Although there is a general understanding that there is a link between poor cow comfort and lameness, the mechanisms by which one leads to the other are poorly understood. The objective of this article is to review the environmental impacts on hoof health in the dairy cow, describing the potential interactions between cow comfort and the trigger factors which ensure cows ‘get lame’ and the subs...

Milk somatic cell count (SCC) is the gold standard in diagnosis of subclinical mastitis, and is also an important parameter in quality programmes of dairy cooperatives. As routine SCC analysis is usually restricted to central laboratories, much effort has been invested in the search for alternative biomarkers of mastitis and milk quality, including the presence in the milk of the acute phase pr...

An understanding of the normal estrous-cycle length of the cow is important when managing and monitoring dairy-herd fertility. Although the normal interovulatory interval is widely considered to be 21 d, some studies have found alternative intervals to be more prevalent; previously, most of the variation in interval length was expected to be between cows. The aim of this study was to assess the...

The transition period for dairy cows is generally defined as the time period from three weeks prior to parturition through three weeks after parturition. It is now recognized that defining and meeting the nutritional requirements of the transition dairy cow can greatly impact animal health, production in the ensuing lactation, overall longevity, and animal well-being (NRC, 2001). Nutrition and ...

Dairy farmers have been longing for simple and economical methods of early pregnancy diagnosis. Urine based biochemical and mineral assays could be one of those methods, owing to the ease of sample collection and relatively simple and economical assays involved. However, basic information on changes in urinary composition during early pregnancy in cattle is lacking. This study was designed to e...

Smooth transition from pregnancy to lactation is important for high productive and reproductive performance during later postpartum period in dairy animals. On the other hand, the poor transition often leads to huge economic loss to dairy farmers due to compromised production and reproduction. Therefore, understanding the causes and consequence of metabolic changes during the transition period ...

Forages are the most important ingredient in a dairy cow’s ration. She is a ruminant and to be a healthy, productive cow she needs a healthy, productive rumen. High quality forages are the key to achieving a healthy rumen and a productive cow. However, because of the importance of forages in maintaining rumen health and cow performance, when deficiencies in the amount or quality of the forage i...

The objectives were to study the effects of feeding rolled flaxseed (FLX) to early-lactation dairy cows on milk yield, milk components, and milk fatty acid profiles as well as on measures of cow reproduction. Lactating Holstein cows, on 3 commercial dairies, were fed either an early-lactation ration (CON) or a ration that was similar in protein, energy, and fat content but that included FLX (0....