The Effect of Low Air Temperature on Behaviour and Milk Production in Holstein Dairy Cows

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of low air temperature on behaviour and milk production in Holstein dairy cows. The experiment was carried out at a Mendel University Farm in Žabčice, CZ, between 06-12-16 and 28-02-17. The average outdoor temperature during the above mentioned period was 2.3 oC and the average barn temperature was 1.8 oC. Other known microclimatic parametres were (in average values): relative humidity (56.9 %), refrigerating quantity (37.3 W.m-2), light intensity (326.7 lx), and air flow (0.1 - 0.4 m.sMINUS SIGN 1). The values were always measured at 10:00 am. In the experiment, 75 Holstein dairy cows were observed. These cows were housed in free-stall housing stable in which the number of boxes was higher than the number of housed cows there. The observed dairy cows were either standing (43.8 %) or lying (56.2 %). In case, they were standing, the most of them were found at trough (50.4 %), less of them were found in corridor (30.0 %), and the least of them were found in their boxes. In case, the dairy cows were lying, it was found more of them were lying on their left body side (58.7 %) and less on their right body side (43.8 %). The number of dairy cows standing in boxes had a decreasing character. Concerning the daily milk yield values, these had the same trend as the barn temperature, i.e., in 9 out of 11 cases. In this case (temperature range), the amoung of daily milk yield seems to be the best assessment factor for the infuence of temperature. It is necessary to dedicate attention to air temperature range, in which the experiment was carried out.O

The physiological and productivity effects of heat stress in cattle : a review

A trend of global warming has been observed over the last few years and it has often been dis-cussed whether there is an effect on livestock. numerous studies have been published about heat stress in cattle and its influence on the physiology and productivity of animals. Preventing the negative effects of heat stress on cattle is essential to ensure animal welfare, health and produc-tivity. Monitoring and analysis of physiological parameters lead to a better understanding of the adaptation processes. This can help to determine the risk of climate change and its effects on performance characteristics, e.g. milk yield and reproduction. This, in turn, makes it possible to develop effective measures to mitigate the impact of heat load on animals. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the current literature. studies especially about the physiological and productive changes due to heat stress in cattle have been summarised in this review. The direction of future research into the aspect of heat stress in cattle is also indicate

The effects of heat stress on the behaviour of dairy cows – a review

Heat stress in livestock is a function of macro- A nd microclimatic factors, their duration and intensity, the environments where they occur and the biological characteristics of the animal. Due to intense metabolic processes, high-producing dairy cows are highly vulnerable to the effects of heat stress. Disturbances in their thermoregulatory capability are reflected by behavioural, physiological and production changes. Expression of thermoregulatory behaviour such as reduction of activity and feed intake, searching for cooler places or disturbances in reproductive behaviours may be very important indicators of animal welfare. Especially maintenance of standing or lying position in dairy cattle may be a valuable marker of the negative environmental impact. Highly mechanized farms with large numbers of animals have the informatic system that can detect alterations automatically, while small family farms cannot afford this type of equipment. Therefore, observing and analysing behavioural changes to achieve a greater understanding of heat stress issue may be a key factor for developing the effective strategies to minimize the effects of heat stress in cattle. The aim of this review is to present the state of knowledge, over the last years, regarding behavioural changes in dairy cows (Bos taurus) exposed to heat stress conditions and discuss some herd management strategies providing mitigation of the overheat consequences

Identification of differentiating metabolic pathways between infant gut microbiome populations reveals depletion of function-level adaptation to human milk in the finnish population

