Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T04:42:39.691Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The effect of rearing regime on the development of the mammary gland and claw abnormalities in high genetic merit Holstein-Friesian dairy herd replacements

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 August 2016

A. F. Carson ,
L. E. R. Dawson ,
A. R. G. Wylie  and
F. J. Gordon
A. F. Carson
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland, Hillsborough, Co. Down BT26 6DR, UK Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for Northern Ireland and The Queen’s University of Belfast, Newforge Lane, Belfast BT9 5PX, UK
L. E. R. Dawson*
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland, Hillsborough, Co. Down BT26 6DR, UK
A. R. G. Wylie
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for Northern Ireland and The Queen’s University of Belfast, Newforge Lane, Belfast BT9 5PX, UK
F. J. Gordon
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland, Hillsborough, Co. Down BT26 6DR, UK Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for Northern Ireland and The Queen’s University of Belfast, Newforge Lane, Belfast BT9 5PX, UK
*
† Corresponding author. E-mail [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

One hundred and eight high genetic merit Holstein-Friesian heifers were used to determine the effects of rearing regime on the development of the mammary gland and claw abnormalities. Heifers were allocated to one of four rearing regimes at 7 weeks of age and slaughtered at 18 (s.d.0.7) months of age; mating commenced at 14 months of age. Treatment 1 heifers were reared to calve at 540 kg and treatments 2, 3 and 4 heifers reared to calve at 620 kg. Treatment 1 and 2 heifers were offered grass silage-based diets during the winter and grass-based diets during the summer; treatment 2 heifers received additional concentrates. Treatment 3 heifers were offered a straw/concentrate diet during the winter and a grass-based diet during the summer. Treatment 4 heifers received the same winter diets as treatment 3 but were housed and offered a straw/concentrate diet in summer. Increasing plane of nutrition increased the weight of dissected udder fat (P < 0.01), but had no effect on the weight or chemical composition of dissected udder parenchyma. Offering straw- compared with silage-based diets reduced fat deposition in the udder (P < 0.01) and increased the proportion of parenchyma in the udder (P < 0.01). Keeping heifers housed during the first summer and offering straw-based diets relative to those turned out to grass had no effect on weight of fat although there was a tendency towards a reduction in the proportion of parenchyma in the udder (P < 0.06). Heifers reared on a low plane of nutrition had lower values for heel height (P < 0.001), lateral claw length (P < 0.001) and heel erosion scores (P < 0.01). A higher plane of nutrition also increased live weight/sole area although this was only significantly higher for treatment 3 (P < 0.05) compared with treatment 1 heifers. Housing heifers in the first summer increased the incidence of feet lesions in the white line area and solear area relative to turning heifers out to grass in the first summer (P < 0.05).

Keywords

clawsheifersmammary glandsnutrition
Type
Ruminant nutrition, behaviour and production
Information
Animal Science , Volume 78 , Issue 3 , June 2004 , pp. 497 - 509
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 2004

