Production records for dairy cows were first based on the yield of butter for a seven day period any time during the lactation. Later, 365- day records based on production for one day in each calendar month came into general use. The records preferred at present are 305- day records based on monthly test day production, but calculated using the centering date method. The centering date estimate is based on milk and butterfat production from two consecutive milkings per month. The sampling day is centered as nearly as possible in the test month period which need not coincide with the calendar month. The reason for the general acceptance of the 305- day records is the desire of the dairyman to freshen the dairy cow annually, which means milking for ten months and dry for two months. Records calculated by the centering date method more nearly represent actual production than records calculated by other methods that have been used. It is generally accepted that if the present testing program is used properly it can be of great value to the dairy farmer from the standpoint of herd improvement and for selecting animals for a breeding program. However, only a small percentage of the dairymen take advantage of a testing program. One of the limiting factors has been the cost of testing and record keeping. It has been suggested that bimonthly or trimonthly test periods might provide as much information as the monthly testing interval and at the same time reduce the cost to the individual dairymen. It is reasonable to speculate that with reduced costs there would be an increased number of herds tested. This would help compensate the testing supervisor and data processing center for lost income resulting from less frequent testing, and at the same time provide more information for national sire proving programs. However, bimonthly or trimonthly testing have not been accepted because of the possiblilty of larger error being involved in individual records. This larger error occurs because the curvelinear shape of the lactation is not taken into account and a cow is given credit for the same production over the entire testing period, resulting in either under or over estimation of the record. Tho objective of this study is to measure the relative accuracy of estimating 305- day production of dairy cows by using different testing intervals and different methods to estimate production. Monthly, bimonthly, and trimonthly intervals are studied. Methods include the centering date method and three methods using factors designed to extend production from each test day to a 305-day estimate with the test day estimate averaged to determine the final estimate of production for 305 days.

The decline in fertility in dairy cows is of international concern. Since 1950, milk production demands have increased while first service rates of conception have decreased. It is unclear why fertility has decreased, however current dairy management practice requires cows to be kept on a tight yearly calving schedule to ensure maximum milk production over the lifetime of the cow. The current postulate suggests that this regime places a high metabolic burden on the cows, which in turn requires the breakdown of tissues such as fat and muscle to provide substrates to meet the increased energy demands of lactation. Immediately after calving, dairy cows enter a state of negative energy balance (EB), as they cannot consume enough energy to sustain lactation. During this period of negative EB, fat is mobilised in the form of non-esterified fatty acids to help supply the body with the extra energy it needs, but fat mobilisation decreases after four weeks while cows remain in a state of negative EB for several more weeks. It is unclear whether or not muscle breakdown occurs and plays a role in the restoration of EB in lactating cows during peak lactation. I hypothesized that the breakdown of muscle does occur in cows during peak lactation, and that it occurs to a greater extent in cows producing higher amounts of milk. Dairy cows from three strains, NZL, NZH and OSH, representing cows with differing milk production abilities (low, intermediate and high, respectively), were studied for 12 weeks postpartum. Blood was drawn at weekly intervals and muscle biopsies taken at -1, 1, 4, 8, and 12 weeks postpartum. Analysis of plasma revealed an increase in the abundance of troponin I-fs (a marker of muscle breakdown) over the period of study, suggesting that breakdown of skeletal muscle was occurring. Real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that expression of the ubiquitin-proteasome (UbP) ligases atrogin-1 (atro1) and muscle ring finger protein 1 (murf1) increased initially, but returned to normal levels by four weeks postpartum. Concentration of mRNA of the lysosomal proteases, cathepsin B, D, H and L, did not change over the period of study. Therefore, the UbP pathway may contribute to the breakdown of muscle detected by troponin I-fs in plasma. Proteins involved in translation initiation were examined by Western blotting. The ratio of phosphorylated over total eIF2alpha and 4E-BP1 remained unchanged throughout the study, indicating that the breakdown of muscle was not a result of decreased protein synthesis. However, there was a greater ratio of phosphorylated to total eIF2alpha in NZL cows compared with NZH and OSH, suggesting that protein synthesis was less overall in NZL cows than other strains. Measurement of myosin heavy chain composition indicated there was no change in the abundance of type I and type IIx muscle fibres and plasma myostatin levels did not change over the period of study. However, the OSH cows had less myostatin in their plasma than the NZL and NZH cows, suggesting that there may be inhibition of muscle growth occurring in this strain. The results of this study suggest that breakdown of muscle could be important in restoring the EB in high-producing dairy cows during peak lactation. Upregulation of the UbP pathway during the first four weeks of lactation may contribute to this muscle breakdown. However, it remains unclear what processes then continue to regulate breakdown of skeletal muscle to maintain the elevated abundance of troponin I-fs in plasma from four to 12 weeks postpartum in lactating dairy cows.

