Effect of Cow Start Calcium Bolus on Metabolic Status and Milk Production in Early Lactation

John Lawlor; Alan Fahey; Enda Neville; Alice Stack; Finbar Mulligan

doi:doi:10.11648/j.avs.20200806.12

| Peer-Reviewed

Effect of Cow Start Calcium Bolus on Metabolic Status and Milk Production in Early Lactation

John Lawlor, Alan Fahey, Enda Neville, Alice Stack, Finbar Mulligan

Published in Animal and Veterinary Sciences (Volume 8, Issue 6)

Received: 22 October 2020 Accepted: 4 November 2020 Published: 19 November 2020

Views: Downloads:

Download PDF

Share This Article

Twitter
Linked In
Facebook

Abstract

The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of a combined calcium, magnesium and anti-oxidant bolus on early lactation energy status and milk production performance of multiparous dairy cows compared to control, and calcium only bolus intervention. Multiparous (n=91) cows from a large Irish dairy herd, with a below-average incidence of hypocalcaemia, were enrolled in this study and randomly assigned to either a control (CON, n=30), a calcium only bolus (ABC, n=30) or a combined calcium, magnesium and anti-oxidant (Cow Start calcium) bolus (CSC, n=31). CON cows received no bolus and ABC and CSC cows received two boluses at 0- and 12-hours post-partum. Early lactation energy status was studied by recording milk ketone (beta hydroxybutyrate (BHBA)) levels at day 14 and day 28 post-partum, body condition scoring (BCS) of cows at week 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 post-partum and by weighing cows at week 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 post-partum. Cows in the CSC group recorded significantly (P < 0.05) lower milk BHBA levels (0.43 mg/dL) when compared to CON (0.98 mg/dL) and a trend (P < 0.10) towards lower milk BHBA when compared to ABC (0.74 mg/dL). The CSC group also showed a trend (P < 0.07) towards reduced body condition loss between calving and nadir (- 0.39 BCS units) when compared to ABC (- 0.53 BCS units). Milk production volumes were significantly increased (P < 0.05) by 1.3kg per day from day 5 of lactation until day 90 for the CSC group (30.7kg/day) when compared to CON (29.4kg/day), with a trend (P < 0.10) of 0.8 kg per day toward higher milk production when compared to the ABC group (29.9 kg/day). Body weight change (kg), Milk Fat % and kg, Milk Protein % and kg, fat:protein ratio, combined milk components (milk fat and milk protein kg), and energy corrected milk were recorded and analysed, with no significant differences observed. Results of this study indicate that cows supplemented with the CSC bolus responded favourably to treatment with regard to improved metabolic status in the critical early lactation post-partum period when compared to control and a calcium only bolus intervention. Results of this study suggest that supplementing dairy cows with a combined calcium, magnesium and antioxidant oral boluses will have beneficial effects for early lactation dairy cows.

Published in	Animal and Veterinary Sciences (Volume 8, Issue 6)
DOI	10.11648/j.avs.20200806.12
Page(s)	124-132
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Calcium and Antioxidant Bolus, Early Lactation, Metabolic Status

