Effect of dietary supplementation with malt extracts on milk production

The transition period of a cow is characterized by marked changes in metabolism as the cow prepares for parturition and lactogenesis. Aim of the present study was the evaluation of the effect of feeding dairy cows with malt extracts on milk production. Ten days before calving, 22 multiparous Holstein dairy cows were divided in two groups and received for four months the same base diet added with an experimental concentrate (1.5 kg/cow/day) containing either corn starch and malt extracts (ME) or only corn starch (CS) as the main energy source. Dry matter intake was not influenced by treatment and averaged 21.7 kg of DM/cow/day. The use of malt extracts determined a numerical increase of milk yield (+0.7 kg/cow/day, i.e. +2.5%) but this difference did not reach the significance level. Milk quality parameters were not influenced by treatment. Further studies will be needed to assess if feeding diets rich in very high fermentable carbohydrates to transition dairy cows can be a valuable strateg

Effect of morphological characteristics and productive traits on the survival of dual-purpose Simmental cows

In recent years, dairy farmers have observed a substantial decrease in cow survival, with a direct negative consequence on the profitability. Shorter lifespan raises questions about animal welfare and farming conditions at which cows are exposed to. Traditionally, the cows’ productive life length is affected by voluntary and involuntary culling, e.g. sale, slaughter, salvage, or death. Culling risks are affected by animal-related features such as calving events, lactation stage, energy balance, reproduction, and aging, but also external factors, namely management and season. The present study aimed to investigate the morphological and productive traits affecting the survival of Italian Simmental dual-purpose cattle. Data available belonged to 2656 Italian Simmental dairy cows from 324 dairy herds (Emilia Romagna region, Italy). Cows involved in the study were linear classified once, as primiparous, between the 2002/2003 to 2019/2020 dairy seasons. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were performed with the LIFETEST procedure of SAS software v 9.4 using milk yield, muscularity, and body condition score (in classes) as independent variable and survival at the subsequent lactation up to the 6th as dependent variable. As expected, the culling risk increased with parity, i.e. as the age of cows progressed. In general, animals with a low production level and medium body conditions have the highest probability of survival compared to high-producing cows. This trend was more evident in later parities: in fact, cows in parity 5 with low milk production and medium muscularity were more likely (+20.11% of probability) to survive at the subsequent lactation compared to others (13.99 vs 10.49, for medium and high production levels, respectively). Moreover, high-producing cows with medium body conditions were those with the lowest probability to survive at the subsequent lactation. The reasons that could explain these findings may be linked to the metabolic stress experienced by the cows during lactation. Indeed, especially during the peripartum period, lactating cows undergo a state of negative energy balance and a reduction of immune competence. Results from this study indicated that other than productivity level, morphological traits are important for making culling decisions in the Italian Simmental cattle

The use of near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) in the prediction of chemical composition and in vitro neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility of Italian alfalfa hay.

The objective of the present work was to develop calibration equations for the prediction of chemical composition and forage digestibility from different populations of alfalfa hay harvested in Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese production area of Northern Italy. Due to annual climatic variations that affect soil and growing conditions and consequently cause high variability in chemical and physical composition, 319 hay samples from four years were used to build robust calibration. NIRS calibration equations were developed for the prediction of in vitro NDF digestibility (IVNDFd) and 20 chemical parameters (dry matter, starch, fat, sugar, fiber fractions, crude protein, nitrogen fractions and some minerals) of Italian hay. The results obtained show that NIRS equations greatly explain the variation in the composition existing in alfalfa hays grown in Northern Italy, except for a few parameters characterized by low variability range value. The equations obtained for the prediction of biological and chemical parameters explain the major part of the variation existing in the reference data, which open great prospects for the use of NIRS in planning feeding strategies of livestock, based on alfalfa forage

Validation of genomic breeding values for feed efficiency using field data: experience from UNIBO experimental herd

A strategy to maximize genetic gain in dairy farming is to identify genetically elite females through genomic testing. Indeed, direct genomic values (DGV) are early accessible at a cost-effective also in young stock and are subsequently blended to estimated breeding values (GEBV) once prediction of genetic merit is undertaken when phenotypes are available. These criteria can be used by farmers to rank females and service the best ones with (sexsorted) semen of elite bulls to achieve greater gain while simultaneously reducing the number of non-productive animals. Feed efficiency is nowadays the most popular issue for animal scientists working with ruminants. The purpose of the current research was to validate feed efficiency breeding values using real dry matter intake (DMI) data. For this purpose, we quantified the association between DGV/GEBV of predicted feed efficiency (PFE) and on-field feed intake data. Up to date, the total number of genotyped subjects at the UNIBO experimental herd is 279. Cows are routinely enrolled into experimental nutritional trials in which individual DMI (kg/d) information are collected on a daily basis. DGV/GEBV for PFE are calculated by ANAFIBJ within the national genetic and genomic evaluation; proofs are standardized to a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 5. Data were analysed with a linear mixed model, separately for primiparae and pluriparae, by adjusting the dependant variable DMI for the fixed effects of daily milk yield (linear covariate), PFE DGV/GEBV (two classes: <100 or ≥100), and days-post-calving (<120 or ≥120); random terms were cow nested within experimental trial and contemporary group (experimental trial-test date). Mean PFE was 99.50 (±1.48) while daily individual DMI averaged 23.48 (±3.44) and 26.91 (±3.14) kg/d for primiparae and pluriparae, respectively. The Pearson’s correlation coefficient between PFE and feed intake was −0.14, suggesting that cows with higher genetic merit have lower DMI. Differences between least squares means of the two PFE levels were −0.23 (±1.10; p > 0.05) and −0.26 (±0.75; p > 0.05) kg DMI/d in first- and later-parity cows, respectively. Although not significantly different, estimates indicated that, irrespective of systematic effects, cows with higher genetic merit for PFE have a lower individual daily intake compared to those with a lower genetic merit. Future efforts should be pursued to augment the sample size in order to increase the robustness of these estimates