No description available.

Two experiments were designed to study endometritis in postpartum dairy cows. In the first experiment, 30 cows 28 to 41 days in milk (DIM) and without evidence of clinical endometritis were sampled using cytobrush cytology. Cytobrush sampling provided sufficient endometrial material to prepare cytologic specimens and to extract endometrial mRNA. Pro-inflammatory cytokines were analyzed in harvested endometrial tissue taken from cows with and without endometritis. Cytokine expression varied between experimental groups with 30-fold higher IL-6 expression levels (P=0.01), greater than 50-fold higher IL-8 expression levels (P=0.0001), and 20-fold higher TNF-α expression levels (P=0.001) in endometritis-positive versus negative cows. Regression analysis of cytokine expression levels (Ct) and the percentage of PMNs in subclinical endometritis-positive cows showed that for each additional threshold cycle required for IL-8 detection, which corresponded to two-fold less mRNA, the percentage of PMN decreased by 3.3% (P=0.00001). Similarly, for each additional threshold cycle required to detect IL-6 and TNF-α, the percentage of PMNs in endometritis-positive cows decreased by 2.3% (P=0.015) and 2.4% (P=0.054), respectively. Cows with > 18% PMNs required significantly fewer amplification cycles to detect IL-6 (P = 0.01), IL-8 (P =0.0001) and TNF-α (P=0.053) mRNA than cows with <18% PMNs (endometritis-negative). There was a highly significant positive correlation between the expression of individual pro-inflammatory cytokines when comparing IL-8 and IL-6 (P=0.0001), IL-8 and TNF-α (P=0.00001), and finally IL-6 and TNF-α (P=0.0002). In the second experiment, 340 cows 28 to 41 days in milk were examined using cytobrush cytology and transrectal ultrasonography of the uterus and ovaries. One-half of the cows were treated with benzathine cephapirin uterine infusion to determine the lowest PMN percentage where a significant improvement in reproductive performance occurred. Subclinical endometritispositive (>15%) cows in this study were defined as those with the lowest percentage of PMNs that was associated with a significant positive treatment effect. Treated cows with >15% PMNs required 31 fewer days (P=0.041) to become pregnant and had 2.5 times fewer services per conception (P=0.0001) than untreated cows with >15% PMNs. The likelihood of there being CLs at the time of examination in cows with >15% PMNs in endometrial cytobrush cytology was 2.3 times significantly higher (P=0.04). The treatment of cows with ultrasonographically detectable fluid in the uterine lumen with benzathine cephapirin had no effect on days open compared to treatment of cows without fluid in the uterus (P=0.39). Cervical diameter and endometrial thicknesses did not differ between groups of cows with >, < 15%PMNs (P=0.46, P=0.36, respectively). In summary, based on the response to a single treatment with benzathine cephapirin, and the analysis of pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression, we recommend that a threshold of >18% PMNs be used to define endometritis-positive disease status in cows 28 to 41 DIM. Cervical diameter, ultrasonographic evidence of uterine fluid and ultrasonographic measurement of endometrial thickness were not useful for diagnosing benzathine cephapirin responsive endometritis.

Two experiments were designed to study endometritis in postpartum dairy cows. In the first experiment, 30 cows 28 to 41 days in milk (DIM) and without evidence of clinical endometritis were sampled using cytobrush cytology. Cytobrush sampling provided sufficient endometrial material to prepare cytologic specimens and to extract endometrial mRNA. Pro-inflammatory cytokines were analyzed in harvested endometrial tissue taken from cows with and without endometritis. Cytokine expression varied between experimental groups with 30-fold higher IL-6 expression levels (P=0.01), greater than 50-fold higher IL-8 expression levels (P=0.0001), and 20-fold higher TNF-α expression levels (P=0.001) in endometritis-positive versus negative cows. Regression analysis of cytokine expression levels (Ct) and the percentage of PMNs in subclinical endometritis-positive cows showed that for each additional threshold cycle required for IL-8 detection, which corresponded to two-fold less mRNA, the percentage of PMN decreased by 3.3% (P=0.00001). Similarly, for each additional threshold cycle required to detect IL-6 and TNF-α, the percentage of PMNs in endometritis-positive cows decreased by 2.3% (P=0.015) and 2.4% (P=0.054), respectively. Cows with > 18% PMNs required significantly fewer amplification cycles to detect IL-6 (P = 0.01), IL-8 (P =0.0001) and TNF-α (P=0.053) mRNA than cows with <18% PMNs (endometritis-negative). There was a highly significant positive correlation between the expression of individual pro-inflammatory cytokines when comparing IL-8 and IL-6 (P=0.0001), IL-8 and TNF-α (P=0.00001), and finally IL-6 and TNF-α (P=0.0002). In the second experiment, 340 cows 28 to 41 days in milk were examined using cytobrush cytology and transrectal ultrasonography of the uterus and ovaries. One-half of the cows were treated with benzathine cephapirin uterine infusion to determine the lowest PMN percentage where a significant improvement in reproductive performance occurred. Subclinical endometritispositive (>15%) cows in this study were defined as those with the lowest percentage of PMNs that was associated with a significant positive treatment effect. Treated cows with >15% PMNs required 31 fewer days (P=0.041) to become pregnant and had 2.5 times fewer services per conception (P=0.0001) than untreated cows with >15% PMNs. The likelihood of there being CLs at the time of examination in cows with >15% PMNs in endometrial cytobrush cytology was 2.3 times significantly higher (P=0.04). The treatment of cows with ultrasonographically detectable fluid in the uterine lumen with benzathine cephapirin had no effect on days open compared to treatment of cows without fluid in the uterus (P=0.39). Cervical diameter and endometrial thicknesses did not differ between groups of cows with >, < 15%PMNs (P=0.46, P=0.36, respectively). In summary, based on the response to a single treatment with benzathine cephapirin, and the analysis of pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression, we recommend that a threshold of >18% PMNs be used to define endometritis-positive disease status in cows 28 to 41 DIM. Cervical diameter, ultrasonographic evidence of uterine fluid and ultrasonographic measurement of endometrial thickness were not useful for diagnosing benzathine cephapirin responsive endometritis.

