Nutrition Final//dairy cows

_________ is a metabolic disease of cattle. It’s said to occur when the pH of the rumen falls to less than 5.5. The change in acidity changes the rumen flora, with acid-producing bacteria taking over. They produce more acid, making it worse. The increased acid is then absorbed through the rumen wall, causing metabolic _______, which in severe cases can lead to shock and death.

Acidosis

Feeding a high level of rapidly digestible carbohydrates. In dairy castle, the disease is seen as a result of feeding increased concentrates compared to forage

Cause of acidosis

Reduced feed intake, poor body condition and weight loss, lethargy

Symptoms of acidosis

______________ is a disorder mainly of dairy cows close to calving. It is a metabolic disease caused by a low blood calcium level (hypocalcaemia). Losses are due to deaths (about one in 20 affected cows dies), a reduction in the productive lifespan of each affected cow of about three years, and reduction in milk production following each milk fever episode, as well as costs of prevention and treatment.

Milk Fever

In typical cases cows show some initial excitement or agitation and a tremor in muscles of the head and limbs. Then they stagger and go down to a "sitting" position, often with a 'kink' in her neck, and finally lie flat on their side before circulatory collapse, coma and death.

Symptoms of Milk Fever

About 80% of cases occur within one day of calving because milk and colostrum production drain calcium (and other substances) from the blood, and some cows are unable to replace the calcium quickly enough. High producers are more susceptible because the fall in their blood calcium level is greater.

Causes of milk fever

treated with oral calcium gel or boluses, or calcium gluconate under the skin

treatment for milk fever

The abomasum (or true stomach) normally lies on the floor of the abdomen, but can become filled with gas and rise to the top of the abdomen, when it is said to be ‘displaced’.

Displaced Abomasum

The majority of cases occur soon after calving. During pregnancy the uterus displaces the abomasum, so that after calving the abomasum has to move back to its normal position, increasing the risk of displacement.

cause of displaced abomasum

loss of appetite, drop in milk yield, reduced rumination, mild diarrhea

symptoms of displaced abomasum

Treatment requires replacing the abomasum in its normal position. Preferably, the veterinarian also prevents recurrence by tacking the abomasum to the body wall. Surgery can be performed, however isn't always necessary. Often the abomasum can be returned to its usual place by casting and rolling the animal onto its back, permitting the abomasum to "float" back into its normal position.

treatment of displaced abomasum

Prevention should be aimed at ensuring dry matter intake is maintained in early lactation:

•  Ensure cattle are not too fat at calving 

• Feed high quality feeds, with good quality forage;

• Feeding a total mixed ration as opposed to concentrates;

• Minimize changes between late dry and early lactation ration;

• It is likely that a farm with numerous DA problems is feeding the late dry and/or early lactation cows

Prevention for displaced abomasum

________ is a metabolic disorder that occurs in cattle when energy demands (e.g. high milk production) exceed energy intake and result in a negative energy balance.

Ketosis

When large amounts of body fat are utilized as an energy source to support production, fat is sometimes mobilized faster than the liver can properly metabolize it. If this situation occurs, ketone production exceeds ketone utilization by the cow, and this disorder results. In the dairy cow, the mismatch between input and output usually occurs in the first few weeks of lactation, because the cow is not able to eat enough to match the energy lost in the milk.

Cause of ketosis

reduced milk yield, weight loss, reduced appetite, acetone (pear drop) smell of breath/ or milk, some develop nervous signs including excess salivation, licking, aggression etc.

Symptoms of ketosis

The initial aim of treatment is to restore the lack of glucose in the body. A quick-acting glucose supplement is required immediately. Follow-up treatment is aimed at providing a long term supply of glucose. 

Treatment of ketosis

The body condition of the dairy cow is important at calving. Cows should be on a rising plane of nutrition up to calving with the aim to calve in good condition. After calving, the cow has the potential to reach maximum efficiency in milk production, but feed requirements for high production are often greater than the voluntary intake pasture can provide.

