for the stakeholders of the dairy chain. To gain better insights on the topic, this study aimed at comparing 3 recent methods that allow one to estimate individual cow potential lactation performance, using daily data recorded by the automatic milking systems of 14 dairy farms (7 Holstein, 7 Italian Simmental) from Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy. An iterative Wood model (IW), a perturbed lactation model (PLM), and a quantile regression (QR) were compared in terms of estimated total unperturbed (i.e., expected) milk production and estimated total milk loss (relative to unperturbed yield). The IW and PLM can also be used to identify perturbations of the lactation curve and were thus compared in this regard. The outcome of this study may help a given end-user in choosing the most appropriate method according to their specific requirements. If there is a specific interest in the post-peak lactation phase, IW can be the best option. If one wants to accurately describe the perturbations of the lactation curve, PLM can be the most suitable method. If there is need for a fast and easy approach on a very large dataset, QR can be the choice. Finally, as an example of application, PLM was used to analyze the effect of cow parity, calving season, and breed on their estimated lactation performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Ranzato
- Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health (MAPS), University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy; Division of Animal and Human Health Engineering, Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, Campus Geel, 2440 Geel, Belgium.
| | - B Aernouts
- Division of Animal and Human Health Engineering, Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, Campus Geel, 2440 Geel, Belgium
| | - I Lora
- Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health (MAPS), University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy
| | - I Adriaens
- Division of Animal and Human Health Engineering, Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, Campus Geel, 2440 Geel, Belgium; BioVism, Department of Data Analysis and Mathematical Modelling, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; Animal Breeding and Genomics, Wageningen University and Research, 6700 AH Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | | | - M J Gote
- Division of Animal and Human Health Engineering, Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, Campus Geel, 2440 Geel, Belgium
| | - G Cozzi
- Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health (MAPS), University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy
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Liu Z, Jiang A, Lv X, Fan D, Chen Q, Wu Y, Zhou C, Tan Z. Combined Metabolomics and Biochemical Analyses of Serum and Milk Revealed Parity-Related Metabolic Differences in Sanhe Dairy Cattle. Metabolites 2024; 14:227. [PMID: 38668355 PMCID: PMC11052102 DOI: 10.3390/metabo14040227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The production performance of dairy cattle is closely related to their metabolic state. This study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the production performance and metabolic features of Sanhe dairy cattle across different parities, with a specific focus on evaluating variations in milk traits and metabolites in both milk and serum. Sanhe dairy cattle from parities 1 to 4 (S1, n = 10; S2, n = 9; S3, n = 10; and S4, n = 10) at mid-lactation were maintained under the same feeding and management conditions. The milk traits, hydrolyzed milk amino acid levels, serum biochemical parameters, and serum free amino acid levels of the Sanhe dairy cattle were determined. Multiparous Sanhe dairy cattle (S2, S3, and S4) had a greater milk protein content, lower milk lactose content, and lower solids-not-fat content than primiparous Sanhe dairy cattle (S1). Moreover, S1 had a higher ratio of essential to total amino acids (EAAs/TAAs) in both the serum and milk. The serum biochemical results showed the lower glucose and total protein levels in S1 cattle were associated with milk quality. Furthermore, ultra-high-resolution high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem MS analysis (UPLC-MS/MS) identified 86 and 105 differential metabolites in the serum and milk, respectively, and these were mainly involved in amino acid, carbohydrate, and lipid metabolism. S1 and S2/S3/S4 had significantly different metabolic patterns in the serum and milk, and more vitamin B-related metabolites were significantly higher identified in S1 than in multiparous cattle. Among 36 shared differential metabolites in the serum and milk, 10 and 7 metabolites were significantly and strongly correlated with differential physiological indices, respectively. The differential metabolites identified were enriched in key metabolic pathways, illustrating the metabolic characteristics of the serum and milk from Sanhe dairy cattle of different parities. L-phenylalanine, dehydroepiandrosterone, and linoleic acid in the milk and N-acetylornithine in the serum could be used as potential marker metabolites to distinguish between Sanhe dairy cattle with parities of 1-4. In addition, a metabolic map of the serum and milk from the three aspects of carbohydrates, amino acids, and lipids was created for the further analysis and exploration of their relationships. These results reveal significant variations in milk traits and metabolites across different parities of Sanhe dairy cattle, highlighting the influence of parity on the metabolic profiles and production performance. Tailored nutritional strategies based on parity-specific metabolic profiles are recommended to optimize milk production and quality in Sanhe cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zixin Liu
- Key Laboratory for Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, China; (Z.L.); (A.J.); (X.L.); (D.F.); (Q.C.); (Y.W.); (Z.T.)
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Aoyu Jiang
- Key Laboratory for Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, China; (Z.L.); (A.J.); (X.L.); (D.F.); (Q.C.); (Y.W.); (Z.T.)
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiaokang Lv
- Key Laboratory for Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, China; (Z.L.); (A.J.); (X.L.); (D.F.); (Q.C.); (Y.W.); (Z.T.)
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- College of Animal Science, Anhui Science and Technology University, Bengbu 233100, China
| | - Dingkun Fan
- Key Laboratory for Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, China; (Z.L.); (A.J.); (X.L.); (D.F.); (Q.C.); (Y.W.); (Z.T.)
| | - Qingqing Chen
- Key Laboratory for Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, China; (Z.L.); (A.J.); (X.L.); (D.F.); (Q.C.); (Y.W.); (Z.T.)
| | - Yicheng Wu
- Key Laboratory for Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, China; (Z.L.); (A.J.); (X.L.); (D.F.); (Q.C.); (Y.W.); (Z.T.)
