Model to evaluate welfare in dairy cow farms.

The assessment of herd welfare is a scientific discipline that is rapidly developing. The scientific community plays an important role in delivering appropriate, repeatable, valid and feasible models for this assessment. Unfortunately, there are different feelings regarding the welfare of animals and it is imperative for its assessment that certain agreement on the meaning of animal welfare is accepted. Then it is necessary to look at the goals of the models of welfare assessment because different goals require a different combination of welfare indicators. The different models for welfare assessment can be categorized broadly into research, legislative requirements, certification systems, and advisory/management tools. These models may have various goals: quantification of welfare, provision of welfare assurance or welfare management. However, it is widely accepted that welfare is best assessed with multiple different measures; therefore, a welfare assessment model for a livestock herd can include two types of measure: a description of the housing system and management (indirect indicators) and data recording on how the animals react to the system (direct indicators). The first type provides information on risk factors for welfare problems. Direct measures on the animals provide information on their response to the environment and are more direct measures of welfare than their counterparts, but direct welfare indicators alone do not point out the causes of impaired welfare. Because welfare is a complex construct, different approaches for the aggregation of the different aspects of welfare have been proposed, although the aggregation in an overall welfare value is not sufficient. The thresholds between acceptable and unacceptable welfare levels have to be included in the model of welfare assessment but it seems useful to set certain minimum standards for each single welfare aspect. Afterward, judging the validity of a common welfare assessment model is important. In addition to considering its aim and the fact that a gold standard for animal welfare does not exist, it aids in identifying some widely accepted reference parameters which cannot be utilized in the field (i.e. ACTH challenge, immune system parameters, etc.), but which can be utilized to validate the field models. A new model has been recently set up in our Institute, which is based on many environmental factors included into two clusters: life conditions and feeding. A further cluster considers the animal responses in general and to the previous factors; specific indicators of behavioural, physiological, performance and health type have been included in this last cluster

Effects of daily gain in pre- and postpubertal replacement dairy heifers on body condition score, body size, metabolic profile, and future milk production.

Two trials were conducted to evaluate the effect of moderate (0.7 kg) and accelerated (0.9 kg) average daily gain before (trial 1) and after (trial 2) puberty on body condition, metabolic profile, and first lactation milk production of Italian Holstein-Friesian heifers. There were 20 heifers in trial 1 and 22 in trial 2. Trials started when heifers averaged 150 and 300 kg of body weight in trial 1 and 2, respectively, and lasted 7 mo (experimental period). Across diet groups, half of the heifers were mated at first estrus after 370 kg and the other half after 420 kg of body weight gain. Actual average daily gains were 0.667 and 0.775 kg in trial 1 and 0.748 and 0.824 kg in trial 2 for moderate and accelerated experimental groups, respectively. Diets for high average daily gain did not affect body condition during growing phase in trial 1, whereas it did in trial 2. High average daily gain increased plasma glucose in trial 1 and plasma urea concentration in trial 2. Rearing diet did not affect milk production and milk protein percent; age in both trials. High average daily gain decreased milk fat percentage in trial 2. Early calving negatively influenced milk production in both trials and milk fat percentage in trial 1. Early calving heifers showed higher protein percentage than those with late calving only in trial 1

Effect of Se source and dose on selenomethionine and selenocysteine levels in blood and plasma of mature horses.

The study comprised 25 mature horses and incorporated five dietary treatments;anega- a nega- tive control (C: 0.085 mg Se/kg DM), 3 levels of Se yeast supplementation, obtained from Saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I-3060 (OS2, OS3 and OS4: 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 mg Se/kg DM respectively) and one positive control supplemented with Na selenite (IS3: 0.3 mg Se/kg DM). Diets were offered for 112 days. Total Se, proportion of total Se comprised as selenomethionine (SeMet) or selenocysteine (SeCys) of pooled samples of blood and plasma for each treatment at d 0.56 and 112 were determined. Total Se and SeCys increased both in blood and plasma during the trial in all treatments supplemented with Se; these increases were pro- portional to the level of dietary Se supplementation. TheSeMetincreasedonlyintreatmentssupplemented The SeMet increased only in treatments supplemented with Se yeast, with increases proportional to the level of dietary Se supplementation. In Se yeast horses the proportion of total Se comprised as SeMet accounted for 20 and 14% of total Se increase in blood and plasma respectively; in IS3 only accounted for 5 and 3% respectively. These results seem support the view that SeMet is a non-specific form of Se that is metabolized as a constituent of the methionine pool, and can can be considered as a storage form of Se in higher animals.