ABSTRACT A variety of autoimmune and allergy events are becoming increasingly common, especially in Western countries. Some pieces of research link such conditions with the composition of microbiota during infancy. In this period, the predominant form of nutrition for gut microbiota is oligosaccharides from human milk (HMO). A number of gut-colonizing strains, such as Bifidobacterium and Bacteroides, are able to utilize HMO, but only some Bifidobacterium strains have evolved to digest the specific composition of human oligosaccharides. Differences in the proportions of the two genera that are able to utilize HMO have already been associated with the frequency of allergies and autoimmune diseases in the Finnish and the Russian populations. Our results show that differences in terms of the taxonomic annotation do not explain the reason for the differences in the Bifidobacterium/Bacteroides ratio between the Finnish and the Russian populations. In this paper, we present the results of function-level analysis. Unlike the typical workflow for gene abundance analysis, BiomeScout technology explains the differences in the Bifidobacterium/Bacteroides ratio. Our research shows the differences in the abundances of the two enzymes that are crucial for the utilization of short type 1 oligosaccharides. IMPORTANCE Knowing the limitations of taxonomy-based research, there is an emerging need for the development of higher-resolution techniques. The significance of this research is demonstrated by the novel method used for the analysis of function-level metagenomes. BiomeScout—the presented technology—utilizes proprietary algorithms for the detection of differences between functionalities present in metagenomic samples

Effect of Temperature Cumulation on Milk Yield of Czech Fleckvieh-Simmental Cattle

The aim of this study was to asses the effect of temperature cumulation on milk yield of Czech Fleckvieh-Simmental cattle. Experiment for this study was executed on private farm in Czech Republic with permanently open-sided barn, in which were cows stabled (49o12'36.7"N 16o23'42.1"E). Cows were stabled in free stall box system. Experiment lasted three months (May-July) of 2016. In total 114 cows were include in this study. They were divided according to yield to three groups: more than 25 kg of milk per day, 20.1-24.9 kg of milk per day and less than 20 kg of milk per day. The data loggers placed inside the stable collected data about temperature every 30 minutes. Data about milk yield were obtained from software in milk parlour. After data were collected, the sum of effective temperatures (SET) was calculated. The SET was calculated for temperatures surpassing 21 oC. Data shows that all groups were affected by rising SET. The group with yield above 25 kg of milk per day was the most affected by the high SET (r = MINUS SIGN 0.4931) in contrary with the group with less than 20 kg of milk per day (r = MINUS SIGN 0.1380). Our result suggest, that the SET might be better marker for evaluation of the impact of heat stress than temperature itself. The results of this paper also shows, that the high-yield cows are affected by cumulation of temperature more.O

Influence of wind on air velocity in the barn during summer

W pracy przedstawiono wpływ siły i kierunku wiatru na kształtowanie się prędkości powietrza wentylacyjnego w wybranym obszarze obory wolnostanowiskowej podczas lata. Na podstawie analizy uzyskanych wyników badań wykonano charakterystykę prędkości wiatrów w okresie letnim. Określono zmienność prędkości powietrza wentylacyjnego przy uwzględnieniu wiatrów wiejących z kierunku prostopadłego i równoległego do obory. Zauważono zróżnicowanie prędkości powietrza w zależności od miejsca pomiaru – środkowa część obory była gorzej wentylowana od części przyściennych. Sformułowano wnioski określające przyczyny takiego zaburzenia przepływu powietrza. W celu zwiększenia prędkości powietrza wentylacyjnego w środkowej części obory zalecono zastosowanie mieszaczy powietrza. Zwrócono uwagę na konieczność kontynuowania badań różnych typów obór ze względu na ich rozwiązania konstrukcyjne oraz usytuowanie.This paper presents influence of direction and energy of wind on forming of ventilation air velocity in chosen area of the free stall barn during summer. Based on analysis of obtained measurement results characteristics of the wind speed in summer was made. Variability of the ventilation air velocity with take into account of perpendicular and parallel wind direction was determined. Noticed differentiation of air velocity depending on measurement place – central barn area was less ventilated than area close to wall. Proposals setting out the reasons for the abnormal air flow were formulated. In order to increased ventilation air velocity in central part of the barn recommended use to air mixers. Attention was drawn to need of continue studies of different barn types relative to building construction solution and its localization