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Chuanshe Zhou
- Key Laboratory for Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, China; (Z.L.); (A.J.); (X.L.); (D.F.); (Q.C.); (Y.W.); (Z.T.)
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhiliang Tan
- Key Laboratory for Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, China; (Z.L.); (A.J.); (X.L.); (D.F.); (Q.C.); (Y.W.); (Z.T.)
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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Liu Z, Jiang A, Lv X, Zhou C, Tan Z. Metabolic Changes in Serum and Milk of Holstein Cows in Their First to Fourth Parity Revealed by Biochemical Analysis and Untargeted Metabolomics. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:407. [PMID: 38338048 PMCID: PMC10854930 DOI: 10.3390/ani14030407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The performance of dairy cows is closely tied to the metabolic state, and this performance varies depending on the number of times the cows have given birth. However, there is still a lack of research on the relationship between the metabolic state of Holstein cows and the performance of lactation across multiple parities. In this study, biochemical analyses and metabolomics studies were performed on the serum and milk from Holstein cows of parities 1-4 (H1, N = 10; H2, N = 7; H3, N = 9; H4, N = 9) in mid-lactation (DIM of 141 ± 4 days) to investigate the link between performance and metabolic changes. The results of the milk quality analysis showed that the lactose levels were highest in H1 (p = 0.036). The total protein content in the serum increased with increasing parity (p = 0.013). Additionally, the lipase activity was found to be lowest in H1 (p = 0.022). There was no difference in the composition of the hydrolyzed amino acids in the milk among H1 to H4. However, the free amino acids histidine and glutamate in the serum were lowest in H1 and highest in H3 (p < 0.001), while glycine was higher in H4 (p = 0.031). The metabolomics analysis revealed that 53 and 118 differential metabolites were identified in the milk and serum, respectively. The differential metabolites in the cows' milk were classified into seven categories based on KEGG. Most of the differential metabolites in the cows' milk were found to be more abundant in H1, and these metabolites were enriched in two impact pathways. The differential metabolites in the serum could be classified into nine categories and enriched in six metabolic pathways. A total of six shared metabolites were identified in the serum and milk, among which cholesterol and citric acid were closely related to amino acid metabolism in the serum. These findings indicate a significant influence of blood metabolites on the energy and amino acid metabolism during the milk production process in the Holstein cows across 1-4 lactations, and that an in-depth understanding of the metabolic changes that occur in Holstein cows during different lactations is essential for precision farming, and that it is worthwhile to further investigate these key metabolites that have an impact through controlled experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zixin Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory for Agri-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, National Engineering Laboratory for Pollution CON and Waste Utilization in Livestock and Poultry Production, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition Physiology and Metabolic Process, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, China; (Z.L.); (A.J.); (X.L.); (Z.T.)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Aoyu Jiang
- CAS Key Laboratory for Agri-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, National Engineering Laboratory for Pollution CON and Waste Utilization in Livestock and Poultry Production, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition Physiology and Metabolic Process, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, China; (Z.L.); (A.J.); (X.L.); (Z.T.)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiaokang Lv
- CAS Key Laboratory for Agri-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, National Engineering Laboratory for Pollution CON and Waste Utilization in Livestock and Poultry Production, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition Physiology and Metabolic Process, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, China; (Z.L.); (A.J.); (X.L.); (Z.T.)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- College of Animal Science, Anhui Science and Technology University, Bengbu 233100, China
| | - Chuanshe Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory for Agri-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, National Engineering Laboratory for Pollution CON and Waste Utilization in Livestock and Poultry Production, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition Physiology and Metabolic Process, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, China; (Z.L.); (A.J.); (X.L.); (Z.T.)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhiliang Tan
- CAS Key Laboratory for Agri-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, National Engineering Laboratory for Pollution CON and Waste Utilization in Livestock and Poultry Production, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition Physiology and Metabolic Process, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, China; (Z.L.); (A.J.); (X.L.); (Z.T.)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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4
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Innes DJ, Pot LJ, Seymour DJ, France J, Dijkstra J, Doelman J, Cant JP. Fitting mathematical functions to extended lactation curves and forecasting late-lactation milk yields of dairy cows. J Dairy Sci 2024; 107:342-358. [PMID: 37690727 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2023-23478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
A 305-d lactation followed by a 60-d dry period has traditionally been considered economically optimal, yet dairy cows in modern intensive dairy systems are frequently dried off while still producing significant quantities of milk. Managing cows for an extended lactation has reported production, welfare, and economic benefits, but not all cows are suitable for an extended lactation. Implementation of an extended lactation strategy on-farm could benefit from use of a decision support system, based on a mathematical lactation model, that can identify suitable cows during early lactation that have a high likelihood of producing above a target milk yield (MY) at 305 d in milk (DIM). Therefore, our objectives were (1) to compare the suitability of 3 commonly used lactation models for modeling extended lactations (Dijkstra, Wood, and Wilmink) in primiparous and multiparous cows under a variety of lactation lengths, and (2) to determine the amount of early-lactation daily MY data needed to accurately forecast MY at d 305 by using the most suitable model and determine whether this is sufficient for identifying cows suitable for an extended lactation before the end of a typical voluntary waiting period (50-90 d). Daily MY data from 467 individual Holstein-Friesian lactations (DIM >305 d; 379 ± 65-d lactation length [mean ± SD]) were fitted by the 3 lactation models using a nonlinear regression procedure. The parameter estimates of these models, lactation characteristics (peak yield, time to peak yield, and persistency), and goodness-of-fit were compared between parity and different lactation lengths. The models had similar performance, and differences between parity groups were consistent with previous literature. Then, data from only the first i DIM for each individual lactation, where i was incremented by 30 d from 30 to 150 DIM and by 50 d from 150 to 300 DIM, were fitted by each model to forecast MY at d 305. The Dijkstra model was selected for further analysis, as it had superior goodness-of-fit statistics for i= 30 and 60. The data set was fit twice by the Dijkstra model, with parameter bounds either unconstrained or constrained. The quality of predictions of MY at d 305 improved with increasing data availability for both models and assisting the model fitting procedure with more biologically relevant constraints on parameters improved the predictions, but neither was reliable enough for practical use on-farm due to the high uncertainty of forecasted predictions. Using 90 d of data, the constrained model correctly classified 66% of lactations as being above or below a target MY at d 305 of 25 kg/d, with a probability threshold of 0.95. The proportion of correct classifications became smaller at lower targets of MY at d 305 and became greater when using more lactation days. Overall, further work is required to develop a model that can forecast late-lactation MY with sufficient accuracy for practical use. We envisage that a hybridized machine learning and mechanistic model that incorporates additional historical and genetic information with early-lactation MY could produce meaningful lactation curve forecasts.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Innes
