Monitoring Spatial Heterogeneity of Pasture within Paddock Scale using a Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (sUAV)

Symposium mini revie

Effects of calcium salts of long-chain fatty acids and rumen-protected methionine on plasma concentrations of ghrelin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (7 to 36) amide and pancreatic hormones in lactating cows

Our objective was to determine the effects of calcium salts of long-chain fatty acids (CLFAs) and rumen-protected methionine (RPM) on plasma concentrations of ghrelin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (7 to 36) amide, and pancreatic hormones in lactating cows. Four Holstein cows in midlactation were used in a 4 by 4 Latin square experiment in each 2-wk period. Cows were fed corn silage-based diets with supplements of CLFAs (1.5% added on dry matter basis), RPM (20 g/d), CLFAs plus RPM, and without supplement. Jugular blood samples were taken from 1 h before to 2 h after morning feeding at 10-min intervals on day 12 of each period. CLFAs decreased dry matter intake, but RPM did not affect dry matter intake. Both supplements of CLFAs and RPM did not affect metabolizable energy intake and milk yield and composition. Plasma concentrations of NEFAs, triglyceride (TG), and total cholesterol (T-Cho) were increased with CLFAs alone, but increases of plasma concentrations of TO and T-Cho were moderated by CLFAs plus RPM. Calcium salts of long-chain fatty acids increased plasma ghrelin concentration, and the ghrelin concentration with CLFAs plus RPM was the highest among the treatments. Plasma concentrations of glucagon-like peptide-1, glucagon, and insulin were decreased with CLFAs, whereas adding RPM moderated the decrease of plasma glucagon concentration by CLFAs. These results indicate that the addition of methionine to cows given CLFAs increases plasma concentrations of ghrelin and glucagon associated with the decrease in plasma concentrations of TO and T-Cho

A preliminary proposal of policy for dairy herd health management from the viewpoints of culling in the Hiroshima University Farm

近年日本の乳牛の平均除籍産次数が3.4産程度に低下しており，対策が必要な現状にある．本研究の目的は，本学農場の乳牛除籍の傾向を把握して，対策について考察することである．2000～2015年度の本農場の記録をもとに解析した．本農場では常時20～25頭程度の搾乳牛が飼養され，2011年3月までは1日2回のパーラー搾乳，それ以降は24時間自動搾乳が行われた．期間内に83頭の乳牛が除籍になり，うち67頭が肉畜として出荷され，16頭が農場内で死亡した．除籍頭数割合は産次とともに増加し，6産時が最も多かった．除籍率は，初産時が最も低く，徐々に増加して4産，5産時に40%を超え，6産時に急激に増加して77.8%となった．除籍理由として，繁殖障害，乳房炎等の疾病が推察された．一般的な繁殖成績改善と疾病予防を進めるとともに，6産以降は繁殖と疾病の履歴に基づき，飼養継続の判断基準確立が必要と考えられた．In Japan, mean value for parity of dairy cows at culling has decreased to 3.4; measures to improve this are required. The aim of the present study is to understand the trends of culling of dairy cows at the Hiroshima University Farm. For that purpose, the farm’s records for dairy cow culling during the period of 2000–2015 were analyzed. At the farm, 20–27 dairy cows are regularly being milked. In March 2011, the milking system at the farm was changed from a milking parlor system to an automatic milking system. During the 16 years analyzed, 67 cows sold for meat and 16 cows that died at the farm totaled to 83 culled cows. The proportion of culled cows for each parity to total culled cows increased with increasing parity, and the number of cows culled at their 6th parity was the highest. The proportion of culled cows to cows that delivered at each parity gradually increased to more than 40% at the 5th parity, and drastically increased to more than 77.8% at the 6th parity. The reasons for culling were reproductive difficulty and diseases, such as mastitis. Therefore, general measures for improving reproductive performance and disease prevention should be taken for the cows at the 4th or lower parity. In addition, for dairy cows at the 5th or higher parity, a diagnostic decision on whether they are artificially inseminated for further delivery or not might be required depending on the individual cow’s record of reproduction and diseases

Techniques for Gastrointestinal Cannulation of Ruminants with Improved Polyethylene Cannulas

山羊・めん羊・去勢牛の第一胃・第四胃・十二指腸および回腸への消化官カニューレ装着法を検討した。作製したカニューレはポリエチレン製で、筒・外鍔・中鍔および内鍔から構成されている。内鍔は円盤形か樋形のものであり、前着は第一胃・第四胃カニューレあるいは腸管のリエントラントカニューレに用いた。後者は腸管のシングルあるいはリエントラントカニューレとして使用した。中鍔を消化管と腹腔壁の間に留置することによりカニューレを固定した。さらにカニューレの筒周囲の消化管外壁に伸縮性のネットを縫い付けた。これらの手法によって、従来みられたカニューレ周囲からの消化管内容物の漏れやカニューレの脱落は術後1年以上経過しても観察されなかった。去勢牛に第一胃・十二指腸・回腸カニューレを同時に装着しても乾草の自由摂取量は10日以内に拳術前の90%まで回復した。Cannulation techniques for the rumen, abomasum, duodenum and ileum of goats, sheep and steers were developed. The cannulas were made from polyethylene, basically consisting of barrel, outer and medial flange disk, and inner flange. The shape of inner flange was disk or gutter type. Disk type of inner flange was used for ruminal and abomasal cannulas, and intestinal reentrant cannulas. Gutter type was for single or reentrant cannulas of the intestine. The medial disk was installed between the digestive tract and the inner abdominal wall, ensuring the tight fit of the cannula in the abdominal wall. Additionally, a piece of elastic net sewn onto the digestive wall around the cannula barrel eliminated the leakage of digesta completely. These techniques and the device facilitated that the cannulas were not protruded from the side of animals. Ad libitum hay intake by steers recovered to 90 percentage of before surgery within 10 days, even when ruminal, duodenal and ileal cannulas were simultaneously installed by these methods

