There is limited information available about the relationship between dry period shortening and calves health and their performance. One-hundred twenty Holstein cows and their calves were used to evaluate dry period length on colostrum quality and calves health. Treatments were arranged in a 3×2×2 factorial design that included dry period (30-d, 42-d and 56-d), parity (primiparous or multiparou...

Distillers grains are coproduced with ethanol and carbon dioxide during the production of fuel ethanol from the dry milling and fermentation of corn grain, yet there is little basic microbiological information on these materials. We undertook a replicated field study of the microbiology of distillers wet grains (DWG) over a 9 day period following their production at an industrial fuel ethanol p...

The transition from gestation to lactation is marked by significant physiological changes for the individual cow such that disease incidence is highest in early lactation. Around the time of calving, cows rely on mobilisation of body energy reserves to fill the energy deficit created by an increase in nutrient demands at a time of restricted feed intake. It is well established that monitoring o...

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BACKGROUND: Dairy cows undergo physiological changes during pregnancy and lactation and cardiovascular system may alter during these periods. OBJECTIVES: Understanding the physiological effects of production periods of dairy cows on heart electrical activities can aid to better monitoring the cardiovascular system in these animals. METHODS: Five multiparous Holstein dairy cows were studied from...