References

[1]	J. P. Goff, “The monitoring, prevention, and treatment of milk fever and subclinical hypocalcemia in dairy cows,” Vet. J., vol. 176, no. 1, pp. 50–57, 2008, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2007.12.020.
[2]	T. A. Reinhardt, J. D. Lippolis, B. J. McCluskey, J. P. Goff, and R. L. Horst, “Prevalence of subclinical hypocalcemia in dairy herds,” Vet. J., vol. 188, no. 1, pp. 122–124, 2011, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2010.03.025.
[3]	P. J. DeGaris and I. J. Lean, “Milk fever in dairy cows: A review of pathophysiology and control principles,” Vet. J., vol. 176, no. 1, pp. 58–69, 2008, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2007.12.029.
[4]	J. F. Mee, “Prevalence and risk factors for dystocia in dairy cattle: A review,” Vet. J., vol. 176, no. 1, pp. 93–101, 2008, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2007.12.032.
[5]	Y. Millemann, M. Gillet, P. Kirsch, and Besnier P., “Subclinical hypocalcaemia in French dairy cows,” 2016.
[6]	S. S. Hansen, P. Nørgaard, C. Pedersen, R. J. Jørgensen, L. S. B. Mellau, and J. D. Enemark, “The effect of subclinical hypocalcaemia induced by Na2EDTA on the feed intake and chewing activity of dairy cows.,” Vet. Res. Commun., vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 193–205, Apr. 2003, doi: 10.1023/a:1023340506782.
[7]	T. Roberts, N. Chapinal, S. J. LeBlanc, D. F. Kelton, J. Dubuc, and T. F. Duffield, “Metabolic parameters in transition cows as indicators for early-lactation culling risk,” J. Dairy Sci., vol. 95, no. 6, pp. 3057–3063, Jun. 2012, doi: 10.3168/jds.2011-4937.
[8]	N. Martinez et al., “Evaluation of peripartal calcium status, energetic profile, and neutrophil function in dairy cows at low or high risk of developing uterine disease,” J. Dairy Sci., vol. 95, no. 12, pp. 7158–7172, Dec. 2012, doi: 10.3168/jds.2012-5812.
[9]	G. R. Oetzel, “Monitoring and testing dairy herds for metabolic disease,” Vet. Clin. North Am. Food Anim. Pract., vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 651–674, 2004, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvfa.2004.06.006.
[10]	J. Denis-Robichaud, J. Dubuc, D. Lefebvre, and L. DesCôteaux, “Accuracy of milk ketone bodies from flow-injection analysis for the diagnosis of hyperketonemia in dairy cows,” J. Dairy Sci., vol. 97, no. 6, pp. 3364–3370, 2014, doi: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2013-6744.
[11]	T. Duffield, “Subclinical Ketosis in Lactating Dairy Cattle,” Vet. Clin. North Am. Food Anim. Pract., vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 231–253, 2000, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0749-0720(15)30103-1.
[12]	N. Brunner, S. Groeger, J. Canelas Raposo, R. M. Bruckmaier, and J. J. Gross, “Prevalence of subclinical ketosis and production diseases in dairy cows in Central and South America, Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and Eastern Europe1,” Transl. Anim. Sci., vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 84–92, Jan. 2019, doi: 10.1093/tas/txy102.
[13]	C. W. R. Compton, S. McDougall, L. Young, and M. A. Bryan, “Prevalence of subclinical ketosis in mainly pasture-grazed dairy cows in New Zealand in early lactation,” N. Z. Vet. J., vol. 62, no. 1, pp. 30–37, Jan. 2014, doi: 10.1080/00480169.2013.823829.
[14]	J. A. A. McArt, D. V Nydam, and M. W. Overton, “Hyperketonemia in early lactation dairy cattle: A deterministic estimate of component and total cost per case,” J. Dairy Sci., vol. 98, no. 3, pp. 2043–2054, Mar. 2015, doi: 10.3168/jds.2014-8740.
[15]	H. Amanlou, A. P. Akbari, N. E. Farsuni, and N. Silva-del-Río, “Effects of subcutaneous calcium administration at calving on mineral status, health, and production of Holstein cows,” J. Dairy Sci., vol. 99, no. 11, pp. 9199–9210, 2016, doi: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2015-10844.
[16]	C. L. Miltenburg, T. F. Duffield, D. Bienzle, E. L. Scholtz, and S. J. LeBlanc, “Randomized clinical trial of a calcium supplement for improvement of health in dairy cows in early lactation,” J. Dairy Sci., vol. 99, no. 8, pp. 6550–6562, 2016, doi: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2016-10961.