A NOTE ON FITTING RE-ENTRANT CANNULAE ON THE DUODENUM OF GROWING YOUNG CALVES FOR DETERMINING OF SITE AND EXTENT OF UTILIZATION OF NITROGEN

In the series of study on effects of the degradability of protein in the rumen on nitrogen utilization of growing young calves in this institute, effi-ciency of nitrogen utilization has been suggested being influenced by the digestion and assimilation in the posterior digestive tracts to the rumen2l

Effect of Supplemental Nitrogen Sources on In Vitro Starch Degradation of Corn

粗濃比50:50と20:80、粗蛋白質含量12%と17%とする4種類の飼料を摂取している羊の反芻腎内容液を用いて、in vitro でのトウモロコシデンプンの分解率に及ぼす添加窒素源(コーングルテンミール、コーングルテンミール+リジン、カゼイン、尿素)の影響を調べた。トウモロコシデンプンの分解率は、低蛋白質飼料給与時の反芻胃内容液に比べて、高蛋白質飼料給与時の反芻腎内容液による培養で高くなった。いずれの反芻野内容液でも、カゼインおよび尿素の添加培養によるデンプン分解率がコーングルテンミールの単独添加あるいはリジン混合物の添加培養に比べて高くなった、培養基質へのリジンの添加はデンプン分解率に影響を及ぼさなかった。アミノ酸よりもアンモニア態窒素がトウモロコシデンプンの分解の程度に密接に関係していると推察された。Starch degradation of corn was measured after incubation with ruminal fluids supplemented with six nitrogen sources; urea, casein and corn gluten meal plus four levels of lysine. Ruminal fluids were obtained from sheep fed four diets whose hay to concentrate ratios were 50:50 and 20:80 at 12 or 17% crude protein. Incubations with ruminal fluids from sheep fed the high-protein diets caused higher degradation than those from sheep fed the low-protein diets. The degradation of starch incubated with urea or casein was higher than that with corn gluten meal plus lysine. Additions of lysine to corn gluten meal were not able to enhance starch degradation by any ruminal fluids. Ammonia nitrogen rather than amino acid seems strongly to affect in vitro degradation of starch in corn

Efek Frekuensi Pemerahan dengan Automatic Milking System terhadap Body Condition Score, Somatic Cell Count, dan Penampilan Reproduksi pada Sapi Perah

Penelitian bertujuan untuk mengetahui efek frekuensi pemerahan menggunakan Automatic Milking System terhadap body condition score (BCS), somatic cell count (SCC), dan penampilan reproduksi pada sapi perah frisian holstein. Penelitian ini dilakukan di Hiroshima University Farm menggunakan 8 ekor sapi multipara dan 4 ekor sapi primipara. Sapi dibagi menjadi dua kelompok perlakuan dan 4 kali pemerahan menggunakan Automatic Milking System dimulai setelah beranak sampai dengan 50 hari setelah beranak. Sapi diberi pakan PArsial Mixed Ration (PMR) terdiri dari silase Italian ryegrass (35% bahan kering (BK), oat hay (8% BK), alfalfa hay (8% BK), pelet bit pulp (8% BK), formula feed (39% BK), mineral dan vitamin premiix dengan kandungan protein kasar (PK) 13,6% dan total digestible nutrient (TDN) 70%. Konsentrat mengandung 21% PK dan 82% TDN. Body condition score diamati dan sampel susu diambil untuk dianalisa SCC pada hari ke-20, 35 dan 50 setelah beranak. Parameter reproduksi yang diamati adalah S/C, calving interval, dan postpartum mating. Penelitian menunjukkan tidak ada perbedaan BCS dan SCC pada frekuensi pemerahan 2 dan 4 kali menggunakan Automatic Milking System, namun probabilitasterjadinya SCC tinggi (> 100.000) lebih rendah pada pemerahan 4 kali dibandingkan 2 kali (6% vs 59%). Efek frekuensi pemerahan tidak menunjukkan perbedaan nyata terhadap S/C, calving interval, dan postpartum mating. PEningkatan frekuensi pemerahan berefek positif terhadap SCC tetapi tidak menunjukkan perbedaan terhadap BCS dan penampilan reproduksi

Effects of Nonylphenol Injection into Maternal Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica) on the Female Reproductive Functions of F1 Generation

The aim of the current study was to determine whether administration of nonylphenol to laying quail causes disorder of female reproductive functions in F1 generation. Regularly laying Japanese quail were daily-injected i.m. with 50μl of corn oil or 10 μg of 4-nonylphenol for 5 days. Fertilized eggs from both groups were collected on 2 d, 4 d and 6 d after the first injection (C1, C3, C5 in oil treated group ; N1, N3 and N5 in nonylphenol treated group). The chicks hatched from these eggs were reared to maturity, and their reproductive functions and oviductal structures (including the distribution of calcium binding protein-D28K ; CaBP-D28K) were examined. The area showing immunopositive for CaBP-D28K in the tubular glands of shell gland was significantly greater in C1 than N1 and in C3 than in N3. Although the rate of egg-laying was significantly higher in C3 than in N3, no differences were observed in the other nonylphenol-treated groups compared with their corresponding control. The nonylphenol treatment did not affect the age of sexual maturity, periods of laying fertilized eggs, fertility and egg-shell quality. Histology of the oviductal magnum, isthmus and uterovaginal junction including sperm storage tubules showed no structural difference among each group. These results suggest that injection of maternal birds with nonylphenol may affect the shell gland development to reduce the density of tubular gland in F1 generation