• Therefore an energy supplement is required and there is evidence that this will improve production and reproductive performance, and decrease the risk of ________.

ketosis

Dairy cows need to consume a lot of feed to achieve levels of __________

production

Some cows produce more than _______ lbs milk annually (over ______ gal)

34000, 4200

__________ needs vary tremendously throughout the lactation and dry period cycle

Nutrient

Relationships between milk production, dry matter intake, and body weight changes typically observed during normal lactation/gestation cycle

The cycle of dairy cattle

Cows: Milk production (increases or decreases) rapidly and reaches ______ production 6-9 weeks after calving

increases, peak

Cows: Appetite lags behind production

• ______ daily dry matter intake occurs 12 to 15 weeks postpartum

• Cows are in _________________________ for 8-10 weeks

• Makes up these nutrient deficits by borrowing them from _______________

Maximum, negative energy balance, body stores

Cows: Often lose 90-135 kg of body weight during __________________

• Support 700-900 kg of milk production

early lactation

• Cows: After optimal dry matter intake is achieved, intake follows production requirements and ____________ as production _____________

  • Tends to consume _____ than she needs during later lactation

  • Allows her to regain body weight lost in early lactation

• Should regain most of lost body weight during _______________

• Weight gain during the dry period accounted for by ______________

decreases, decreases, more, late lactation, fetal growth

Cows: For cows injected with _____________________, there may be a second increase in production within a few days of initial injections

• May again experience a short time of negative energy balance

Production typically increases about 10% as a result of these injections

• Dry matter intake needs to increase 2-3% to supply nutrients needed for increased production

Bovine Somatotropin

Cows, phased feeding: The first 10 weeks of lactation, when peak production occurs, and body stores are used to make up for nutrient intake deficits

Phase 1

Cows, phased feeding: About 10 weeks postpartum for most vows, continuing for 10-20 weeks. Maximum dry matter intake, and intake is in balance with requirements

Phase 2

Cows, phased feeding: Intake exceeds nutrient requirements for production, restoring body reserves

Phase 3

Cows, phased feeding: Phase 4

Period for any final regain of body weight, and involution followed by regeneration of secretor tissue in the udder for the next lactation

Cows, phased feeding: The last 1-3 weeks pre-partum

Phase 5

Cows: Need a short __________ as rest while preparing for the next lactation

• 6-8 weeks

• ___________ shorter than 40  days do not allow enough time for udder regeneration, which may cause a decrease in production during the next lactation

dry period, dry periods

Cows: __________________- regenerate new secretory tissue and replace lost body condition

• Changes occur in the udder during this period

  • Active involution

  • Steady-state involution

  • Lactogensis

  • Colostrogenesis

Dry period

• Cows, dry period mammary gland: Active _____________ completed by 30 days into the dry period

  • Milk-secreting tissue is reabsorbed

• Second state, steady-state involution

  • Can exist indefinitely, and the mammary gland remains in a collapsed state

• Third stage, lactogenesis plus colostrogenesis

  • Begins 15-20 days pre-partum

  • Involves onset of lactation and the secretion of colostrum

involution

Cows: Dry feeding emphasizes maintaining __________________

• USDA research demonstrated that cows convert feed energy to body tissue more efficiently in late lactation than during the dry period

• If still thin at drying off, need to replenish body stores as well as provide for fetal growth

body condition

Cows: Body condition score of _____ at calving is ideal for high milk yield, fat test, and reproduction performance

• On a scale of 1-5 (1 thin, 5 fat)

3.5

Cows: Dry cows nutrient requirements can often be met with only _________

• Legume grass hay and corn silage combination needs only vitamins and a small amount of _________

forages, phosphorus

Cows: Dry cow ration can be simple but should include the following consideration

• 1% of body weight as long stem, dry _________

• Free-choice feeding of ___________ should be avoided

• ________ should be limited to energy and protein needs

forage, corn silage, grain

Cows: Consuming excess energy from grain and or corn silage means the cow is likely to develop a disorder called _________________

• High blood lipids and fatty _______

• Calving difficulties, displaced abomasums, ketosis, and other health problems

Cows fed hay and or haylage are less likely to have problems than cows receiving free-choice corn silage

• Limit corn silage for dry cows to 9.5-11kg/day

  • Plus a protein and Ca-P supplement

fat cow syndrome, livers,

Cows: Nutrient requirements of bred heifers during late gestation are slightly _________ than of dry cows

• Bred heifers will likely need some grain along with forages during the last 3-4 months of gestation (still growing)

