Nicotinic acid (niacin) can suppress lipolysis, but responses to dietary niacin have been inconsistent in cattle. Our aim was to determine if 24 g/d of encapsulated niacin (EN; providing 9.6g/d of bioavailable nicotinic acid) alters lipid metabolism and productivity of transition cows. Beginning 21 d before expected calving, primiparous (n = 9) and multiparous (n = 13) cows (body condition scor...

Thirty pregnant mares (538 to 695 kg BW; 4 to 19 yr of age) were used to evaluate the effects of plane of nutrition on DMI of hay and mare performance (BW, BCS, and rump fat) during the last third of pregnancy. Mares were divided into 4 blocks by their expected foaling date and randomly assigned within block to either a hay or concentrate plus hay diet (concentrate fed at 0.75% BW, as-fed basis...

The effect of different feeding intensity at two stages of gestation on performance of primiparous cows was studied in 40 pregnant Ayrshire cows. The feeding intensity was either medium (M) or high (H) in period 1 (2–6 months of pregnancy) or period 2 (7–9 months of pregnancy) resulting in treatments MM, MH, HM and HH. Before pregnancy all heifers were reared to gain 650 g/day. In period 1, hei...

Crossbred, spring-calving cows (yr 1, n = 136; yr 2, n = 113; yr 3, n = 113) were used in a 3-yr experiment to evaluate the influence of supplemental protein prepartum and grazing subirrigated meadow postpartum on pregnancy rates and calf feedlot performance. A 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments was used in a switchback design. From December 1 to February 28, cows grazed dormant upland r...

to assess the effects of different fat supplements (palm oil, soybean oil or complete roasted soybean) to the transition period diets on holstein dairy cows, 30 multiparous holstein cows (fourth parity) with 794±41 kg of body weight and 250±10 days of pregnancy were, randomly, attributed to experimental diets including palm oil (treatment 1), soybean oil (treatment 2) or roasted whole soybean, ...

A study was conducted to determine the effects of dietary glycerol on dry matter intake (DMI), milk yield and components, blood metabolites, and efficiency in the transition cow. The study was conducted from Feb. to Oct. of 2008 using 48 cows (25 primiparous and 23 multiparous). The study ran from 3wk prepartum to 8wk postpartum with a randomized block design using a 2 × 2 factorial. Treatments...

The transition period occurring 2 wk prepartum through 2 to 4 wk postpartum is the major risk period in the etiology of left displaced abomasum. The prepartum depression of intake and the slow postpartum increase in intake are risk factors causing lower ruminal fill, reduced forage to concentrate ratio, and increased incidence of other postpartum disorders. Uncomplicated ketosis, retained place...

INTRODUCTION The peripartum period is very challenging to the dairy cow because of hormonal, metabolic and managerial changes. Dry matter intake, amount and daily variability, during the transition period is probably the most important factor affecting the health and performance of dairy cows (Grummer et al., 2004). Metritic cows have reduced prepartum feed intake, which is likely a predisposin...

Pregnancy, decreased feed intake during late gestation, lactogenesis, and parturition have dramatic effects on metabolism in dairy cows during the transition period from 3 wk before calving to 3 wk after calving. Increases in plasma NEFA occur during the 10 d before calving and may precede the decrease in feed intake. Plasma NEFA concentrations are highest at calving and decrease rapidly after ...

Liver metabolism and health in dairy cows during the periparturient period are affected by plane of nutrition prepartum. Long-term adaptations in hepatic gene expression are important for complete understanding of liver function. We examined temporal gene expression profiles during the dry period and early lactation in liver of Holstein cows fed moderate dietary energy ad libitum or restricted ...