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Yearly calvings are essential to the sustainability of modern dairy farming. Currently, calving difficulty (or dystocia) affects one in six calvings among UK dairy herds but vary from 2 to 50% internationally. In dairy cows, despite reports of impaired performance, the extent and threshold of the effect of dystocia on health and performance remains unclear. Over the past years, there has also been increasing concerns about the levels of pain experienced by the dystocial cows. Better understanding of their parturition progress and behaviours is needed so that informed decisions on pain mitigation can be taken. Additionally, the impact of dystocia (besides stillbirth) should also be addressed in dairy calves. The objective of this study was to address the effects of a difficult calving on the health and welfare of both dairy cows and calves. Retrospective analyses of an experimental farm’s detailed records were used to relate calving difficulty with health and performance of the dairy cow. The results showed that after any difficulty at calving, dairy producers incur long-lasting shortfalls in milk sales. Dystocial cows also have impaired fertility, are more likely to leave the herd early and have a higher risk of dystocia at the following calving, thus there is a long-term detrimental impact on dystocial cows. Video monitoring of calvings allowed detailed investigation of the parturition progress and behaviours of dystocial Holstein cows giving birth to singleton liveborn calves. The study of calving behaviours and parturition progress indicated longer later stages of parturition, increased restlessness and tail raising in the six hours preceding expulsion of the calf, for dystocial cows receiving farm assistance compared with cows calving unaided. This may relate to the expression of higher levels of pain when dystocia occurs. The onset of maternal behaviour was not delayed following calving difficulty, and firm conclusions could not be drawn from investigation of some behavioural indicators of pain in the first three hours postpartum. Experimental work allowed the monitoring of a cohort of 496 calves born with various degrees of birth difficulty over two years. All but one vet assisted calves were born dead, and farmer assisted calves were more likely to be stillborn than calves born without assistance. Stillborn dystocial calves displayed larger internal damage, than stillborn eutocial calves, but they did not have a different body shape at birth than dystocial calves that survived. Dystocial dairy calves that survived the birth process had lower vigour at birth, had higher salivary cortisol, acquired lower passive immunity and received more health treatments in the neonatal period. Dystocial heifers also had higher mortality rates by weaning but had similar growth to first service. Historical records from the farm also showed that dystocial heifer calves were three times more likely to have died by weaning and by first service than calves born without assistance. For those who survived, there was, however, no indication of altered growth to weaning or subsequent impaired fertility. This may be explained by the early mortality of the most badly affected calves or by farm management. However, their high mortality rates still raise welfare concerns. Altogether, results suggest that dairy calves born with any difficulty have poorer welfare in the neonatal period and possibly beyond. The experience of any calving difficulty in dairy cattle therefore not only impairs the welfare of the cow, but also the welfare from their resulting calf. Any strategy implemented to lower the occurrence and mitigate the effects of dystocia will therefore improve the welfare of the cows, their calves and enhance the farm’s economic sustainability.

The aim of this work was monitored by video recordings made in the ZD Krásná Hora nad Vltavou, 6 different types of outdoor hutches and individual one on the basis of different behavior of calves to evaluate the suitability of different types either for breeding dairy calves in the period. Investigations were carried out in winter and summer, was used in recording AVI Windows Media Player with a length of 1-minute intervals. Heifers of Czech Spotted cattle were monitored. Length of stay of individual calves in outdoor hutches was from 83-87 days. The purpose of monitoring was to evaluate the length of stay of calves within each individual outdoor hutches and length of stay outside. In each hut were installed sensors, reported the values of internal temperature and relative humidity at intervals of 15 minutes. Given that microclimate should be in different climatic conditions to create an optimal environment for the calves, the criteria have been satisfied welfare length of stay inside the shed. The average outdoor temperature during the reporting period of the winter fell to -2.54° C. In this period, the individual VIB measured average indoor temperature of -0.04 ° C to -1.43 ° C. During the follow up period was recorded in summer average daily temperature of 19.79 ° C. Summer temperatures average in each of the VIB was 21.14 ° C - 22.27 ° C. These data were no statistically significant temperature differences (P ? 0.05) between the VIB in winter and in summer. The average relative humidity in the microclimate in the winter of VIB reached values ranging from 79.57% to 86.76% in summer from 59.59% to 63.55%. In the winter when evaluating indicators of microclimatic relative humidity between VIB was a statistically significant difference P?0.05 (1:2, 2:3, 2:4, 2:5, 2:6). In winter, the length of stay within the VIB calves ranged from 73.96% - 88.96% of the reference time. Differences between the lengths of stay within the VIB calves were statistically significant (P?0.05 to P?0.001). Over the summer period, length of residence either within the calves ranged from 65.68% - 80.85% of the reference time. Differences between the lengths of stay during the summer period were significant (P?0.05 to P?0.001). Total for the period was the top-rated wooden shed ZD Krasna Hora nad Vltavou.