- Centre for Nutrition Modelling, Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1 Canada
| | - Linaya J Pot
- Centre for Nutrition Modelling, Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1 Canada
| | - Dave J Seymour
- Centre for Nutrition Modelling, Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1 Canada; Trouw Nutrition R&D, 3800 AG Amersfoort, the Netherlands
| | - James France
- Centre for Nutrition Modelling, Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1 Canada
| | - Jan Dijkstra
- Animal Nutrition Group, Wageningen University and Research, 6700 AH Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - John Doelman
- Trouw Nutrition R&D, 3800 AG Amersfoort, the Netherlands
| | - John P Cant
- Centre for Nutrition Modelling, Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1 Canada.
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Ranzato G, Lora I, Aernouts B, Adriaens I, Gottardo F, Cozzi G. Sensor-based behavioral patterns can identify heat-sensitive lactating dairy cows. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOMETEOROLOGY 2023; 67:2047-2054. [PMID: 37783954 PMCID: PMC10643466 DOI: 10.1007/s00484-023-02561-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
Heat stress impairs the health and performance of dairy cows, yet only a few studies have investigated the diversity of cattle behavioral responses to heat waves. This research was conducted on an Italian Holstein dairy farm equipped with precision livestock farming sensors to assess potential different behavioral patterns of the animals. Three heat waves, defined as at least five consecutive days with mean daily temperature-humidity index higher than 72, were recorded in the farm area during the summer of 2021. Individual daily milk yield data of 102 cows were used to identify "heat-sensitive" animals, meaning the cows that, under a given heat wave, experienced a milk yield drop that was not linked with other health events (e.g., mastitis). Milk yield drops were detected as perturbations of the lactation curve estimated by iteratively using Wood's equation. Individual daily minutes of lying, chewing, and activity were retrieved from ear-tag-based accelerometer sensors. Semi-parametric generalized estimating equations models were used to assess behavioral deviations of heat-sensitive cows from the herd means under heat stress conditions. Heat waves were associated with an overall increase in the herd's chewing and activity times, along with an overall decrease of lying time. Heat-sensitive cows spent approximately 15 min/days more chewing and performing activities (p < 0.05). The findings of this research suggest that the information provided by high-frequency sensor data could assist farmers in identifying cows for which personalized interventions to alleviate heat stress are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Ranzato
- University of Padova, Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health (MAPS), Viale dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, (PD), Italy.
- KU Leuven, Department of Biosystems, Division of Animal and Human Health Engineering, Kleinhoefstraat 4, 2440, Geel, Belgium.
| | - I Lora
- University of Padova, Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health (MAPS), Viale dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, (PD), Italy
| | - B Aernouts
- KU Leuven, Department of Biosystems, Division of Animal and Human Health Engineering, Kleinhoefstraat 4, 2440, Geel, Belgium
| | - I Adriaens
- KU Leuven, Department of Biosystems, Division of Animal and Human Health Engineering, Kleinhoefstraat 4, 2440, Geel, Belgium
| | - F Gottardo
- University of Padova, Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health (MAPS), Viale dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, (PD), Italy
| | - G Cozzi
- University of Padova, Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health (MAPS), Viale dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, (PD), Italy
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D'Anvers L, Adriaens I, Piepers S, Gote MJ, De Ketelaere B, Aernouts B. Association between management practices and estimated mastitis incidence and milk losses on robotic dairy farms. Prev Vet Med 2023; 220:106033. [PMID: 37804547 DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2023.106033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023]
Abstract
This study aims to describe the relation between farm-level management factors and estimated farm-level mastitis incidence and milk loss traits (MIMLT) at dairy farms with automated milking systems. In this observational study, 43 commercial dairy farms in Belgium and the Netherlands were included and 148 'management and udder health related variables' were obtained during a farm visit through a farm audit and survey. The MIMLT were estimated from milk yield data. Quarter-level milk yield perturbations that were caused by presumable mastitis cases (PMC) were selected based on quarter-level milk yield and electrical conductivity. On average, 57.6 ± 5.4% of the identified milk yield perturbations complied with our criteria. From these PMC, 3 farm-level MIMLT were calculated over a one-year period around the farm visit date: (1) the 'average number of PMC per cow per year', (2) the 'absolute milk loss per cow per day', calculated as the farm-level sum of all milk losses during PMC in one year, divided by the average number of lactating cows and the number of days, and (3) the 'relative milk loss', calculated as the farm-level sum of milk losses during PMC in one year, divided by the estimated total production in the absence of PMC. The 'average number of PMC per cow per year' was on average 1.81 ± 0.47. The PMC caused an average milk loss of 0.77 ± 0.26 kg per lactating cow per day, which corresponded to an average production loss of 2.38 ± 0.82% of the expected production in the absence of PMC. We performed a principal component regression (PCR) analysis to link the 3 MIMLT to the 'management and udder health related variables', whilst reducing the multicollinearity and the number of dimensions. The first principal component was mainly related to 'milking system brand, maintenance and settings'. The second component mainly linked to average productivity and somatic cell counts, whereas the third component mainly contained variables linked with mastitis management, treatment, and biosecurity. The 3 PCR models had R² ranging from 0.46 (for absolute milk loss per cow per day) to 0.57 (for relative milk loss). For all models, the second PC had the largest effect size. This analysis raises awareness of the impact of management factors on a factual basis and provides handles to take management actions to improve udder health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lore D'Anvers
- KU Leuven, Biosystems Department, Animal and Human Health Engineering Division, Campus Geel, Kleinhoefstraat 4, 2440 Geel, Belgium.
