Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T05:42:33.744Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effects of different energy intakes before and after calving on food intake, performance and blood hormones and metabolites in dairy cows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

P. L. Kunz ,
J. W. Blum ,
I. C. Hart ,
H. Bickel  and
J. Landis
P. L. Kunz
Affiliation:
Institute for Animal Production, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
J. W. Blum
Affiliation:
Institute for Animal Production, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
I. C. Hart
Affiliation:
National Institute for Research in Dairying, Shinfield, Reading RG2 9AT
H. Bickel
Affiliation:
Institute for Animal Production, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
J. Landis
Affiliation:
Institute for Animal Production, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
Get access

Abstract

An experiment with 25 dairy cows was performed to investigate the effects of different energy intakes on food intake, performance and blood hormone and metabolite levels during the last 70 days of pregnancy and the first 125 days after parturition. Compared with animals fed ad libitum before parturition, cows fed only according to requirements during the same time showed no decrease of food intake at calving. Cows fed at a restricted level also showed a faster increase in food intake, a smaller energy deficiency at the onset of lactation and a smaller weight loss after parturition. Peak milk yield was also lower, but the peak was maintained for a longer period, and during the first 2 months of lactation these cows had higher concentrations of glucose and lactic acid, and lower concentrations of non-esterified fatty acids and ketone bodies in the blood. Weight losses, and decrease of milk production during the 1st weeks of lactation were higher in cows fed only 0·75 of requirements during the first 60 days of lactation than in animals whose energy intake was planned to cover energy requirements, and during the first 2 months of lactation levels of unesterified fatty acids, ketone bodies and urea were higher, whereas levels of insulin, thyroxine and triiodothyronine were lower. Endocrine and metabolic changes seen during early lactation suggested improved glucose homeostasis, diminished fat mobilization and ketogenesis in cows given reduced amounts of energy during the dry period compared to animals fed ad libitum. To prevent the development of acetonaemia an adequate energy supply during the first part of lactation is, however, of greater importance.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 40 , Issue 2 , April 1985 , pp. 219 - 231
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1985