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agricultural and Food Research Council. 1993. Energy and protein requirements of ruminants. An advisory manual prepared by the AFRC Technical Committee on Responses to Nutrients. CAB International, Wallingford, Oxford.Google Scholar
Amir, S., Kali, J. and Volcani, R. 1968. Influence of growth rate on reproduction and lactation in dairy cattle. In Growth and development of mammals (ed. Lodge, G. A. and Lamming, G. E.), pp. 234–256. Butterworths, London.Google Scholar
Association of Official Analytical Chemists. 1996. Official methods of analysis, 16th edition. Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Gaithersburg, MD.Google Scholar
Baggot, D. G. and Russell, A. M. 1988. Lameness in dairy cattle. British Veterinary Journal 137: 113–132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bazeley, K. and Pinsent, P. J. N. 1984. Preliminary observations on a series of outbreaks of acute laminitis in dairy cattle. Veterinary Record 115: 619–622.Google Scholar
Bligh, E.G. and Dyer, W. J. 1959. A rapid method of total lipid extraction and purification. Canadian Journal of Biochemistry and Physiology 37: 911–917.Google Scholar
Capuco, A. V. and Akers, R. M. 1990. Thymidine incorporation by lactating mammary epithelium during compensatory growth in beef cattle. Journal of Dairy Science 73: 3094–3103.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Capuco, A. V., Smith, J. J., Waldo, D. R. and Rexroad, C. E. 1995. Influence of prepubertal dietary regime on mammary growth of Holstein heifers. Journal of Dairy Science 78: 2709–2725.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carson, A. F., Dawson, L. E. R., McCoy, M. A., Kilpatrick, D. J. and Gordon, F. J. 2002. Effects of rearing regime on body size, reproductive performance and milk production during the first lactation in high genetic merit dairy herd replacements. Animal Science 74: 553–565.Google Scholar
Carson, A. F., Wylie, A. R. G., McEvoy, J. D. G., McCoy, M. and Dawson, L. E. R. 2000. The effects of plane of nutrition and diet type on metabolic hormone concentrations, growth and milk production in high genetic merit dairy herd replacements. Animal Science 70: 349–362.Google Scholar
Dobos, R. C., Nandra, K. S., Riley, K., Fulkerson, W. J., Lean, I. J. and Kellaway, R. C. 2000. The effect of dietary protein level during the pre-pubertal period of growth on mammary gland development and subsequent milk production in Friesian heifers. Livestock Production Science 63: 235–243.Google Scholar
El-Masry, K. A. and Marai, I. F. M. 1991. Comparison between Friesians and water buffaloes in growth rate, milk production and some blood constituents, during winter and summer conditions of Egypt. Animal Production 53: 39–43.Google Scholar
Foldager, J. and Sejrsen, K. 1991. Rearing intensity in dairy heifers and the effect on subsequent milk production. Report 693, National Institute of Animal Sciences, Foulum, Denmark.Google Scholar
Greenough, P. R. 1985. The sub clinical laminitis syndrome. Bovine Practitioner 20: 144–149.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greenough, P. R. and Vermunt, J. J. 1991. Evaluation of subclinical laminitis in a dairy herd and observations on associated nutritional and management factors. Veterinary Record 128: 11–17.Google Scholar
Hoffman, P. C. 1997. Optimum body size of Holstein replacement heifers. Journal of Animal Science 75: 836–845.Google Scholar
Keown, J. F. and Everett, R. W. 1986. Effect of days carried calf, days dry, and weight of first calf heifers on yield. Journal of Dairy Science 69: 1891–1896.Google Scholar
Labarca, C. and Paigen, K. 1980. A simple, rapid, and sensitive DNA assay procedure. Analytical Biochemistry 102: 344–352.Google Scholar
Livesey, C. T., Harrington, T., Johnston, A. M., May, S. A. and Metcalf, J. A. 1998. The effect of diet and housing on the development of sole haemorrhages, white line haemorrhages and heel erosions in Holstein heifers. Animal Science 67: 9–16.Google Scholar
Logue, D. N. and Offer, J. E. 2001. Guest editorial: the effect of forage type on foot health in dairy heifers. Veterinary Journal 162: 7–8.Google Scholar
McDaniel, B. T., Hahn, M. V. and Wilk, J. C. 1982. Floor surfaces and effect upon feet and leg soundness. Proceedings of a symposium on the management of food producing animals, vol. 2, pp. 816–833. Purdue University, USA.Google Scholar
Manson, F. J. and Leaver, J. D. 1988. The influence of concentrate amount on locomotion and clinical lameness in dairy cattle. Animal Production 47: 185–190.Google Scholar
Murray, R. D., Downham, D. Y., Merritt, J. R., Russell, W. B. and Manson, F. J. 1994. Observer variation in field data describing foot shape in dairy cattle. Research in Veterinary Science 56: 265–269.Google Scholar
Numerical Algorithms Group. 1994. Genstat 5 release 3 reference manual. Oxford Science Publications, Clarendon Press, Oxford.Google Scholar
Offer, J. E., Fisher, G. E. J., Kempson, S. A. and Logue, D. N. 2001. The effect of feeding grass silage in early pregnancy on claw health during first lactation. Veterinary Journal 161: 186–193.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Park, R. S., Agnew, R. E., Gordon, F. J. and Steen, R. W. J. 1998. The use of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) on undried samples of grass silage to predict chemical compositions and digestibility. Animal Feed Science and Technology 72: 155–167.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parodi, P. W. 1999. Conjugated linoleic acid and other anticarcinogenic agents of bovine milk fat. Journal of Dairy Science 82: 1339–1349.Google Scholar
Politiek, R. D., Distl, O., Fjeldaas, T., Heeres, J., McDaniel, B. T., Nielsen, E., Peterse, D. J., Reurink, A. and Strandberg, P. 1986. Importance of claw quality in cattle: review and recommendations to achieve genetic improvement. Report of the EAAP working group on claw quality in cattle. Livestock Production Science 15: 133–152.Google Scholar
Sejrsen, K. and Foldager, J. 1992. Mammary growth and milk production capacity of replacement heifers in relation to diet energy concentration and plasma hormone levels. Acta Agriculturæ Scandinavica, Section A, Animal Science 42: 99–105.Google Scholar
Sejrsen, K., Purup, M., Vestergaard, M. and Foldager, J. 2000. High body weight gain and reduced bovine mammary growth: physiological basis and implications for milk yield potential. Domestic Animal Endocrinology 19: 93–104.Google Scholar
Sejrsen, K. and Purup, S. 1997. Influence of prepubertal feeding level on milk yield potential of dairy heifers: a review. Journal of Animal Science 75: 828–835.Google Scholar
Steen, R. W. J. 1991. The effect of level of protein supplementation on the performance and carcass composition of young bulls given grass silage ad libitum . Animal Production 52: 465–475.Google Scholar
Steen, R. W. J. 1998. A comparison of high-forage and high-concentrate diets for beef cattle. The 71st annual report, Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland, pp. 24–34.Google Scholar
Swanson, E. W. and Poffenbarger, J. I. 1979. Mammary gland development of dairy heifers during their first gestation. Journal of Dairy Science 62: 702–714.Google Scholar
Tucker, H. A. 1981. Physiological control of mammary growth, lactogenesis and lactation. Journal of Dairy Science 64: 1403–1421.Google Scholar
Tucker, H. A. 1987. Quantitative estimates of mammary growth during various physiological states: a review. Journal of Dairy Science 70: 1958–1966.Google Scholar
Whitaker, D. A., Kelly, J. M. and Smith, S. 2000. Disposal and disease rates in 340 British dairy herds. Veterinary Record 146: 363–367.Google Scholar