| | - Ines Adriaens
- KU Leuven, Biosystems Department, Animal and Human Health Engineering Division, Campus Geel, Kleinhoefstraat 4, 2440 Geel, Belgium; Ghent University, Department of Data Analysis and Mathematical Modelling, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Sofie Piepers
- Ghent University, M-team, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Martin Julius Gote
- KU Leuven, Biosystems Department, Animal and Human Health Engineering Division, Campus Geel, Kleinhoefstraat 4, 2440 Geel, Belgium
| | - Bart De Ketelaere
- KU Leuven, Biosystems Department, Mechatronics, Biostatistics and Sensors Division, Kasteelpark Arenberg 30, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
| | - Ben Aernouts
- KU Leuven, Biosystems Department, Animal and Human Health Engineering Division, Campus Geel, Kleinhoefstraat 4, 2440 Geel, Belgium
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Chen SY, Boerman JP, Gloria LS, Pedrosa VB, Doucette J, Brito LF. Genomic-based genetic parameters for resilience across lactations in North American Holstein cattle based on variability in daily milk yield records. J Dairy Sci 2023; 106:4133-4146. [PMID: 37105879 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2022-22754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Considering the increasing challenges imposed by climate change and the need to improve animal welfare, breeding more resilient animals capable of better coping with environmental disturbances is of paramount importance. In dairy cattle, resilience can be evaluated by measuring the longitudinal occurrences of abnormal daily milk yield throughout lactation. Aiming to estimate genetic parameters for dairy cattle resilience, we collected 5,643,193 daily milk yield records on automatic milking systems (milking robots) and milking parlors across 21,350 lactations 1 to 3 of 11,787 North American Holstein cows. All cows were genotyped with 62,029 SNPs. After determining the best fitting models for each of the 3 lactations, daily milk yield residuals were used to derive 4 resilience indicators: weighted occurrence frequency of yield perturbations (wfPert), accumulated milk losses of yield perturbations (dPert), and log-transformed variance (LnVar) and lag-1 autocorrelation (rauto) of daily yield residuals. The indicator LnVar presented the highest heritability estimates (±standard error), ranging from 0.13 ± 0.01 in lactation 1 to 0.15 ± 0.02 in lactation 2; the other 3 indicators had relatively lower heritabilities across the 3 lactations (0.01-0.06). Based on bivariate analyses of each resilience indicator across lactations, stronger genetic correlations were observed between lactations 2 and 3 (0.88-0.96) than between lactations 1 and 2 or 3 (0.34-0.88) for dPert, LnVar, and rauto. For the pairwise comparisons of different resilience indicators within each lactation, dPert had the strongest genetic correlations with wfPert (0.64) and rauto (0.53) in lactation 1, whereas the correlations in lactations 2 and 3 were more variable and showed relatively high standard errors. The genetic correlation results indicated that different resilience indicators across lactations might capture additional biological mechanisms and should be considered as different traits in genetic evaluations. We also observed favorable genetic correlations of these resilience indicators with longevity and Net Merit index, but further biological validation of these resilience indicators is needed. In conclusion, this study provided genetic parameter estimates for different resilience indicators derived from daily milk yields across the first 3 lactations in Holstein cattle, which will be useful when potentially incorporating these traits in dairy cattle breeding schemes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi-Yi Chen
- Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907; Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611130, China
| | | | - Leonardo S Gloria
- Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907
| | - Victor B Pedrosa
- Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907
| | - Jarrod Doucette
- Agriculture Information Technology (AgIT), Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907
| | - Luiz F Brito
- Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907.