[17]	G. R. Oetzel and B. E. Miller, “Effect of oral calcium bolus supplementation on early-lactation health and milk yield in commercial dairy herds,” J. Dairy Sci., vol. 95, no. 12, pp. 7051–7065, 2012, doi: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2012-5510.
[18]	P. Melendez, A. Donovan, C. A. Risco, M. B. Hall, R. Littell, and J. Goff, “Metabolic Responses of Transition Holstein Cows Fed Anionic Salts and Supplemented at Calving with Calcium and Energy1,” J. Dairy Sci., vol. 85, no. 5, pp. 1085–1092, 2002, doi: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(02)74169-6.
[19]	J. Lawlor, A. Fahey, E. Neville, A. Stack, and F. Mulligan, “On-farm Safety and Efficacy Trial of Cow Start Calcium Bolus,” Anim. Vet. Sci., vol. 7, no. 6, pp. 121–126, 2019, doi: 10.11648/j.avs.20190706.11.
[20]	A. J. Edmonson, I. J. Lean, L. D. Weaver, T. Farver, and G. Webster, “A Body Condition Scoring Chart for Holstein Dairy Cows,” J. Dairy Sci., vol. 72, no. 1, pp. 68–78, 1989, doi: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(89)79081-0.
[21]	M. M. Schutz, “Genetic Evaluation of Somatic Cell Scores for United States Dairy Cattle,” J. Dairy Sci., vol. 77, no. 7, pp. 2113–2129, 1994, doi: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(94)77154-X.
[22]	H. F. Tyrrell and J. T. Reid, “Prediction of the Energy Value of Cow’s Milk1, 2,” J. Dairy Sci., vol. 48, no. 9, pp. 1215–1223, 1965, doi: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(65)88430-2.
[23]	F. J. Mulligan, L. O’Grady, D. A. Rice, and M. L. Doherty, “A herd health approach to dairy cow nutrition and production diseases of the transition cow,” Anim. Reprod. Sci., vol. 96, no. 3, pp. 331–353, 2006, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anireprosci.2006.08.011.
[24]	K. Kimura, T. A. Reinhardt, and J. P. Goff, “Parturition and Hypocalcemia Blunts Calcium Signals in Immune Cells of Dairy Cattle1,” J. Dairy Sci., vol. 89, no. 7, pp. 2588–2595, Jul. 2006, doi: 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(06)72335-9.
[25]	D. Liang, L. M. Arnold, C. J. Stowe, R. J. Harmon, and J. M. Bewley, “Estimating US dairy clinical disease costs with a stochastic simulation model,” J. Dairy Sci., vol. 100, no. 2, pp. 1472–1486, 2017, doi: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2016-11565.
[26]	R. K. RUDE, S. B. OLDHAM, C. F. SHARP Jr., and F. R. SINGER, “Parathyroid Hormone Secretion in Magnesium Deficiency*,” J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., vol. 47, no. 4, pp. 800–806, Oct. 1978, doi: 10.1210/jcem-47-4-800.
[27]	E. T. Littledike, J. A. Stuedemann, S. R. Wilkinson, and R. L. Horst, “Grass Tetany Syndrome,” in Proc. John Lee Pratt Int. Symp. Role Magnes. Anim. Nutr, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1983, p. 173.
[28]	J. T. Schonewille, “Magnesium in dairy cow nutrition: an overview,” Plant Soil, vol. 368, no. 1, pp. 167–178, 2013, doi: 10.1007/s11104-013-1665-5.
[29]	J. P. Goff and R. L. Horst, “Oral Administration of Calcium Salts for Treatment of Hypocalcemia in Cattle1,” J. Dairy Sci., vol. 76, no. 1, pp. 101–108, 1993, doi: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(93)77328-2.
[30]	C. Rossi, “Effects of a supplemental calcified marine algae bolus on blood calcium concentration,” 2017.
[31]	P. D. P. WOOD, “Algebraic Model of the Lactation Curve in Cattle,” Nature, vol. 216, no. 5111, pp. 164–165, Oct. 1967, doi: 10.1038/216164a0.
[32]	A. J. Rook, J. France, and M. S. Dhanoa, “On the mathematical description of lactation curves,” J. Agric. Sci., vol. 121, no. 1, pp. 97–102, Aug. 1993, doi: 10.1017/S002185960007684X.
[33]	D. Sauvant, “Modelling of lactation and nutrition,” in Modelling of Livestock Production Systems, J. A. M. Van Arendonk and S. Korver, Eds. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1988, pp. 149–155.
[34]	C. R. Curtis et al., “Association of parturient hypocalcemia with eight periparturient disorders in Holstein cows.,” J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc., vol. 183, no. 5, pp. 559–561, Sep. 1983.

