Publication Database

Association of behavior with subclinical ketosis in transition dairy cows (2022)

Art

Vortrag

Autoren

Bretzinger, Lukas (WE 19)

Borchardt, Stefan (WE 19)

Plenio, Jan Lukas (WE 16)

Kongress

European Conference on Precision Livestock Farming International Conference on Precision Dairy Farming

Wien, 30.08. – 02.09.2022

Quelle

Sprache

Englisch

Verweise

URL (Volltext): https://ecplf2022.exordo.com/programme/presentation/139

Kontakt

Institut für Veterinär-Epidemiologie und Biometrie

Königsweg 67
14163 Berlin
+49 30 838 56034
epi@vetmed.fu-berlin.de

Abstract / Zusammenfassung

The objective of this study was to characterize the relationship between behavior and subclinical ketosis (SCK) in transition dairy cows. A study was conducted on a commercial dairy farm in Slovakia (2,600 cows; 11,500 kg). A total of 5,090 Holstein dairy cows (1,874 primiparous and 3,216 multiparous) calving from January 2020 until December 2021 were enrolled. Behavior (active, inactive, feeding, rumination) was recorded minutely using an automated monitoring system (Smarttag Neck, Nedap Livestock Management, Groenlo, the Netherlands) from 7 d before calving until 7 d after calving. Cows were monitored for SCK twice within the first 10 DIM using a ketone meter (Precision Xtra, Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL, USA). Cows with β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) ≥1.2mmol/L in any of the two samples were considered to have SCK and treated orally with 250 mL propylene glycol for 5 d. Cases of retained placenta, metritis, milk fever, mastitis or dislocated abomasum within 30 DIM were also recorded. Cows were categorized into 1 of 3 groups: healthy cows (HLT) that had no SCK or any other recorded health problem (n = 3,471); cows with SCK (hyperketonemia, HYK) with no other health problems within 30 DIM (n = 1,152); or cows (HYK+) that had SCK and one or more health problems (n = 467). Minutely behavior data were summarized by day and comparisons were made between HLT, HYK and HYK+ using the GENLIMIXED procedure in SPSS. Each model contained time relative to calving, parity (primiparous vs. multiparous), SCK status (HLT vs. HYK vs. HYK+), and time * SCK status as fixed effects. All 4 different behavioral traits were affected by SCK status and there was an interaction of time * SCK status (Figure 1). Overall, feeding time was 272 ± 0.4 min/d, 246 ± 0.8 min/d, and 216 ± 1.3 min/d for HLT, HYK, and HYK+, respectively. Rumination time was 388 ± 0.5 min/d, 353 ± 0.9 min/d, and 318 ± 1.4 min/d for HLT, HYK, and HYK+, respectively. Inactive time was 742 ± 0.8 min/d, 809 ± 1.5 min/d, and 876 ± 2.3 min/d for HLT, HYK, and HYK+, respectively. Active time was 18.6 ± 0.1 min/d, 16.4 ± 0.2 min/d, and 15.3 ± 0.3 min/d for HLT, HYK, and HYK+, respectively. There was a more pronounced effect of SCK status on postpartum behavior than on prepartum behavior. These results suggest that behavioral monitoring across the transition period might contribute to identification of SCK and other health problems in primi- and multiparous cows.