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Dairy Cows Are Limited in Their Ability to Increase Glucose Availability for Immune Function during Disease. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13061034. [PMID: 36978575 PMCID: PMC10044555 DOI: 10.3390/ani13061034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Shortages of energy and glucose have been hypothesized to play a key role in the development of and responses to production diseases in dairy cows during early lactation. Given the importance of glucose for immune functions, we used a recently established method for the estimation of glucose balance (GB) to evaluate glucose availability during disease phases. A dataset comprising ration analyses as well as individual daily milk yields (MY), dry matter intake (DMI), body weights, and health records of 417 lactations (298 cows) was used to calculate individual daily GB and energy balance (EB). The magnitude and dynamics of MY, DMI, GB, and EB were evaluated in the weeks before, at, and after diagnoses of inflammatory diseases in different stages of early lactation from week in milk 1 to 15. Diagnoses were categorized as mastitis, claw and leg diseases, and other inflammatory diseases. Mixed linear models with a random intercept and slope term for each lactation were used to evaluate the effect of diagnosis on MY, DMI, GB, and EB while accounting for the background effects of week in milk, parity, season, and year. When unaffected by disease, in general, the GB of cows was close to zero in the first weeks of lactation and increased as lactation progressed. Weekly means of EB were negative throughout all lactation stages investigated. Disease decreased both the input of glucose precursors due to a reduced DMI as well as the output of glucose via milk due to a reduced MY. On average, the decrease in DMI was −1.5 (−1.9 to −1.1) kg and was proportionally higher than the decrease in MY, which averaged −1.0 (−1.4 to −0.6) kg. Mastitis reduced yield less than claw and leg disease or other diseases. On average, GB and EB were reduced by −3.8 (−5.6 to −2.1) mol C and −7.5 (−10.2 to −4.9) MJ in the week of diagnosis. This indicates the need to investigate strategies to increase the availability of glucogenic carbon for immune function during disease in dairy cows.
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9
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Wang A, Brito LF, Zhang H, Shi R, Zhu L, Liu D, Guo G, Wang Y. Exploring milk loss and variability during environmental perturbations across lactation stages as resilience indicators in Holstein cattle. Front Genet 2022; 13:1031557. [PMID: 36531242 PMCID: PMC9757536 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.1031557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Genetic selection for resilience is essential to improve the long-term sustainability of the dairy cattle industry, especially the ability of cows to maintain their level of production when exposed to environmental disturbances. Recording of daily milk yield provides an opportunity to develop resilience indicators based on milk losses and fluctuations in daily milk yield caused by environmental disturbances. In this context, our study aimed to explore milk loss traits and measures of variability in daily milk yield, including log-transformed standard deviation of milk deviations (Lnsd), lag-1 autocorrelation (Ra), and skewness of the deviations (Ske), as indicators of general resilience in dairy cows. The unperturbed dynamics of milk yield as well as milk loss were predicted using an iterative procedure of lactation curve modeling. Milk fluctuations were defined as a period of at least 10 successive days of negative deviations in which milk yield dropped at least once below 90% of the expected values. Genetic parameters of these indicators and their genetic correlation with economically important traits were estimated using single-trait and bivariate animal models and 8,935 lactations (after quality control) from 6,816 Chinese Holstein cows. In general, cows experienced an average of 3.73 environmental disturbances with a milk loss of 267 kg of milk per lactation. Each fluctuation lasted for 19.80 ± 11.46 days. Milk loss traits are heritable with heritability estimates ranging from 0.004 to 0.061. The heritabilities differed between Lnsd (0.135-0.250), Ra (0.008-0.058), and Ske (0.001-0.075), with the highest heritability estimate of 0.250 ± 0.020 for Lnsd when removing the first and last 10 days in milk in a lactation (Lnsd2). Based on moderate to high genetic correlations, lower Lnsd2 is associated with less milk losses, better reproductive performance, and lower disease incidence. These findings indicate that among the variables evaluated, Lnsd2 is the most promising indicator for breeding for improved resilience in Holstein cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ao Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture of China, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Luiz F. Brito
- Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Hailiang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture of China, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Rui Shi
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture of China, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Lei Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture of China, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Dengke Liu
- Hebei Sunlon Modern Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., Dingzhou, China
| | - Gang Guo
- Beijing Sunlon Livestock Development Co., Ltd., Beijing, China
| | - Yachun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture of China, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
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10
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Orquera-Arguero KG, Villalba D, Blanco M, Ferrer J, Casasús I. Modelling beef cows' individual response to short nutrient restriction in different lactation stages. Animal 2022; 16:100619. [PMID: 35964479 DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2022.100619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Short-term nutrient restrictions can occur naturally in extensive beef cattle production systems due to low feed quality or availability. The aims of the study were to (1) model the curves of milk yield, plasma non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs) and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) contents of beef cows in response to short nutritional challenges throughout lactation; (2) identify clusters of cows with different response profiles; (3) quantify differences in cows' response between the clusters and lactation stages. Data of BW, body condition score (BCS), milk yield, NEFA, and BHB plasma concentration from 31 adult beef cows (626 ± 48 kg at calving) were used to study the effect of 4-day feed restriction repeated over months 2, 3 and 4 of lactation. On each month, all cows received a single diet calculated to meet the requirements of the average cow: 100 % requirements for 4 days (d-4 to d-1, basal period), 55 % requirements on the next 4 days (d0 to d3, restriction period) and 100 % requirements for 4 days (d4 to d7, refeeding period). Natural cubic splines were used to model the response of milk yield, NEFA and BHB to restriction and refeeding in the 3 months. The new response variables [baseline value, peak value, days to peak and to regain baseline, and areas under the curve (AUC) during restriction and refeeding] were used to cluster cows according to their metabolic response (MR) into two groups: Low MR and High MR. The month of lactation affected all the traits, and basal values decreased as lactation advanced. Cows from both clusters had similar BW and BCS values, but those in the High MR cluster had higher basal milk yield, NEFA and BHB contents, and responded more intensely to restriction, with more marked peaks and AUCs. Reaction times were similar, and baseline values recovered during refeeding in both clusters. Our results suggest that the response was driven by cows' milk potential rather than size or body reserves, and despite high-responding cattle's higher milk yield, they were able to activate metabolic pathways to respond to and recover from the challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- K G Orquera-Arguero
- Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón (CITA), Avda. Montañana 930, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain; Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón - IA2 (CITA-Universidad de Zaragoza), Zaragoza, Spain
| | - D Villalba
- Departament de Ciència Animal, Universitat de Lleida, Avinguda Alcalde Rovira Roure 191,25198, Lleida, Spain
| | - M Blanco
- Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón (CITA), Avda. Montañana 930, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain; Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón - IA2 (CITA-Universidad de Zaragoza), Zaragoza, Spain
| | - J Ferrer
- Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón (CITA), Avda. Montañana 930, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain; Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón - IA2 (CITA-Universidad de Zaragoza), Zaragoza, Spain
| | - I Casasús
- Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón (CITA), Avda. Montañana 930, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain; Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón - IA2 (CITA-Universidad de Zaragoza), Zaragoza, Spain.