Cite This Article

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

John Lawlor, Alan Fahey, Enda Neville, Alice Stack, Finbar Mulligan. (2020). Effect of Cow Start Calcium Bolus on Metabolic Status and Milk Production in Early Lactation. Animal and Veterinary Sciences, 8(6), 124-132. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20200806.12

Copy | Download

ACS Style

John Lawlor; Alan Fahey; Enda Neville; Alice Stack; Finbar Mulligan. Effect of Cow Start Calcium Bolus on Metabolic Status and Milk Production in Early Lactation. Anim. Vet. Sci. 2020, 8(6), 124-132. doi: 10.11648/j.avs.20200806.12

Copy | Download

AMA Style

John Lawlor, Alan Fahey, Enda Neville, Alice Stack, Finbar Mulligan. Effect of Cow Start Calcium Bolus on Metabolic Status and Milk Production in Early Lactation. Anim Vet Sci. 2020;8(6):124-132. doi: 10.11648/j.avs.20200806.12

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.avs.20200806.12,
  author = {John Lawlor and Alan Fahey and Enda Neville and Alice Stack and Finbar Mulligan},
  title = {Effect of Cow Start Calcium Bolus on Metabolic Status and Milk Production in Early Lactation},
  journal = {Animal and Veterinary Sciences},
  volume = {8},
  number = {6},
  pages = {124-132},
  doi = {10.11648/j.avs.20200806.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20200806.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.avs.20200806.12},
  abstract = {The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of a combined calcium, magnesium and anti-oxidant bolus on early lactation energy status and milk production performance of multiparous dairy cows compared to control, and calcium only bolus intervention. Multiparous (n=91) cows from a large Irish dairy herd, with a below-average incidence of hypocalcaemia, were enrolled in this study and randomly assigned to either a control (CON, n=30), a calcium only bolus (ABC, n=30) or a combined calcium, magnesium and anti-oxidant (Cow Start calcium) bolus (CSC, n=31). CON cows received no bolus and ABC and CSC cows received two boluses at 0- and 12-hours post-partum. Early lactation energy status was studied by recording milk ketone (beta hydroxybutyrate (BHBA)) levels at day 14 and day 28 post-partum, body condition scoring (BCS) of cows at week 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 post-partum and by weighing cows at week 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 post-partum. Cows in the CSC group recorded significantly (P < 0.05) lower milk BHBA levels (0.43 mg/dL) when compared to CON (0.98 mg/dL) and a trend (P < 0.10) towards lower milk BHBA when compared to ABC (0.74 mg/dL). The CSC group also showed a trend (P < 0.07) towards reduced body condition loss between calving and nadir (- 0.39 BCS units) when compared to ABC (- 0.53 BCS units). Milk production volumes were significantly increased (P < 0.05) by 1.3kg per day from day 5 of lactation until day 90 for the CSC group (30.7kg/day) when compared to CON (29.4kg/day), with a trend (P < 0.10) of 0.8 kg per day toward higher milk production when compared to the ABC group (29.9 kg/day). Body weight change (kg), Milk Fat % and kg, Milk Protein % and kg, fat:protein ratio, combined milk components (milk fat and milk protein kg), and energy corrected milk were recorded and analysed, with no significant differences observed. Results of this study indicate that cows supplemented with the CSC bolus responded favourably to treatment with regard to improved metabolic status in the critical early lactation post-partum period when compared to control and a calcium only bolus intervention. Results of this study suggest that supplementing dairy cows with a combined calcium, magnesium and antioxidant oral boluses will have beneficial effects for early lactation dairy cows.},
 year = {2020}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Effect of Cow Start Calcium Bolus on Metabolic Status and Milk Production in Early Lactation
AU  - John Lawlor
AU  - Alan Fahey
AU  - Enda Neville
AU  - Alice Stack
AU  - Finbar Mulligan
Y1  - 2020/11/19
PY  - 2020
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20200806.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.avs.20200806.12
T2  - Animal and Veterinary Sciences
JF  - Animal and Veterinary Sciences
JO  - Animal and Veterinary Sciences
SP  - 124
EP  - 132
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2328-5850
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20200806.12
AB  - The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of a combined calcium, magnesium and anti-oxidant bolus on early lactation energy status and milk production performance of multiparous dairy cows compared to control, and calcium only bolus intervention. Multiparous (n=91) cows from a large Irish dairy herd, with a below-average incidence of hypocalcaemia, were enrolled in this study and randomly assigned to either a control (CON, n=30), a calcium only bolus (ABC, n=30) or a combined calcium, magnesium and anti-oxidant (Cow Start calcium) bolus (CSC, n=31). CON cows received no bolus and ABC and CSC cows received two boluses at 0- and 12-hours post-partum. Early lactation energy status was studied by recording milk ketone (beta hydroxybutyrate (BHBA)) levels at day 14 and day 28 post-partum, body condition scoring (BCS) of cows at week 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 post-partum and by weighing cows at week 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 post-partum. Cows in the CSC group recorded significantly (P < 0.05) lower milk BHBA levels (0.43 mg/dL) when compared to CON (0.98 mg/dL) and a trend (P < 0.10) towards lower milk BHBA when compared to ABC (0.74 mg/dL). The CSC group also showed a trend (P < 0.07) towards reduced body condition loss between calving and nadir (- 0.39 BCS units) when compared to ABC (- 0.53 BCS units). Milk production volumes were significantly increased (P < 0.05) by 1.3kg per day from day 5 of lactation until day 90 for the CSC group (30.7kg/day) when compared to CON (29.4kg/day), with a trend (P < 0.10) of 0.8 kg per day toward higher milk production when compared to the ABC group (29.9 kg/day). Body weight change (kg), Milk Fat % and kg, Milk Protein % and kg, fat:protein ratio, combined milk components (milk fat and milk protein kg), and energy corrected milk were recorded and analysed, with no significant differences observed. Results of this study indicate that cows supplemented with the CSC bolus responded favourably to treatment with regard to improved metabolic status in the critical early lactation post-partum period when compared to control and a calcium only bolus intervention. Results of this study suggest that supplementing dairy cows with a combined calcium, magnesium and antioxidant oral boluses will have beneficial effects for early lactation dairy cows.
VL  - 8
IS  - 6
ER  -