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

REFERENCES

Baird, G. D., Heitzman, R. J., Hibbit, K. G. and Hunter, G. D. 1974. Bovine ketosis: a review with recommendations for control and treatment. Br. vet. J. 130: 214–220 and 318–326.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bickerstaffe, R., Annison, E. F. and Linzell, J. L. 1974. The metabolism of glucose, acetate, lipids and amino acids in lactating dairy cows. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 82: 71–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blum, J. W., Frohli, D., Moses, W., Thun, R., Wanner, M., Jans, F. and Hart, I. C. 1983b. Changes of hormones and metabolites during a 24-hour cycle in lactating cows fed different amounts of energy. Proc. 5th int. Conf. Production Disease in Farm Animals, Swedish Univ. Agr. Sci., Uppsala, pp. 158–161.Google Scholar
Blum, J. W., Gingins, M., Vitins, P. and Bickel, H. 1980. Thyroid hormone levels related to energy and nitrogen balance during weight loss and regain in adult sheep. Ada endocr., Copnh. 93: 440–447.Google ScholarPubMed
Blum, J. W., Kunz, P., Bachmann, C. and Colombo, J. P. 1981. Metabolic effects of fasting in steers. Res. vet. Sci. 31: 127–129.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blum, J. W., Kunz, P. and Frohli, D. 1982. Effects of catecholamines on plasma free fatty acids levels in fed and fasted steers. Endocrinology 110: 452–456.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blum, J. W., Kunz, P., Leuenberger, H., Gautschi, K. and Keller, M. 1983a. Thyroid hormones, blood plasma metabolites and haematological parameters in relationship to milk yield in dairy cows. Anim. Prod. 36: 93–104.Google Scholar
Blum, J. W., Kunz, P., Schnyder, W., Thomson, E. F., Vitins, P., Blom, A. and Bickel, H. 1979. Changes of hormones and metabolites during reduced and compensatory growth of steers. Annls Rech. Vet. 10: 391–392.Google ScholarPubMed
Chasen, S. 1977. Biomedical Computer Programs BMDP 3 S, Non Parametric Statistics, pp. 605–617. Univ. California, Los Angeles.Google Scholar
Coenen, M. 1979. [Influence of energy intake before and after parturition on milk yield, milk composition and on selected blood parameters in medium and high yielding dairy cows.] Thesis Vet. Med., School of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover.Google Scholar
Davenport, D. G. and Rakes, A. H. 1969. Effects of prepartum feeding level and body condition on the postpartum performance of dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 52: 1037–1043.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Emery, R. S., Hafs, H. D., Armstrong, D. and Snyder, W. W. 1969. Prepartum grain feeding effects on milk production, mammary edema, and incidence of diseases. J. Dairy Sci. 52: 345–351.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Farries, E. 1975. [Studies on effects of energy intake during the dry periods in dairy cows.] Tierziichter 27: 476–480.Google Scholar
Gardner, R. W. 1969. Interactions of energy levels offered to Holstein cows prepartum and postpartum. I. Production responses and blood composition changes. J. Dairy Sci. 52: 1973–1984.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gardner, R. W. and Park, P. L. 1973. Effects of prepartum energy intake and calcium to phosphorus rations on lactation response and parturient paresis. J. Dairy Sci. 56: 385–389.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garnsworthy, P. C. and Topps, J. H. 1982. The effect of body condition of dairy cows at calving on their food intake and performance when given complete diets. Anim. Prod. 35: 113–119.Google Scholar
Goldberg, A. L. 1980. The regulation of protein turnover by endocrine and nutritional factors. In Plasticity of Muscle (ed. Pette, D.), pp. 469–492. W. de Gruyter, Berlin.Google Scholar
Hart, I. C., Bines, J. A., Morant, S. V. and Ridley, J. L. 1978. Endocrine control of energy metabolism in the cow: comparison of levels of hormones (prolactin, growth hormone, insulin and thyroxine) and metabolites in the plasma of high- and low-yielding cattle at various stages of lactation. J. Endocr. 77: 333–345.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hart, I. C., Flux, D. S., Andrews, P. and McNeilly, A. S. 1975. Radio-immunoassay for ovine and caprine growth hormone: its application to the measurement of basal circulating levels of growth hormone in the goat. Hormone Metab. Res. 7: 35–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hernandez-Urdaneta, A., Coppock, C. E., McDowell, R. E., Gianola, D. and Smith, N. E. 1976. Changes in forage-concentrate ratio of complete feeds for dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 59: 695–707.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hove, K. 1974. Nocturnal plasma insulin levels in cows with varying levels of plasma sugar and aceto-acetate. Ada endocr., Copnh. 76: 513–524.Google Scholar
Hove, K. and Blom, A. K. 1973. Plasma insulin and growth hormone in dairy cows; diurnal variations and relation to food intake and plasma sugar and acetoacetate levels. Ada endocr., Copnh. 73: 289–303.Google ScholarPubMed
Krohn, C. C., Hvelplund, T. and Andersen, P. E. 1983. The effect on performance of different energy concentrations in complete rations for first lactation cows before and after calving. Livest. Prod. Sci. 10: 223–237.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kruskal, W. H. and Wallis, W. A. 1952. Use of ranks in one-criterion variance analysis. J. Am. statist. Ass. 47: 583–621.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Land, Carolyn and Leaver, J. D. 1981. The effect of body condition at calving on the production of Friesian cows and heifers. Anim. Prod. 32: 362–363 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Lodge, G. A., Fisher, L. J. and Lessard, J. R. 1975. Influence of prepartum feed intake on performance of cows fed ad libitum during lactation. J. Dairy Sci. 58: 696–702.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morrow, D. A. 1976. Fat cow syndrome. J. Dairy Sci. 59: 1625–1629.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Oldham, J. D., Broster, W. H., Napper, D. J. and Siviter, J. W. 1979. The effect of a low-protein ration on milk yield and plasma metabolites in Friesian heifers during early lactation. Br. J. Nutr. 42: 149–162.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Radloff, H. D. and Schultz, L. H. 1967. Blood and rumen changes in cows in early stages of ketosis. J. Dairy Sci. 50: 68–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schwalm, J. W. and Schultz, L. H. 1976. Relationship of insulin concentration to blood metabolites in the dairy cow. J. Dairy Sci. 59: 255–261.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Seidel, H., Pufe, M., Mueller, I., Gruen, E., Kolb, E. and Schuhmacher, U. 1973. [Changes of some biochemical and physiological parameters around parturition in dairy cows.] Arch. exp. Vet Med. 27: 589–600.Google Scholar
Stöber, M. and Dirksen, G. 1982. [The lipid mobilisation-syndrome (fat cow syndrome) in dairy cows.] Praktische Tierarzt 63: 79–88.Google Scholar