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11
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Bengtsson C, Thomasen JR, Kargo M, Bouquet A, Slagboom M. Emphasis on resilience in dairy cattle breeding: Possibilities and consequences. J Dairy Sci 2022; 105:7588-7599. [PMID: 35863926 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2021-21049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate dairy cattle breeding goals with more emphasis on resilience. We simulated the consequences of increasing weight on resilience indicators and an assumed true resilience trait (TR). Two environments with different breeding goals were simulated to represent the variability of production systems across Europe. Ten different scenarios were stochastically simulated in a so-called pseudogenomic simulation approach. We showed that many modern dairy cattle breeding goals most likely have negative genetic gain for TR and promising resilience indicators such as the log-transformed, daily deviation from the lactation curve (LnVAR). In addition, there were many ways of improving TR by increasing the breeding goal weight of different resilience indicators. The results showed that adding breeding goal weight to resilience indicators, such as body condition score and LnVAR, could reverse the negative trend observed for resilience indicators. Loss in the aggregate genotype calculated with only current breeding goal traits was 12 to 76%. This loss was mainly due to a reduction in genetic gain in milk production. We observed higher genetic gain in beef production, fertility, and udder health when breeding for more resilience, but from an economical point of view, this was not high enough to compensate for the reduction in genetic gain in milk production. The highest genetic gain in TR was obtained when adding the highest breeding goal weight to LnVAR or TR, both with 0.29 genetic standard deviation units. The indicators we used, body condition score and LnVAR, can be measured on a large scale today with relatively cheap methods, which is crucial if we want to improve these traits through breeding. Economic values for resilience have to be estimated to find the most optimal breeding goal for a more resilient dairy cow in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - M Kargo
- Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, Aarhus University, 8830 Tjele, Denmark
| | - A Bouquet
- Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, Aarhus University, 8830 Tjele, Denmark
| | - M Slagboom
- Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, Aarhus University, 8830 Tjele, Denmark
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12
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Yang Y, Gong Z, Lu Y, Lu X, Zhang J, Meng Y, Peng Y, Chu S, Cao W, Hao X, Sun J, Wang H, Qin A, Wang C, Shang S, Yang Z. Dairy Cows Experimentally Infected With Bovine Leukemia Virus Showed an Increased Milk Production in Lactation Numbers 3–4: A 4-Year Longitudinal Study. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:946463. [PMID: 35898913 PMCID: PMC9309534 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.946463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is widespread in global cattle populations, but the effects of its infection on milk quantity and quality have not been clearly elucidated in animal models. In this study, 30 healthy first-lactation cows were selected from ≈2,988 cows in a BLV-free farm with the same criteria of parity, age, lactation number, as well as milk yield, SCS, and composition (fat, protein, and lactose). Subsequently, these cows were randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 15) or control (n = 15) group, and reared in different cowsheds. Cows in the intervention group were inoculated with 1 × phosphate-buffered solution (PBS) resuspended in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from a BLV-positive cow, while the controls were inoculated with the inactivated PBMC from the same individual. From June 2016 to July 2021, milk weight (kg) was automatically recorded by milk sensors, and milk SCS and composition were originated from monthly performed dairy herd improvement (DHI) testing. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)–qPCR and ELISA showed that cows in the intervention group were successfully infected with BLV, while cows in the control group were free of BLV for the entire period. At 45 days post-inoculation (DPI), the numbers of whole blood cells (WBCs) (P = 0.010), lymphocytes (LYMs) (P = 0.002), and monocytes (MNCs) (P = 0.001) and the expression levels of IFN-γ (P = 0.013), IL-10 (P = 0.031), and IL-12p70 (P = 0.008) increased significantly in the BLV infected cows compared to the non-infected. In lactation numbers 2–4, the intervention group had significantly higher overall milk yield (P < 0.001), fat (P = 0.031), and protein (P = 0.050) than the control group, while milk SCS (P = 0.038) and lactose (P = 0.036) decreased significantly. Further analysis indicated that BLV infection was associated with increased milk yield at each lactation stage in lactation numbers 3–4 (P = 0.021 or P < 0.001), but not with SCS and milk composition. Together, this 4-year longitudinal study revealed that artificial inoculation of BLV increased the milk yield in cows in this BLV challenge model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Yang
- Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
- International Corporation Laboratory of Agriculture and Agricultural Products Safety, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Yi Yang
| | - Zaicheng Gong
- Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Yi Lu
- Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Xubin Lu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Jilei Zhang
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Ye Meng
- Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Yalan Peng
- Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Shuangfeng Chu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Wenqiang Cao
- Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoli Hao
- Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Jie Sun
- Shenzhen Academy of Inspection and Quarantine Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Heng Wang
- Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Aijian Qin
- Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
- International Corporation Laboratory of Agriculture and Agricultural Products Safety, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Chengming Wang
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States
| | - Shaobin Shang
- Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
- International Corporation Laboratory of Agriculture and Agricultural Products Safety, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
- Shaobin Shang
| | - Zhangping Yang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
- Zhangping Yang
