Methane emissions and digestive physiology of non-lactating dairy cows fed pasture forage

2007 ◽  
Vol 87 (4) ◽  
pp. 601-613 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. S. Pinares-Patiño ◽  
G. C. Waghorn ◽  
A. Machmüller ◽  
B. Vlaming ◽  
G. Molano ◽  
...  

The objective of this study was to identify intake and digestion characteristic(s) responsible for variation in methane (CH4) emissions from non-lactating cows fed pasture forage. Nine Friesian × Jersey cows ranked low, medium or high CH4 emitters [group means 15.3, 19.2 and 24.8 g kg-1 dry matter intake (DMI), respectively; P = 0.015] were selected from a herd of 302 lactating cows. The selected cows were dried-off, rumen-fistulated, and fed indoors on fresh pasture forage at 0700 and 1700. Voluntary feed intake (VFI), feeding behaviour and intake rates (IR) were measured over 5 d. Feed allowance was reduced to 90% of VFI for measurement of CH4 emissions and rumen fermentation and digestion kinetics parameters. Although some variation in CH4 yield remained among the animals (26.4 ± 3.6 g kg-1 DMI), the previous ranking of cows during lactation was no longer evident during this study (P = 0.41). The change in CH4 yields may have resulted from lower feed intakes of lower quality pasture compared with grazing. Regression analysis showed that absolute CH4 emission (g d-1) was best described by DMI and rumen acetate concentration (ACE) before the PM feeding (ACE 1700) (R2 = 0.88), whereas CH4 yield (g kg-1DMI) was mainly a function of ACE 1700 h alone (R2 = 0.84). We suggest that large animal-to-animal variations in CH4 yield are most likely associated with high intakes and concomitant effects of salivation and rumen digestion and passage. Key words: Methane, animal variation, feed intake, rumen digestion, dairy cows, pasture

Author(s):  
T. Yan ◽  
D. J. Roberts

Molasses has been fed to dairy cows for about a century. Extensive studies have shown that its energy value is worth from 75 to 100% that of maize when up to 10% of molasses is fed in a complete diet and high molasses inclusion in the diet can be detrimental to the responses of the animals. Nevertheless, the maximum inclusion rate of molasses in a diet that cows can tolerate has still been unclear. Few publications are available to describle the responses of cows to very high molasses feeding. This is a question, however, that both farmers and advisers are concious of. The present experiment was designed to evaluate the effects on milk yield and composition, feed intake, liveweight gain and health of lactating cows fed on very high levels of molasses, in comparision with those fed a relatively low level.Fifteen British Friesian late lactation cows (168 ± 6 days calved) all in second lactation or more were randomly allocated to a 3 x 3 changeover experiment with 21 day periods. The cattle were fed individually through Broadbent Calan Gates ad libitum on a complete diet of silage plus a liquid supplement including molaferm 20 (a mixture of 80% cane molasses with 20% condensed molasses solubles supplied by United Molasses Ltd.), soyabean meal and fish meal.


1997 ◽  
Vol 80 (5) ◽  
pp. 894-897 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.R. Murphy ◽  
A.W.P. Geijsel ◽  
E.C. Hall ◽  
R.D. Shanks

2005 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bayaru ERUDEN ◽  
Takehiro NISHIDA ◽  
Hiroki MATSUYAMA ◽  
Kenji HOSODA ◽  
Shigeru SHIOYA

2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 109 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. PANOUSIS (Ν. ΠΑΝΟΥΣΗΣ) ◽  
M. KRITSEPI (Μ. ΚΡΙΤΣΕΠΗ) ◽  
I. KARAGIANNIS (Ι. ΚΑΡΑΓΙΑΝΝΗΣ) ◽  
E. KALAITZAKIS (ΕΜ. ΚΑΛΑΪΤΖΑΚΗΣ) ◽  
E. LAFI ◽  
...  

The aim of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of the Precision Xceed® hand-held meter as an on-site method for determining blood ß-hydroxyboutyric acid (BHBA) and glucose concentrations, for the diagnosis of subclinical ketosis in dry and lactating dairy cows. A total of 163 clinically healthy Holstein cows (113 lactating, 8-50 days-in-milk; and 50 dry, 10-40 days pre-partum) from 5 farms located around Thessaloniki region, were blood-sampled once, from the jugular vein of each animal, 5 to 8 hours after the start of morning feeding. BHBA was determined in all 163 cows, whereas glucose only in 114 cows (50 dry and 64 lactating cows). These analyses were performed, for each cow, by both laboratory method (in serum) and Precision Xceed® meter (in whole blood, cowside). Using laboratory serum BHBA concentrations > 1.2 mmol/L as the cut-off point, 11/163 (6.7%) of the tested cows were considered as subclinically ketotic, whereas raising the cut-off to > 1.4 mmol/L, 9/163 (5.5%) cows had subclinical ketosis. All these cows (11 and 9, respectively) were lactating. None of the dry cows had subclinical ketosis at BHBA cut-off of > 1.4 mmol/L. One out of the 50 dry cows (2%) and 15/113 (13.3%) lactating cows sampled were classified as subclinically ketotic when the Precision Xceed® meter was set at BHBA concentrations > 1.2 mmol/L. Overall, mean BHBA and glucose concentrations were not statistically different (P>0.05) between the two methods. Significant positive correlations were found for BHBA (strong correlation: r=0.99; n=163; P<0.01) and glucose (moderate correlation: r=0.63; n=114; P<0.01) concentrations between Precision Xceed® and laboratory results. Precision Xceed® is less accurate for measuring glucose (glucometer) compared to BHBA (ketometer). The low percentage of false positive (<0.6%) and false negative (<4%) indicating that the Precision Xceed® meter is an accurate screening test and its results are highly reliable under field conditions. Precision Xceed® meter was highly sensitive (90.9%) and specific (96.05%) at cut off point of BHBA concentrations > 1.2 mmol/L and it had excellent test agreement for detection of subclinical ketosis when using a threshold of blood BHBA > 1.4 mmol/L.


2002 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gy. Gábor ◽  
J. P. Kastelic ◽  
S. Pintér ◽  

Lactating crossbred Holstein-Friesian dairy cows (n = 331) were started on an Ovsynch regimen 68 ± 8.2 days after calving; 200 µg GnRH intramuscularly (i.m.) on Days 0 and 9, and 35 mg prostaglandin F2a i.m. on Day 7. Thirty-eight and 31 cows (11.5 and 9.4%, respectively) were in oestrus on Days 0 to 6 and 7 to 8, respectively, and inseminated, and the remainder were fixed-time inseminated (on Day 10). For these three groups, pregnancy rates (60-65 days after breeding) were 31.6, 38.7 and 34.0%, respectively (P = 0.82) and calving rates were 100, 100 and 89.9% (P = 0.23). In a preliminary trial, twelve lactating cows (45 to 60 days postpartum) with inactive ovaries were given 1500 IU eCG i.m.; 10 were in oestrus within 10 days after treatment (and inseminated) and eight of these were pregnant (30 days after breeding). The Ovsynch program resulted in acceptable reproductive performance in cyclic cows and eCG treatment has considerable promise for inducing oestrus in anoestrous cows.


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