Trial on use of a complete pelleted feed (Unipellet) in lactating ewes: metabolic profile results

A trial was carried out to examine the metabolic and productive effects of a complete pelleted feed (Unipellet) in dairy ewes feeding. 24 Sardinian lactating ewes were divided in 3 groups (A, B, C) and fed with: group A = pasture + pelleted concentrate; group B = alternatively either pasture + Unipellet ad libitum or only Unipellet ad libitum; group C = pasture + Unipellet ad libitum. The intake of concentrate was 756 g/d in the group A, whereas the intake of Unipellet was 998 g/d in the group C and 858 g/d in the group B when the ewes grazed and 2277 g/d when the Unipellet was the only fed. The milk yie1d of the 3 groups did not differ significative1y (g/d 906 vs 1044 vs 975); the milk fat content was highest in the group B (6.42% vs 7.08% vs 6.33%); the milk protein content was highest in the group A and lowest in the group B (6.32% vs 5.55% vs 5.92%). The body weight increased more in the group B. The metabolic profile showed that the Unipellet did not seem to have an adverse effect on the alimentary canal, whereas the function of the liver appeared to be slight1y impaired

Application of a NIR device for precision feeding in dairy farms: effect on metabolic conditions and milk production

Forages dry matter (DM) could vary among batches and in particular when silages are fed. These variations could modify nutrients composition of total mixed ration and affect cows performance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of application of a precision feeding system (PFS) based on a near infra-red scanner, on metabolic conditions and milk yield in lactating dairy cows. The study was performed in 7 farms where PFS was installed on feed mixer to perform a weight-adjustment of DM measured in real time on feeds. A cross-over (14 weeks periods) was applied, PFS was switched on (PF-ON) in three herds and off in the other four (PF-OFF) during 1st period, and vice versa in 2nd period. At the end of two periods, in each herd 7 early and 7 mid lactation cows, for a total of 196 cows, were checked for: blood parameters, milk yield and composition. During the study deviation of DM of target diet (calculated on amount of feed in recipe and applying the DM determined in laboratory) and diets really distributed to cows tended to be lower with PF-ON vs. PF-OFF (0.06 vs 0.12 kg, p = .12). In early lactating cows, lower blood urea (4.63 vs 4.88 mmol/L, p = .115) indicated a better feed protein utilisation in PF-ON vs. PF-OFF. Milk yield and composition were not affected. The use of PFS meliorated the consistency of TMR, which could determine a better efficiency of nutrients utilisation and a reduction of production costs.Highlights Near infra-red (NIR) technology can be advantageously applied at farm level within a precision feeding system for dairy cows. The system allowed a more constant daily supply of nutrients with a reduction of metabolic alterations and a higher efficiency of feed protein utilisation. Utilization of NIR technology at farm level can be economically sustainable

Plasma paraoxonase, health, inflammatory conditions, and liver function in transition dairy cows.