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Stygar AH, Krampe C, Llonch P, Niemi JK. How Far Are We From Data-Driven and Animal-Based Welfare Assessment? A Critical Analysis of European Quality Schemes. FRONTIERS IN ANIMAL SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fanim.2022.874260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Within the European Union, there is no harmonization of farm animal welfare quality schemes for meat and dairy products. Instead, there are several industry-driven initiatives and voluntary schemes that seek to provide information on animal welfare for attentive consumers. This study had two aims. First, we quantified how selected industry-wide quality schemes cover the welfare of pigs and dairy cattle on farms by comparing the evaluation criteria selected by schemes with the animal-, resource- and management-based measures defined in the Welfare Quality protocol (WQ®). Second, we identified how these quality schemes use the data generated along the value chain (sensors, breeding, production, and health recordings) for animal welfare assessments. A total of 12 quality schemes, paying attention to animal welfare but not necessarily limited to welfare, were selected for the analysis. The schemes originated from eight European countries: Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, and Spain. Among the studied quality schemes, we have identified 19 standards for certification: nine for dairy and 10 for pig production. Most of the analyzed standards were comprehensive in welfare assessment. In total, 15 out of 19 standards corresponded to WQ® in more than 70%. However, this high correspondence was obtained when allowing for different information sources (environment instead of animal) than defined in WQ®. Compared to WQ®, the investigated schemes were lagging in terms of the number of measures evaluated based on the animals, with only five standards, out of 19, using predominantly animal-based measures. The quality schemes mostly applied resource-based instead of animal-based measures while assessing good health and appropriate behavior. The utilization of data generated along the value chain by the quality schemes remains insignificant as only one quality scheme allowed the direct application of sensor technologies for providing information on animal welfare. Nevertheless, several schemes used data from farm recording systems, mostly on animal health. The quality schemes rely mostly on resource-based indicators taken during inspection visits, which reduce the relevance of the welfare assessment. Our results suggest that the quality schemes could be enhanced in terms of data collection by the broader utilization of data generated along the value chain.
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14
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Marumo JL, Fisher DN, Lusseau D, Mackie M, Speakman JR, Hambly C. Social associations in lactating dairy cows housed in a robotic milking system. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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15
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Yan G, Liu K, Hao Z, Shi Z, Li H. The effects of cow-related factors on rectal temperature, respiration rate, and temperature-humidity index thresholds for lactating cows exposed to heat stress. J Therm Biol 2021; 100:103041. [PMID: 34503788 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2021.103041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of the cow-related factors on rectal temperature (RT) and respiration rate (RR) of lactating dairy cows under different heat stress (HS) conditions and establish the temperature-humidity index (THI) thresholds at which RT and RR begin to increase for cows in China. Cow-related factors included body posture (standing and lying), milk yield (<26 kg/d, ≥ 26-39 kg/d, and ≥39 kg/d), days in milk (≤60 d, > 60 and ≤ 150 d, and >150 d), and parity (1, 2, and ≥3). Records of RT, RR, and individual characteristics were collected from July to October 2020 on a commercial dairy farm in Northern China, where 826 Holstein lactating cows were measured. Using the broken-stick regression models and the entire dataset, the THI thresholds for RT and RR were 69.8 and 67.1, respectively. Therefore, the heat stress conditions during this study were classified according to the THI levels as thermoneutrality (TN, 60 < THI ≤ 67), mild (67 < THI ≤ 72), moderate (72 < THI ≤ 80), and severe (80 < THI ≤ 86). Results showed that lying cows exhibited the higher RT and RR but the lower THI threshold for RT (68.8 vs. 70.7) and RR (65.6 vs. 68.4) than standing cows; milk yield is positively associated with the values of RT and RR under TN or HS conditions, and the THI thresholds for RT (70.2 vs. 70.0 vs. 68.0) and RR (68.1 vs. 64.7 vs. 64.7) were progressively lower for low-yielding, middle-yielding, and high-yielding cows; there was a significant increase in RT and RR in early-lactation cows compared to late-lactation cows under TN or HS conditions (P < 0.001), and the lowest THI threshold (67.8 for RT and 64.7 for RR) was observed in early-lactation cows, followed by mid-lactation cows (68.2 for RT and 65.3 for RR) and late-lactation cows (70.0 for RT and 67.3 for RR); the effects of parity were not significant on RT (P > 0.05), but significant on RR (P < 0.001). The THI thresholds for RT (69.2) and RR (66.0) were lowest for cows in 3rd-parity and higher, followed by cows in 2nd-parity (70.0 for RT and 68.9 for RR) and 1st-parity (70.7 for RT and 66.6 for RR). This study highlighted the great significance of considering the cow-related factors in heat stress responses and THI threshold assessment. For dairy cows in China, we suggest that cooling should be initiated when THI reaches 65 to 66.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geqi Yan
- Department of Agricultural Structure and Bioenvironmental Engineering, College of Water Resources & Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China; Key Laboratory of Agricultural Engineering in Structure and Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing, 100083, China; Beijing Engineering Research Center on Animal Healthy Environment, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Kaixin Liu
- Institute of Yantai, China Agricultural University, Yantai, Shangdong, 264670, China
| | - Ze Hao
- Department of Agricultural Structure and Bioenvironmental Engineering, College of Water Resources & Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China; Key Laboratory of Agricultural Engineering in Structure and Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing, 100083, China; Beijing Engineering Research Center on Animal Healthy Environment, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Zhengxiang Shi
- Department of Agricultural Structure and Bioenvironmental Engineering, College of Water Resources & Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China; Key Laboratory of Agricultural Engineering in Structure and Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing, 100083, China; Beijing Engineering Research Center on Animal Healthy Environment, Beijing, 100083, China.
