Efficient pasture-based milk production systems require a compact calving pattern aligned to the onset of the grazing season, a 365-day calving interval and low culling rates for infertility. Achievement of these targets requires high herd reproductive performance. While high genetic merit Holstein cows produce more milk in grass-based systems their fertility is compromised. Management of the m...

background: ovarian cysts are among the diseases which cause reproductive failure and economic losses in dairy herds. high yelding dairy cattles are suseptable to reproductive failure caused by ovarian cysts, as a result of their exposure to stressful coditions during lactation. objectives: this study aimed to monitor metabolic profile tests in dairy cows with ovarian cysts in comparison with c...

A cow’s foot is a unique appendage that has a specific anatomical structure related to a specific function: locomotion. The way in which these structures are organized and/or disorganized can be a barometer to many management practices that either have an internal or external affect on the foot structure. Because of the risks of adverse environmental conditions for several months of the year, c...

The failure of cows to successfully establish pregnancy after insemination is an important limiting factor for the efficiency of dairy production systems. The physiological reasons for this are many and pertain to the post partum and early pregnancy periods. Cows that suffer severe negative energy balance after parturition are prone to diseases (including uterine infection) that are, in part, e...

Real-time analysis of milk coagulation properties as performed by the AfiLab™ milk spectrometer introduces new opportunities for the dairy industry. The study evaluated the performance of the AfiLab™ in a milking parlor of a commercial farm to provide real-time analysis of milk-clotting parameters -Afi-CF for cheese manufacture and determine its repeatability in time for individual cows. The Af...

Forage availability is sometimes limited because of poor growing conditions or because of insufficient land base on individual farms. In addition, forage fiber can limit feed intake, particularly for high producing cows, and forage quality is highly variable. Therefore, there is continual interest in alternatives to forages in diets for dairy cows. Decreasing the forage content of diets require...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the associations among milk production, rectal temperature, and pregnancy maintenance in lactating recipient dairy cows. Data were collected during an 11-mo period from 463 Holstein cows (203 primiparous and 260 multiparous) assigned to a fixed-time embryo transfer (ET) protocol. Only cows detected with a visible corpus luteum immediately prior to ET ...

BACKGROUND Body condition score and blood profiles have been used to monitor management and herd health in dairy cows. The aim of this study was to examine BCS and extended metabolic profiles, reflecting both energy metabolism and liver status around calving in high-producing herds with a high incidence of abomasal displacement and ketosis and to evaluate if such profiles can be used at herd le...

Water is used in dairy farming for producing feed, watering the animals, and cleaning and disinfecting barns and equipment. The objective of this study was to investigate the drinking and cleaning water use in a dairy cow barn. The water use was measured on a well-managed commercial dairy farm in North-East Germany. Thirty-eight water meters were installed in a barn with 176 cows and two milkin...

BACKGROUND Hepatic lipidosis or fatty liver disease is a major metabolic disorder of high-producing dairy cows that compromises animal performance and, hence, causes heavy economic losses worldwide. This syndrome, occurring during the critical transition from gestation to early lactation, leads to an impaired health status, decreased milk yield, reduced fertility and shortened lifetime. Because...