When changing the hay makes a difference: A series of case reports

Dry hay (composed of grass, legumes, or a mixture of the two) provides the primary source of alimentary fiber in stabled horses with limited access to fresh pasture. However, hay can also give rise to health problems in the horse, depending on the quality and quantity of its components. Pathologies may be rooted in biological problems, such as inadequate digestion disturbances, or reflect mechanical difficulties – for example, due to the presence of sharp plant parts that irritate the oral mucosa, or due to physical intake problems that inhibit consumption. Unwanted plants in the hay may cause stomatitis and affect the oral mucosa, resulting in inappetence, hemorrhagic drooling, gingival hyperemia, edema, and ulcerative lesions, as reported in case 1 of the present study. Horse dysphagia, defined as a difficult in ingesting feed through the mouth and esophagus, is another important cause of malnutrition in the horse, and identifying the site of its origin is important in order to provide practical advice for nutritional management, as reported in case 2. Free fecal water syndrome (FFWS) is a condition where the horse exhibits two-phase feces expulsion, with an initial solid phase followed by a liquid phase. Although the etiology of FFWS is still unknown, hay quality seems to play a key role, as the outcome of case 3 suggests. This case series highlights the importance of hay quality and of providing an appropriate and adequate fiber intake. Moreover, good hay management becomes crucial when horses are affected by contextual pathologies, such as stomatitis, dysphagia, or FFW

Combined Inclusion of Former Foodstuff and Distiller Grains in Dairy Cows Ration: Effect on Milk Production, Rumen Environment, and Fiber Digestibility

Simple Summary One-third of the global food produced for human consumption is wasted every year. This leads to the wasting of economic, environmental, and social resources. The reallocation of some unconventional agro-industrial by-products, such as former foods or distiller grains, into the animal feed chain, can contribute to increasing the sustainability of livestock production, reducing the need for natural resources such as arable soil, water, fertilisers, and fuels, and consequentially reduce the impact of animal requirements. Many agro-food industrial by-products are already used in animal feeding, but the potential of these feed ingredients has not yet been fully investigated, especially in ruminant nutrition. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of the substitution, in dairy cow rations, of traditional protein and starch sources with more sustainable "circular" feeds to increase the sustainability of dairy production. For this purpose, eight multiparous mid-lactating cows were blocked and assigned to one of four treatments and were used in a replicated 4 x 4 Latin squares design with 21-days periods (14 days of adaptation and 7 of data collection). Two different circular feedstuffs were tested: a bakery's former foodstuff (FF) and a wheat distiller's grain with solubles (WDGS). These ingredients were used, alone and in combination, in three experimental diets (FF, WDGS; FF + WDGS) and compared to a standard ration (CTR). Dry matter intake and rumination time were not influenced by these diets. Conversely, dietary treatments partially influenced the milk yield, rumen pH, Volatile Fatty Acids (VFA) production, and fibre digestibility. In particular, the combined inclusion of FF and WDGS increased milk production (37.39 vs. 36.92, 35.48, 35.71 kg/day, for FF, WDGS and CTR diets, respectively) and reduced milk urea content (13.14 vs. 16.19, 15.58, 16.95 mg/dL for FF, WDGS, and CTR diets, respectively). No effects of this association were found in the milk composition, acetic and propionic production, and fibre digestibility. These results suggest that the association of former foodstuff and wheat distillers' grains could be safely included in dairy cow rations to increase the sustainability of cow nutrition and improve milk production without impairing animal health, dry matter intake, and fibre digestibility

Effects of 00-rapeseed meal inclusion in Parmigiano Reggiano hay-based ration on dairy cows’ production, reticular pH and fibre digestibility

Hay-based diets are typically used in Parmigiano Reggiano cheese production. Parmigiano Reggiano feeding regulation prohibits 00-rapeseed dietary inclusion. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of substituting soybean-meal with different levels of 00-rapeseed-meal in dairy cows’ diets, to evaluate the possibility to include it in Parmigiano Reggiano regulation. The study had a Latin square design with 8 tie stall dairy cows. The isoenergetic and isoproteic dietary treatments differed in protein source (% of DM): S (0.0% 00-rapeseed-meal, 9.3% of soybean-meal), LR (3.8% 00-rapeseed-meal, 6.8% of soybean-meal), MR (8.5% 00-rapeseed-meal, 3.4% of soybean-meal), and HR (13.2% 00-rapeseed-meal, 0.0% of soybean-meal). DMI, milk production and composition, rumination and reticular-pH were recorded daily. Dietary fibre digestibility was evaluated by in vitro fermentation and milk gointrin content was quantified by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Statistical analysis was performed by mixed model. Milk yield, protein and casein content increased for incremental 00-rapeseed-meal dietary levels. MR treatment compared to the others resulted in higher daily reticular-pH (5.92), and fewer minutes with pH below 5.8 (467) and 5.5 (72). Goitrin was detectable in milk when 00-rapeseed-meal was included in the diet. Overall, the inclusion of 00-rapeseed-meal in the Parmigiano Reggiano type ratio did not compromise the performances of cows pointing to it as a reliable substitute for soybean-meal. Our results suggest that 00-rapeseed-meal should be tested in feeding studies to determine its effects on milk organoleptic characteristics and cheese production and quality to see if it can be included in the Italian PDO cheese regulation