Paraoxonase (PON) is a liver protein with hydrolase activity that is released into the blood stream. Paraoxonase may serve as an index of liver function because it is drastically reduced in chronic liver damage. Sixty-seven periparturient dairy cows were used to evaluate the relationship between plasma PON, health problems, inflammatory conditions, and liver function. Baseline plasma PON concentrations during the first 30 d in milk (DIM) were retrospectively used to group cows into quartiles. Metabolic profile, lipid metabolites (e.g., nonesterified fatty acids, beta-hydroxybutyrate), inflammatory indices (haptoglobin, ceruloplasmin), low and high density lipoprotein cholesterol, vitamin A, vitamin E, reactive oxygen metabolites, total antioxidants, and PON in plasma were measured 2 wk before to 8 wk after calving. Weekly milk yield, body condition score, and all health problems were recorded. After parturition (7 DIM), cows in the lower PON group had the lowest plasma concentrations of negative acute phase proteins compared with the higher PON group for retinol binding protein (23.2 +/- 2.86 vs. 36.0 +/- 2.96 microg/dL of vitamin A), albumin (31.6 +/- 0.73 vs. 33.9 +/- 0.75 g/L), total cholesterol (2.04 +/- 0.30 vs. 2.45 +/- 0.42 mmol/L), and the highest concentrations of haptoglobin (0.67 vs. 0.24 +/- 0.03 g/L; positive acute phase protein) and globulins (37.2 vs. 32.3 +/- 1.4 g/L). Plasma bilirubin was highest in the cows (10.1 vs. 6.2 +/- 0.6 micromol/L) in the lowest PON quartile. Plasma PON was negatively correlated with haptoglobin (r = -0.39) and bilirubin (r = -0.42) and positively correlated with retinol binding protein (r = 0.54), albumin (r = 0.38), and cholesterol (r = 0.55) fractions. A total of 82.3% of cows in the lower quartile and no cows in the upper quartile experienced serious inflammation. Lower quartile cows produced 28.1 +/- 10.3 kg of milk/d; whereas upper quartile cows produced 38.3 +/- 7.7 kg of milk/d during the first 30 DIM. A reduction in the ability of the liver to cope with the increased metabolic demand near parturition in dairy cows can be diagnosed using changes in baseline plasma PON

Effect of diets with different content of starch and protein fed to dairy cows in early lactation on milk yield and traits

With the aim to study the effect on milk yield and its traits of 2 different levels of fermentable carbohydrates (LS: 25.5%, and HS: 29.5% DM) combined with 2 protein levels (LP: 15.5% and HP: 16.5% DM), 4 Italian Friesian dairy cows in early lactation housed in a tied stall were used. The experimental diets were obtained adjusting in 4 supplements the proportion of high energy fibrous (beet pulp, soybean hull) or starchy (corn meal) feeds and of meal protein more (soybean meal) or less (Soy-Pass®: xylose-treated soybean meal) degradable. The highest DMI was observed in HSHP which showed also a low content of NDF. Milk yield resulted over 45 kg/d throughout the study and higher when HSHP diet was fed (46.1 kg). Milk fat was always at high level and the lowest value (3.89%) with HSHP and the highest (4.08%) with LSLP were observed. The diets did not modified milk protein (their average levels resulted of 3.25%) and lactose content. Milk acidity and renneting traits were higher when HSLP was fed, and resulted at adequate levels when all the diets were fed. When the diets for dairy cow are formulated to cover the animal requirements and respect their digestion physiology, it is possible to reach high milk yield level and maintaining, at the same time, a high milk quality

Welfare assessment based on metabolic and endocrine aspects in primiparous cows milked in a parlor or with an automatic milking system.

An automatic milking system (AMS) was compared with a traditional milking parlor (MP) to evaluate metabolic and psycho-physiological aspects of animal welfare. Twenty Italian Friesian heifers were allocated to 2 groups of 10 cows each after calving and maintained in the same free-stall barn. The first group was milked twice daily in a MP; the second group was milked in a single box AMS. Feed and diet characteristics were analyzed. Health status and body condition score (BCS) were evaluated in each cow. Blood samples were obtained from -14 to 154 d in milk (DIM) to determine metabolic profile and basal concentrations of cortisol in plasma. Data collected from 10 cows per group were processed. No significant difference was detected in milk yield, BCS, and energy-related metabolites (glucose, nonesterified fatty acids, beta-hydroxybutyrate, and triglycerides) from cows in MP or in AMS during the first 22 wk of lactation. These results, jointly with the absence of significant differences in plasma metabolites related to protein metabolism, mineral metabolism, and liver function during the first 22 wk of lactation, indicates that cows in AMS did not suffer metabolically. Greater basal concentrations of plasma cortisol in AMS cows, even if absolute values were considered to be in an acceptable range, might indicate chronic stress in these primiparous cows. Further research is necessary to confirm this hypothesis