Relationship between THI level and dairy cows’ behaviour during summer period

The presented study determining the relationship between the Temperature Humidity Index (THI) value during the summer months (June–August) and daily behaviour of 40 Holstein–Friesian dairy cows, including the length of standing, laying bouts and locomotor activity. Behaviour observations were conducted on a preferences test concerning their choice to time and place of rest with respect to time duration of THI: neutral (maximum 3 h with THI = 68), warm (time of THI > 68 occurrence lasted less than 12 h) and hot (time of THI > 68 occurrence lasted longer than 12 h). Obtained results was processed using analysis of the Spearman’s correlation coefficient with significant at p < .05. The results showed a decrease in daily total lying time between the neutral and hot periods from 9.9 to 7.8 h/d. Along with the increase in THI by 1 unit between the warm and hot periods, there was observed a decrease in total lying time by 38 min/d in the cubicles. With an increase in the THI was also observed an increase by 15 min/d in the lying cows in the manure alleys during the night-time. During the warm and hot periods, the cows’ activity showed a negative correlation with the increasing THI. Cows changed their behaviour during the summer depending on the prevailing environmental conditions. The behavioural studies on cows, without taking into account the variability of microclimate conditions, can lead to their inaccuracy and the misrepresentation of their results

The Analysis of Efficiency and Investment Profitability of a Solar Water Heating System in a Multi-Family Building

The study analyses the efficiency of a Solar Water Heating (SWH) system, potential financial savings and investment profitability. The analysis pertaining to the amount of energy generated by the collectors had been performed for the multi-family building within the span of two years. The efficiency of the system was determined by comparing the amount of energy from solar radiation incident on the surface of the collectors to the amount of energy generated by the collectors and fed to the existing Domestic Hot Water (DHW) system. The amount of energy generated by the collectors was approx. 70 GJ per year, at the efficiency of the SWH system equalling 36%. The best time for the operation of the system was the period from April to September, during which the share of generated for DHW amounted to 78%. It is reflected in the decreased consumption of gas by 6% throughout the year. Furthermore, based on the data about the efficiency and energy yield of the set of collectors, as well as data on insolation, the analysis was performed to determine the installation and operation costs and the depreciation period of the investigated SWH system

The distribution of deep-litter temperature in a dairy barn

The paper presents results of studies of some indoor microclimate parameters and temperature of litter bedding in a freestall barn used to house dairy cattle in a deep-litter bedding system. The studies were conducted in the period from 22 March 2014 to 22 March 2015. The analysis of distribution of litter surface temperature showed its strong relationship with indoor air temperature. In summer, temporary exceedances of the allowable indoor air temperature by even 12 °C were noted. The studies showed a significant effect of the number of animals in the barn on litter surface temperature. In the periods when cows stayed in the barn, two zones could be distinguished: the sidewall zone 1.5 m wide at the western outside wall of the building and the inner zone encompassing the remaining part of the barn. Differences in litter temperature between these zones, when cows stayed in the barn, reached 10°C. When the building was empty and animals were on pasture, the differences between litter surface temperatures were much smaller and did not exceed 3°C

The Physiological and Productivity Effects of Heat Stress in Cattle – A Review

A trend of global warming has been observed over the last few years and it has often been dis-cussed whether there is an effect on livestock. numerous studies have been published about heat stress in cattle and its influence on the physiology and productivity of animals. Preventing the negative effects of heat stress on cattle is essential to ensure animal welfare, health and produc-tivity. Monitoring and analysis of physiological parameters lead to a better understanding of the adaptation processes. This can help to determine the risk of climate change and its effects on performance characteristics, e.g. milk yield and reproduction. This, in turn, makes it possible to develop effective measures to mitigate the impact of heat load on animals. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the current literature. studies especially about the physiological and productive changes due to heat stress in cattle have been summarised in this review. The direction of future research into the aspect of heat stress in cattle is also indicate