• Good quality forages can provide all the nutrient needs

• If forages are not of good quality, additional grain may be needed to maintain optimal growth (not fat)

greater

Cows: cows ___________ is In the last weeks before parturition

• Aimed at adapting rumen microflora to _________ energy diets needed postpartum

• Adjustment often achieved by including small amounts of all ingredients of the lactating ration

  • Gradually increasing __________

  • Minimize the chances for milk fever and for ketosis during lactation

• Most cows experience a sharp _________ in total dry matter intake 24-48 hours before calving

  • Stabilizing the rumen is important to avoid displaced abomasum, acidosis, and off-feed

transition period, higher, concentrates, decrease

Cows: Parturition until peak milk production is period when appetite lags behind nutritional requirements so peak milk production (phase 1) is _______________ period

• 1. ___________ feed intake as rapidly as possible, but not to cause digestive upsets and off-feed

• 2. Once the stress of calving has passed, concentrate intake can increase .5-.7 kg/day

• 3. If total mixed rations are fed, this equates to a forage-to-concentrate ratio of 55:45 or 50:50

negative nutrient balance, Increase

Cows: Peak milk production

• Forage portion of the diet not be less than 45% of dry matter

  • Successful phase 1 feeding

    • Maximized peak milk yield

    • Utilizes some ____________ as an energy source

    • Minimizes ketosis

    • Returns cows to a ___________________ by 8-10 weeks postpartum

• Cows can compensate for much of their deficit in energy intake 

  • Borrow remaining needed energy from ______________

  • Cannot borrow very much _________ so it must be supplied in the diet

  • Early lactation cows will benefit from rumen bypass (escape) proteins

• Nonprotein nitrogen (NPN) supplements (will/will not) be efficiently used by these cows

body weight, positive energy balance, body fat, protein, will not

Cows: Peak milk production: acidosis

• __________ starch, __________ fiber diets are more apt to cause acidosis, digestive upsets, and milk fat depression

  • Nonstructural carbs (starches and sugars) should be limited to 30-40% of diet dry matter

• Feeds such as distillers grains can replace a sizable amount of high starch feeds, providing more energy and decreasing rumen acidosis

Higher, lower

Cows: Peak milk production

• Supplemental dietary fat

  • May allow increased __________ density and adequate fiber entail

• At least 2.25 kg of ____________ in the daily ration helps to maintain normal rumination and digestion, especially during early lactation

energy, dry hay

Maximum dry matter intake

• Should be achieved as early in _________ as possible

• Conception rates are greater for cows in _________________

• Body weights should stabilize, and weight gains should actually start occurring during this phase

• Max dry matter intake will reach 3.5-4.5% of body weight

• Dry matter intakes are usually __________ for higher producing cows

  • Not unusual for some cows to consume more than 5% of their body weight

lactation, positive energy balance, higher

Late Lactation

• minimize feed cost by ____________ forage-to-concentrate Ratio

  • lower protein content

    • protein-to-energy ratio needed for weight gain is _______ than the ratio needed for milk production

    • NPN sources may be well utilized, where bypass proteins will be ______ cost effective than in earlier lactation, when production was higher

increasing, less, less

Energy for lactating cows

• The challenge is to get cows to consume sufficient amounts of energy, especially during ____________________.

  • Energy intake may be increased by:

    •  _____________ the energy density of the diet

    • _____________ readily fermentable carbohydrates

    •  ____________ dry matter intake

early lactation, increasing, increasing, increasing

Added fat

• energy density can be increased by replacing portions of the carbohydrates in the diet with ________

  •  One kilogram of _______ contains approximately 2.25 times as much energy as 1 kg of carbohydrates.

• forages and grains contain 2% to 4% fat

  • fat can be increased to 5% to 7% of total dry matter

  • more than 8% to 10% fat may reduce feed intake, fiber digestibility, and cause digestive upsets

• not all sources of fat are suitable feeds for milking cows.