Copy | Download

Author Information

John Lawlor

Anchor Life Science Ltd., Co. Cork, Ireland
Alan Fahey

College of Health and Agricultural Sciences, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Enda Neville

College of Health and Agricultural Sciences, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Alice Stack

Anchor Life Science Ltd., Co. Cork, Ireland
Finbar Mulligan

College of Health and Agricultural Sciences, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

Download PDF

Sections

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

John Lawlor, Alan Fahey, Enda Neville, Alice Stack, Finbar Mulligan. (2020). Effect of Cow Start Calcium Bolus on Metabolic Status and Milk Production in Early Lactation. Animal and Veterinary Sciences, 8(6), 124-132. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20200806.12

Copy | Download

ACS Style

John Lawlor; Alan Fahey; Enda Neville; Alice Stack; Finbar Mulligan. Effect of Cow Start Calcium Bolus on Metabolic Status and Milk Production in Early Lactation. Anim. Vet. Sci. 2020, 8(6), 124-132. doi: 10.11648/j.avs.20200806.12

Copy | Download

AMA Style

John Lawlor, Alan Fahey, Enda Neville, Alice Stack, Finbar Mulligan. Effect of Cow Start Calcium Bolus on Metabolic Status and Milk Production in Early Lactation. Anim Vet Sci. 2020;8(6):124-132. doi: 10.11648/j.avs.20200806.12