| | - Hao Li
- Department of Agricultural Structure and Bioenvironmental Engineering, College of Water Resources & Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China; Key Laboratory of Agricultural Engineering in Structure and Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing, 100083, China; Beijing Engineering Research Center on Animal Healthy Environment, Beijing, 100083, China
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16
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Adriaens I, Van Den Brulle I, Geerinckx K, D'Anvers L, De Vliegher S, Aernouts B. Milk losses linked to mastitis treatments at dairy farms with automatic milking systems. Prev Vet Med 2021; 194:105420. [PMID: 34274863 DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2021.105420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Mastitis-associated milk losses in dairy cows have a massive impact on farm profitability and sustainability. In this study, we analyzed milk losses from 4 553 treated mastitis cases as recorded via treatment registers at 41 AMS dairy farms. Milk losses were estimated based on the difference between the expected and the actual production. To estimate the unperturbed lactation curve, we applied an iterative procedure using the Wood model and a variance-dependent threshold on the milk yield residuals. We calculated milk losses both in a fixed window around the first treatment day of each mastitis case and in the perturbations corresponding to this day, at the cow level as well as at the quarter level. In a fixed time window of day -5 to 30 around the first treatment, the absolute median milk losses per case were 101.5 kg, highly dependent on the parity and the lactation stage with absolute milk losses being highest in multiparous cows and at peak lactation. Relative milk losses expressed in percentage were highest on the first treatment day, and full recovery was often not reached within 30 days from treatment onset. In 62 % of the cases, we found a perturbation in milk yield at the cow level at the time of treatment. On average, perturbations started 8.7 days before the first treatment and median absolute milk losses increased to 128 kg of milk per perturbation. Mastitis is not expected to have equal effects on the four quarters so this study additionally investigated losses in the individual udder quarters. We used a data-based method leveraging milk yield and electrical conductivity to project the presumably inflamed quarter. Next, we compared losses with the average of presumably non-inflamed quarters. Median absolute losses in a fixed 36-day window around treatment varied between 50.2 kg for front and 59.3 kg for hind inflamed quarters compared to respectively 24.7 and 26.3 kg for the median losses in the non-inflamed quarters. Also here, these losses differed between lactation stages and parities. Expressed proportionally to expected yield, the relative median milk losses in inflamed quarters on the treatment day were 20 % higher in inflamed quarters with a higher variability and slower recovery. In 86 % of the treated mastitis cases, at least one perturbation was found at the quarter level. This analysis confirms the high impact of mastitis on milk production, and the large variation between quarter losses illustrates the potential of quarter analysis for on-farm monitoring at farms with an automated milking system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ines Adriaens
- KU Leuven, Department of Biosystems, Division of Animal and Human Health Engineering, Campus Geel, Kleinhoefstraat 4, 2440, Geel, Belgium.
| | - Igor Van Den Brulle
- KU Leuven, Department of Biosystems, Division of Animal and Human Health Engineering, Campus Geel, Kleinhoefstraat 4, 2440, Geel, Belgium; Ghent University, Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, M-team & Mastitis and Milk Quality Research Unit, Salisburylaan 133, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium.
| | - Katleen Geerinckx
- Province of Antwerp, Hooibeekhoeve, Hooibeeksedijk 1, 2440, Geel, Belgium.
| | - Lore D'Anvers
- KU Leuven, Department of Biosystems, Division of Animal and Human Health Engineering, Campus Geel, Kleinhoefstraat 4, 2440, Geel, Belgium
| | - Sarne De Vliegher
- Ghent University, Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, M-team & Mastitis and Milk Quality Research Unit, Salisburylaan 133, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Ben Aernouts
- KU Leuven, Department of Biosystems, Division of Animal and Human Health Engineering, Campus Geel, Kleinhoefstraat 4, 2440, Geel, Belgium.
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Challenges and Tendencies of Automatic Milking Systems (AMS): A 20-Years Systematic Review of Literature and Patents. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11020356. [PMID: 33572673 PMCID: PMC7912558 DOI: 10.3390/ani11020356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2020] [Revised: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the last two decades, the dairy industry has adopted the use of Automatic Milking Systems (AMS). AMS have the potential to increase the effectiveness of the milking process and sustain animal welfare. This study assessed the state of the art of research activities on AMS through a systematic review of scientific and industrial research. The papers and patents of the last 20 years (2000-2019) were analysed to assess the research tendencies. The words appearing in title, abstract and keywords of a total of 802 documents were processed with the text mining tool. Four clusters were identified (Components, Technology, Process and Animal). For each cluster, the words frequency analysis enabled us to identify the research tendencies and gaps. The results showed that focuses of the scientific and industrial research areas complementary, with scientific papers mainly dealing with topics related to animal and process, and patents giving priority to technology and components. Both scientific and industrial research converged on some crucial objectives, such as animal welfare, process sustainability and technological development. Despite the increasing interest in animal welfare, this review highlighted that further progress is needed to meet the consumers' demand. Moreover, milk yield is still regarded as more valuable compared to milk quality. Therefore, additional effort is necessary on the latter. At the process level, some gaps have been found related to cleaning operations, necessary to improve milk quality and animal health. The use of farm data and their incorporation on herd decision support systems (DSS) appeared optimal. The results presented in this review may be used as an overall assessment useful to address future research.
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