Two experiments were designed to study endometritis in postpartum dairy cows. In the first experiment, 30 cows 28 to 41 days in milk (DIM) and without evidence of clinical endometritis were sampled using cytobrush cytology. Cytobrush sampling provided sufficient endometrial material to prepare cytologic specimens and to extract endometrial mRNA. Pro-inflammatory cytokines were analyzed in harvested endometrial tissue taken from cows with and without endometritis. Cytokine expression varied between experimental groups with 30-fold higher IL-6 expression levels (P=0.01), greater than 50-fold higher IL-8 expression levels (P=0.0001), and 20-fold higher TNF-&#945; expression levels (P=0.001) in endometritis-positive versus negative cows. Regression analysis of cytokine expression levels (Ct) and the percentage of PMNs in subclinical endometritis-positive cows showed that for each additional threshold cycle required for IL-8 detection, which corresponded to two-fold less mRNA, the percentage of PMN decreased by 3.3% (P=0.00001). Similarly, for each additional threshold cycle required to detect IL-6 and TNF-&#945;, the percentage of PMNs in endometritis-positive cows decreased by 2.3% (P=0.015) and 2.4% (P=0.054), respectively. Cows with > 18% PMNs required significantly fewer amplification cycles to detect IL-6 (P = 0.01), IL-8 (P =0.0001) and TNF-&#945; (P=0.053) mRNA than cows with 15%) cows in this study were defined as those with the lowest percentage of PMNs that was associated with a significant positive treatment effect. Treated cows with >15% PMNs required 31 fewer days (P=0.041) to become pregnant and had 2.5 times fewer services per conception (P=0.0001) than untreated cows with >15% PMNs. The likelihood of there being CLs at the time of examination in cows with >15% PMNs in endometrial cytobrush cytology was 2.3 times significantly higher (P=0.04). The treatment of cows with ultrasonographically detectable fluid in the uterine lumen with benzathine cephapirin had no effect on days open compared to treatment of cows without fluid in the uterus (P=0.39). Cervical diameter and endometrial thicknesses did not differ between groups of cows with >, < 15%PMNs (P=0.46, P=0.36, respectively). In summary, based on the response to a single treatment with benzathine cephapirin, and the analysis of pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression, we recommend that a threshold of >18% PMNs be used to define endometritis-positive disease status in cows 28 to 41 DIM. Cervical diameter, ultrasonographic evidence of uterine fluid and ultrasonographic measurement of endometrial thickness were not useful for diagnosing benzathine cephapirin responsive endometritis.

No description available.

Thesis (M. Sc.) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniv., 2007.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniv. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Milk yield of dairy cows is mainly determined by their nutrition and state of health. Dairy cows turn roughage into milk the most effectively. The assessment of the level of nutrition and the processing of silage and haylage was performed in operating conditions. Quality of roughage, technique of nutrition and its influence on milk yield in stanchion-tied stable were assessed. Data were observed over a peri-od of 3 years (2012 2015). The observation included Czech Fleckvieh Breed and Holstein Breed. Average daily yield data were monitored with all dairy cows, which were in lactation period during the observation. The gained data were entered into diagrams and charts and evaluated. The highest performance results have been achieved in 2015, the lowest performance results have been achieved in 2013.