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.avs.20200806.12,
  author = {John Lawlor and Alan Fahey and Enda Neville and Alice Stack and Finbar Mulligan},
  title = {Effect of Cow Start Calcium Bolus on Metabolic Status and Milk Production in Early Lactation},
  journal = {Animal and Veterinary Sciences},
  volume = {8},
  number = {6},
  pages = {124-132},
  doi = {10.11648/j.avs.20200806.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20200806.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.avs.20200806.12},
  abstract = {The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of a combined calcium, magnesium and anti-oxidant bolus on early lactation energy status and milk production performance of multiparous dairy cows compared to control, and calcium only bolus intervention. Multiparous (n=91) cows from a large Irish dairy herd, with a below-average incidence of hypocalcaemia, were enrolled in this study and randomly assigned to either a control (CON, n=30), a calcium only bolus (ABC, n=30) or a combined calcium, magnesium and anti-oxidant (Cow Start calcium) bolus (CSC, n=31). CON cows received no bolus and ABC and CSC cows received two boluses at 0- and 12-hours post-partum. Early lactation energy status was studied by recording milk ketone (beta hydroxybutyrate (BHBA)) levels at day 14 and day 28 post-partum, body condition scoring (BCS) of cows at week 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 post-partum and by weighing cows at week 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 post-partum. Cows in the CSC group recorded significantly (P < 0.05) lower milk BHBA levels (0.43 mg/dL) when compared to CON (0.98 mg/dL) and a trend (P < 0.10) towards lower milk BHBA when compared to ABC (0.74 mg/dL). The CSC group also showed a trend (P < 0.07) towards reduced body condition loss between calving and nadir (- 0.39 BCS units) when compared to ABC (- 0.53 BCS units). Milk production volumes were significantly increased (P < 0.05) by 1.3kg per day from day 5 of lactation until day 90 for the CSC group (30.7kg/day) when compared to CON (29.4kg/day), with a trend (P < 0.10) of 0.8 kg per day toward higher milk production when compared to the ABC group (29.9 kg/day). Body weight change (kg), Milk Fat % and kg, Milk Protein % and kg, fat:protein ratio, combined milk components (milk fat and milk protein kg), and energy corrected milk were recorded and analysed, with no significant differences observed. Results of this study indicate that cows supplemented with the CSC bolus responded favourably to treatment with regard to improved metabolic status in the critical early lactation post-partum period when compared to control and a calcium only bolus intervention. Results of this study suggest that supplementing dairy cows with a combined calcium, magnesium and antioxidant oral boluses will have beneficial effects for early lactation dairy cows.},
 year = {2020}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Effect of Cow Start Calcium Bolus on Metabolic Status and Milk Production in Early Lactation
AU  - John Lawlor
AU  - Alan Fahey
AU  - Enda Neville
AU  - Alice Stack
AU  - Finbar Mulligan
Y1  - 2020/11/19
PY  - 2020
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20200806.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.avs.20200806.12
T2  - Animal and Veterinary Sciences
JF  - Animal and Veterinary Sciences
JO  - Animal and Veterinary Sciences
SP  - 124
EP  - 132
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2328-5850
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20200806.12
AB  - The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of a combined calcium, magnesium and anti-oxidant bolus on early lactation energy status and milk production performance of multiparous dairy cows compared to control, and calcium only bolus intervention. Multiparous (n=91) cows from a large Irish dairy herd, with a below-average incidence of hypocalcaemia, were enrolled in this study and randomly assigned to either a control (CON, n=30), a calcium only bolus (ABC, n=30) or a combined calcium, magnesium and anti-oxidant (Cow Start calcium) bolus (CSC, n=31). CON cows received no bolus and ABC and CSC cows received two boluses at 0- and 12-hours post-partum. Early lactation energy status was studied by recording milk ketone (beta hydroxybutyrate (BHBA)) levels at day 14 and day 28 post-partum, body condition scoring (BCS) of cows at week 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 post-partum and by weighing cows at week 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 post-partum. Cows in the CSC group recorded significantly (P < 0.05) lower milk BHBA levels (0.43 mg/dL) when compared to CON (0.98 mg/dL) and a trend (P < 0.10) towards lower milk BHBA when compared to ABC (0.74 mg/dL). The CSC group also showed a trend (P < 0.07) towards reduced body condition loss between calving and nadir (- 0.39 BCS units) when compared to ABC (- 0.53 BCS units). Milk production volumes were significantly increased (P < 0.05) by 1.3kg per day from day 5 of lactation until day 90 for the CSC group (30.7kg/day) when compared to CON (29.4kg/day), with a trend (P < 0.10) of 0.8 kg per day toward higher milk production when compared to the ABC group (29.9 kg/day). Body weight change (kg), Milk Fat % and kg, Milk Protein % and kg, fat:protein ratio, combined milk components (milk fat and milk protein kg), and energy corrected milk were recorded and analysed, with no significant differences observed. Results of this study indicate that cows supplemented with the CSC bolus responded favourably to treatment with regard to improved metabolic status in the critical early lactation post-partum period when compared to control and a calcium only bolus intervention. Results of this study suggest that supplementing dairy cows with a combined calcium, magnesium and antioxidant oral boluses will have beneficial effects for early lactation dairy cows.
VL  - 8
IS  - 6
ER  -

Copy | Download