The effects of body condition score (BCS) change and status ante- and postpartum (pp) on health and reproductive performance in 234 German Holstein cows from eight dairy farms were evaluated. BCS was determined from 6 weeks antepartum until 20 weeks pp in 2-week intervals. Three and 5 weeks pp progesterone concentrations in blood serum were determined to detect the presence of luteal tissue as an indicator of cyclicity. The incidence of various diseases, percent cycling cows, reproductive measures and culling rate were assessed. Data were subjected to logistic regression to account for possible herd and lactation number effects. Cows with a low BCS status (<3.0) at calving and during early lactation (4-10 weeks pp) were at a higher risk of suffering from lameness (OR 2.9-9.4), not being cycling at 3 and/or 5 weeks pp (OR 2.24-3.99) and being culled (OR 2.56-2.79) than cows in better body condition (> or =3.0) In addition, cows with a low BCS status at parturition were at a higher risk of developing endometritis (OR 2.95) and becoming pregnant later than 105 days pp (OR 5.92) than cows with a BCS > or = 3.0. At 10 weeks pp, the risk of dystocia (OR 4.10) or retained placenta (OR 2.78) at the preceding calving and not being pregnant at 200 days pp (OR 2.42) was higher in cows with a BCS < 3.0 than with a BCS > or = 3.0. Cows with no BCS loss antepartum were more likely to have an interval from calving to first artificial insemination of <80 days and <105 days open, to be cycling at 3 and 5 weeks pp and to be pregnant at 200 days pp than cows with a BCS loss of >0.25 (OR 2.44-6.67). Furthermore, cows with no BCS loss from calving to 4 weeks pp had a lower risk of suffering from displaced abomasum than cows with a slight or a severe BCS loss (OR 0.09-0.07 respectively). In conclusion, our results suggest that body condition loss during the antepartal period affected BCS status at parturition and to a certain extent during lactation which was linked to a higher incidence of reproductive disorders and lameness, a higher culling rate and lower reproductive performance.

The effect of peripartal supplementation with concentrate enriched at 10% propylene glycol (PG) on metabolism, animal health, fertility, and milk production was studied using 234 cows from 8 dairy farms with production averages of 8019 to 10,656 kg/yr. The feeding schedule for the PG group (n=117) was as follows: 13 d antepartum: 1.5 kg/d (= 150 mL PG); 12 d antepartum until parturition: 3 kg/d (= 300 mL PG); 1 to 12 d postpartum: 1 kg/d (= 100 mL PG). Control cows (n=117) received the same concentrate without PG. From a subset of cows (PG: n = 43; control: n = 40), blood samples were collected at 6, 3, and 1 wk antepartum, 3 d antepartum, on the day of parturition, and 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 wk postpartum for the determination of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA), insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I, and activities of aspartate-aminotransferase (AST) and glutamate-dehydrogenase (GLDH). From another subset of cows (PG: n=11; control: n=10), blood samples were collected 1 wk antepartum, on the day of parturition, and 1 wk postpartum to determine immunophenotypical and functional parameters of blood neutrophils. From 1 wk antepartum to 1 d postpartum, concentrations of NEFA were significantly lower in cows receiving PG compared with controls. Also, concentrations of BHBA in cows receiving PG were significantly lower from 1 wk antepartum until 7 wk postpartum. Concentrations of IGF-I were significantly higher in the PG group, from 1 wk antepartum until 1 wk postpartum than in the control group. Activities of AST and GLDH did not differ between groups. Immunophenotypical and functional characteristics of blood neutrophils were not influenced by treatment nor were animal health, reproduction, or milk production. Although indicators of metabolic status were improved by peripartal use of PG-enriched concentrate, economic benefits are questionable for dairy farms with good nutritional programs, as economically important factors such as milk production, animal health, and fertility were not influenced.