Exploring Fourier transform mid-infra-red spectrometry to predict biochemical parameters in horse's blood

The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of Fourier transform mid-infra-red (FT-MIR) spectrometry to analyse blood biochemical parameters of the horse. For this purpose, mid infrared transmission spectra were acquired from plasma samples from 72 healthy horses. Each sample was also analysed using reference clinical chemical methods, and these results were used as calibrating values to develop predictive models by partial least squares method. The validation was carried out using external validation method. The coefficient of determination (R2) and the ratio of prediction to deviation (RPD) showed high values for parameters regarding energy and protein metabolism. Among energy parameters, an excellent prediction model was developed for total cholesterol (R2 = 0.94; RPD = 4.40) and triglycerides (R2 = 0.96; RPD = 5.0) while fair results were obtained for cholesterol fractions (R2 range: 0.75–0.80; RPD range: 2.0–2.3). Among protein metabolism parameters, excellent prediction models were developed for total protein, albumin, globulin (R2 range: 0.96–0.99; RPD range: 5.40–9.30) and good prediction model for urea (R2 = 0.90; RPD = 3.2), confirming previous results with the plasma of dairy cows. Our results highlight that FT-MIR spectrometry offers an accurate measurement of important plasma biomarkers for the evaluation of energy (cholesterol and triglycerides) and protein metabolism (urea), as well as for health status (albumin/globulin ratio). Our results may open an interesting perspective of a more cost-effective approach to monitoring the metabolic status and health conditions of the horse, with the future possibility to predict some blood biomarkers by the practitioner in field.Highlights FT-MIR potential to measure blood parameters in horses was explored; Infra-red spectrometry can be used in horse's clinical chemistry; Fast and cost-effective metabolic status evaluation in horses; Accurate FT-MIR predictions for plasma protein and lipid fractions in horses

Monensin controlled-release capsule administered in late-pregnancy differentially affects rumination patterns, metabolic status, and cheese-making properties of the milk in primiparous and multiparous cows

The increased resistance to disease observed after monensin treatment could reflect a reduction of inflammation and oxidative stress. We hypothesised that if monensin supplementation was given before calving, it would help in controlling inflammation, reduce the susceptibility to disease and increase the performance. Fourteen pregnant heifers (PR) and 24 multiparous cows (ML) were randomly assigned to a treated group (Mon) or a control group (Ctr). The Mon group received 32.4 g of monensin in a controlled-release capsule 21 days before calving (expected release rate, 335 mg/d for 95 days). Their health status, rumination activity, and plasma parameters were monitored from –28 to 56 days from calving. The milk yield (MY), milk composition, and cheese-making properties were also monitored. Rumen samples were collected at 30 days from calving to assess the volatile fatty acids composition and investigate immunological parameters. After calving, the Mon group had fewer clinical diseases, an increased rumination time, and a higher MY. Monensin reduced the infiltration of both T and B cells in rumen fluid. In ML, the Mon group had lower levels of β-hydroxybutyrate in the early postpartum period and a lower level of total reactive oxygen species. Of PR, the Mon group had a tendency for lower levels of nonesterified fatty acids, higher levels of ceruloplasmin after the first month of lactation, a tendency for lower levels of paraoxonase, higher levels of γ-glutamyl transferase and higher levels of total reactive oxygen species. Monensin treatment decreased the cheese-making properties in the milk of PR.HighlightsMonensin improved the performance of all the animals and decreased the disease incidence in all of them.Monensin heightened the inflammatory and oxidative stress status and reduced the cheese-making properties in pregnant heifers.Although different effects were seen in cows with different parity, dairy cows generally beneficed of monensin administration. Monensin improved the performance of all the animals and decreased the disease incidence in all of them. Monensin heightened the inflammatory and oxidative stress status and reduced the cheese-making properties in pregnant heifers. Although different effects were seen in cows with different parity, dairy cows generally beneficed of monensin administration