Publikationsdatenbank

Rumination time during the first week postpartum and its association with milk production, health, and culling in early lactation (2025)

Art

Vortrag

Autor

Borchardt, Stefan (WE 18)

Kongress

Vlaamse Buiatric Congress

Dilbeek, 23. – 24.10.2025

Quelle

Sprache

Englisch

Kontakt

Nutztierklinik

Königsweg 65
14163 Berlin
+49 30 838 62261
klauentierklinik@vetmed.fu-berlin.de

Abstract / Zusammenfassung

The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of rumination time during the first week postpartum with milk production, health, and culling in early lactation.
A total of 5,615 lactating Holstein cows (2,132 primiparous cows and 3,483 multiparous cows) from a commercial dairy farm in Slovakia calving from January 2020 until December 2021 were enrolled in this study. Transition cow health was assessed by farm personnel within the first 30 d in milk (DIM) using standard operating procedures. Health events (i.e., retained fetal membranes, metritis, mastitis, displaced abomasum, milk fever, hyperketonemia [blood β-hydroxybutyrate ≥1.2 mmol/L]) were recorded. Cows were considered healthy or sick (i.e., at least one health event). Rumination behavior was recorded during the first week postpartum using a neck-mounted sensor system [Smarttag Neck, NEDAP Livestock Management]. Cows were retrospectively assigned to 3 different groups based on the average daily change in rumination time between 1 and 7 DIM: the top 25% were classified as rapid recovery (RAPID; 49.5 ± 11.2 min/d, n = 1,399), the middle 50% as medium recovery (MEDIUM; 28.2 ± 6.4 min/d, n = 2,811), and the bottom 25% as slow recovery (SLOW; 0.8 ± 15.1 min/d, n = 1,405). Statistical analyses were performed using multiple linear or logistic regression models with mixed effects. Fixed effects included year of freshening, rumination time recovery, parity, and an interaction term between parity and rumination time recovery. Cows were added as a random effect in all models.
Rumination time in the first week postpartum was associated with morbidity (SLOW: 49.7 ± 1.5%; MEDIUM: 30.3 ± 1.0%; RAPID: 26.7 ± 1.5%; P = 0.001). There was an interaction between parity and rumination time in the first week postpartum regarding the association with culling in early lactation (P = 0.005). In primiparous cows, cows in SLOW (6.9 ± 1.1%) had a greater culling risk compared to MEDIUM (2.8 ± 0.5%; P = 0.001) and tended to have a greater culling risk compared to RAPID (3.1 ± 0.8%; P = 0.100). There was no difference (P = 0.999) between MEDIUM and RAPID. In multiparous cows, cows in SLOW (28.2 ± 1.5%) had a greater culling risk compared to MEDIUM (6.8 ± 0.6%; P = 0.001) and RAPID (6.1 ± 0.8%; P = 0.001). There was no difference (P = 0.999) between MEDIUM and RAPID. There was an interaction between parity and rumination time in the first week postpartum regarding the association with milk yield in week 4 (P = 0.001). In primiparous cows, cows in SLOW (32.6 ± 0.3kg/d) produced less milk compared to RAPID (34.0 ± 0.3kg/d; P = 0.022). There was no difference between SLOW and MEDIUM (33.1 ± 0.2kg/d; P = 0.999) and MEDIUM and RAPID (P = 0.211). In multiparous cows, cows in SLOW (44.3 ± 0.3kg/d) produced less milk compared to MEDIUM (47.0 ± 0.2kg/d; P = 0.001) and RAPID (48.3 ± 0.2kg/d; P = 0.001). There was also a difference (P = 0.001) between MEDIUM and RAPID.
Findings from this study suggest that cows with a slow recovery in rumination time within the first week postpartum had greater morbidity, produced less milk and had a greater culling risk, particularly in multiparous cows.