In their first days of life, dairy calves in artificial rearing systems often have difficulty using an artificial teat for feeding. I examined the age at which calves are able to stand up and suckle without lifting assistance, as well as their suckling behavior when presented with a plain dry teat versus a dry teat modified with a presumably attractive odor or taste substance. Single-housed newborn dairy calves (n = 51) were presented for ten consecutive days with a two-minute two-choice test, in which suckling time was recorded for 1) a plain (control) teat vs. a glucose-coated teat (taste test) and 2) a plain teat vs. a teat with a "Freshly Cut Grass" odor (odor test). On average, the calves were able to suckle without lifting assistance from the second or third day of age on. The "Freshly Cut Grass" odor had no significant effect on their suckling behavior. The calves showed a significant preference for suckling the glucose-coated teat and displayed a significantly longer total suckling time in the taste test compared to the odor test. There were no significant differences between sexes regarding suckling preference. The results of the present study show that glucose had a significant effect on the calves' teat preference and significantly increased total suckling time with a dry artificial teat. As such, glucose may increase suckling motivation in non-efficient drinkers or ill calves with low motivation to suckle.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of M. elsdenii (Me) dosing on dairy heifer performance. A secondary set of data (feed intake, heifers birth weights, age and Weight at insemination, and first lactation milk performance) of heifers (dosed and not dosed with Me) was obtained from the dairy herd of the Agricultural Research Council – Animal Production. Data were arranged in a complete randomised design and analysed as repeated measures. Milk, pre-weaning starter and metabolised energy intake did not differ between the control and the Me groups. Post-weaning starter feed intake was higher (p=0.03) for Me fed heifers than control heifers. The post-weaning metabolisable energy intake was also higher (p=0.03) for heifer fed Me than control heifers. The average daily weight gain of heifers dosed with Me was higher during the pre-weaning period (0.66 kg/day; p=0.04) and after weaning (1.12 kg/day; p=0.03) compared to control (0.60 and 0.65 kg/day, respectively). At 42 and 70 days old, the BW of Me-heifers was greater (75.8 ± 2.6 and 91.2 ± 4.6 kg) than control heifers (61.9 ± 2.6 and 77.2 ± 4.6 kg) (p<0.05). There was no difference (P>0.05) in BW at insemination, number of insemination and milk yield between the two groups of cows (p>0.05). Early feeding of Me to heifers in the present study positively affect heifer growth during and early after milk feeding period, confirming previous report. Animal weight at puberty and the subsequent milk production were not influenced by feeding Me. It is possible that Me did not survive long after weaning to continue to express its influence on animal performance. / Agriculture and  Animal Health / M. Sc. (Agriculture)

<p dir="ltr">ABSTRACT</p><p dir="ltr">Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) poses a significant challenge in the dairy and beef industry, contributing to high mortality, morbidity, and economic costs. Extensive research has aimed to enhance BRD diagnosis, focusing on various factors such as predisposition, environment, and epidemiology. While diverse methods have been developed for BRD detection, including clinical signs, behavioral changes, lung consolidation assessment via ultrasonography, and molecular techniques for microbiome analysis, accurate diagnosis remain inconsistent. Notably, many studies lack exploration of microbial interactions (fungi, viruses, and bacteria) within BRD-affected animals compared to healthy ones. Moreover, the impact of age, disease, and antibiotic treatment on the microbiome community remains understudied. Thus, additional analysis is crucial to understand the relationships between these factors and BRD development. This dissertation is divided into two parts, each addressing specific conditions. The first part focuses on characterizing the nasopharyngeal (NP) microbiome of dairy calves, pre-weaned and post-transported, and those diagnosed with BRD within the first two weeks of life. The objective is to identify NP microbiome changes as indicators of disease development, considering antibiotic treatment effects on NP alpha and beta diversity. The second part delves into characterizing the fungal and bacterial nasal cavity among BRD-affected and healthy cattle within the same pen. This section, presented in three chapters, explores the bovine nasal mycobiome in beef cattle, as well as the nasal microbiome in both dairy and beef cattle. The overarching goals of these studies are to evaluate differences in the nasal mycobiome or microbiome community between BRD-affected and healthy cattle, focusing on alpha, beta, and community compositions as potential disease indicators. Additionally, the aim is to determine if BRD-affected cattle exhibit higher abundance of BRD-pathobionts (fungi and bacteria) in the nasal cavity compared to healthy pen-mates. In conclusion, findings from this research emphasize the importance of incorporating both mycobiome and microbiome analyses in understanding BRD development. Future studies should consider geographical influences on nasal microbiome structure, highlighting the need for separate investigations in dairy and beef calves due to breed variations. Ultimately, studying mycobiome and microbiome ecology offers insights into microbial transitions from commensal to pathogenic farms in the bovine upper respiratory tract, supporting advancements in BRD prevention or mitigation strategies.</p>