  • free _______ such as soybean, sunflower, cottonseed, corn, and fish oils often affect rumen fermentation adversely (poorly)

fat, fat, oils

Feeding groups

• Some dairies group cows by reproductive status, keeping cows that need to be bred in one pen

  • May make it easier for _______________

• When moving cows from one group to another, make sure shift doesn't cause undue _____________

  • Recommended to move ________ of cows rather than _____________ cows

heat detection, stress, groups, individual

Calves: the first critical days

• Health and vigor of calves at birth depends on the nutrition of the cow during the last ______ days before freshening

• Cows fed properly and immunized against locally prevalent pathogens during this period develop __________ of good antibody qualities 

  • Calves are born _____________ a functioning immune system

    • Colostrum

60, colostrum, without

Colostrum

• Calves should receive a minimum of 2 quarts of colostrum in two feedings in their first _____ hours

12

Newborn calves

• Digestive processes are similar to monogastric animals

  • _____________ is not fully developed until the calf reaches a weight of 200 kg

• _____________ doesn't start to be populated with microbes until the calf is approximately 60 days old

  • Calf must be supplied with whole milk or milk replacer

Rumen, Rumen

The first 60 days

• calf must elevate its head to nurse using a nipple, to activate the ________________________

  •  milk flows directly to the omasum and abomasum and bypasses the ____________.

    • The more calves are fed to approximate natural conditions, the more efficient their performance.

    • The more frequently young calves can be fed, the more efficient their performance should be.

• calves fed by lowering their heads to drink from a bucket (do/do not) activate this esophageal groove as well as those fed with a bottle.

esophageal groove, rumen, do not

Milk replacer

• Milk source protein (dried whey, dried skim milk, casein) is ____________ to plant protein sources or to animal protein, such as fish protein concentrate.

• many milk replacers contain ____________

• Vitamin E has been recommended at levels as high as 135 IU per day for calves during the time prior to weaning

superior, antibiotics

Starter diets

• About 1 week of age

  • Standard ingredients used in dairy feeds can be used for starter rations, but ______________ are not acceptable

• Good quality alfalfa hay should be offered in small amounts

  • Consumption of starter feed is critical to development of an active functioning ___________

fine-ground feeds, rumen

Weaning

• wean when calves are consuming approximately 2 kg of _________________ in addition to hay and milk replacer

• two approaches to weaning

  • abruptly remove the ___________________ so calves have to utilize the starter ration

  • gradually adds increasing amounts of __________ to the milk replacer, until it is only ______________

• before weaning, calves should be moved from hutches to small group pens

  • 100 ft2 of space per calf and a maximum of 10 calves per pen

• weaned calves can be moved to larger group pens and offered growing rations

  • separate growing calves by ______

starter feed, milk replacer, water, water, size

Heifers

• If heifers were properly introduced to solid feeds before weaning, growing ration can be gradually changed so they reach puberty at 15 months.

  • goal is ____________ growth/___________ fat deposition

maximum, minimum

Gestation: two phases nutritionally

• Breed to 60 days before calving

  • rations should be designed for ___________, with fat deposition avoided

  •  If fed high-energy, low-protein rations, they tend to deposit fat in the __________, limiting future production capability

• Late gestation

  • grain mix similar to that used when they enter lactation

  • adjust the rumen population to increase microbes that ferment lactation ration feeds

  • ______________ nutrient intake for storage to support early lactation plus growth

  • provide for the _____________ demand for nutrients caused by the rapidly developing fetus

growth, udder, increase, increased

___________ can occur anytime, associated usually with a change in diet (high energy diets cause this)

Acidosis

______________ occurs close to calving (usually just prior to it), caused by low blood calcium (hypocalcemia) 

Milk fever

Displaced abomasum occurs (usually) right after ______________ 

calving

____________ usually happens the first few weeks of lactation, animal begins to break down body fat stores because it's not getting enough nutrients

Ketosis

Non protein nitrogen is a cheap source of protein, but when fed to a ruminant, the protein gets _____________

upgraded

Bypass protein is expensive, and in that case you're trying to prevent the rumen bacteria from eating it because they would ____________ it

• Bypasses the ___________ and goes straight to the small intestine

downgrade, rumen

Man made milk replacers — super formulated to be amazing products exceeding _____________ found in milk

nutrients

Dairy calves have very strong ________________ reflexes that can be a management challenge

suckling

Cottonseed oil (or any oil) (should/should not) be fed to cows because the bacteria (does/doesn’t) like oil and it can alter bacterial function

should not, doesn’t

Veel— baby male dairy cows (4 months), never even get to a feed based diet they're literally still drinking ________ when they get killed

milk

Cows are mostly _________ based

forage