Milk yield relative to supplement intake and rumination time differs by health status for fresh cows milked with automated systems

Abstract

Automated milking systems (AMS) provide the capability of adjusting the amount of supplemental concentrate offered to cows based on parity, days in milk, and milk yield; in many situations, more supplement is provided to those cows with higher production demands. To determine associations of subclinical ketosis (SCK) and blood β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) with milk yield, supplement consumed in the AMS, rumination time, and the ratios of milk yield to supplement intake and milk yield to rumination time, we monitored 605 cows from 9 AMS herds, testing blood BHB concentrations 1×/wk for the first 3 wk of lactation. Milk yield, supplement intake, and rumination data were collected from the AMS computer on each farm. For analyses, only multiparous cows from 8 herds were included (n = 172 total) and were matched, within farm, to include an equal number of cows in each of 4 health status groups (n = 43 per group): SCK (BHB ≥1.2 mmol/L at ≥1 of 3 tests, with no other disorder in the first 30 d in milk), SCK+ (BHB ≥1.2 mmol/L at ≥1 of 3 tests, with another health disorder), HLT (BHB always <1.2 mmol/L, with no other disorder), or OTH (BHB always <1.2 mmol/L, with a health disorder). Milk yield and rumination time varied by health status, but we found no difference in supplement intake by health status group. As a result, milk yield relative to supplement intake and milk yield relative to rumination time differed by health status and were both positively associated with BHB. Cows in SCK had the highest milk yield and ratio of milk yield to supplement intake, but SCK+ cows had the lowest rumination time and the highest milk yield to rumination ratio. These results highlight the differences in milk production (per day and relative to supplement consumption or rumination time) associated with blood BHB and health status. Therefore, potential exists to modify supplementation in AMS to reduce negative energy balance by accounting for milk production of fresh cows.

Robotic milking of dairy cows: a review

“…This study demonstrated that AMS herds have a prevalence of high rates of betahydroxybutyrate than those in conventional milking systems (Tatone et al, 2017). As for King et al (2018), cows producing more milk have more betahydroxybutyrate circulating in the blood, as well as a higher probability of having subclinical ketosis. According to these authors, cows that produce less are more able to obtain from the diet the energy they need.…”

“…According to Tatone, Duffield, Leblanc, De Vries and Gordon (2017) and King, Sparkman, Leblanc and De Vries (2018), subclinical ketosis rates tend to increase in dairy herds under AMS. The reason is related to the increase in the number of milking events and milk production inherent to the AMS, especially at the beginning of lactation.…”

“…The reason is related to the increase in the number of milking events and milk production inherent to the AMS, especially at the beginning of lactation. Also, King et al (2018) reported that these dairy cows tend to produce more milk than those under the conventional system for entering a slightly more serious negative energy balance. Therefore, since these cows do not increase feed intake to the same extent, subclinical ketosis may eventually occur.…”

Behavior, health, and productivity of early-lactation dairy cows supplemented with molasses in automated milking systems

“…Additionally, Tatone et al (2017) reported that multiparous cows in AMS herds were more likely to have SCK than multiparous cows in conventional herds. Furthermore, researchers have reported that development of SCK in commercial AMS-milked cows was associated with greater production of milk relative to the amount of feed provided in the AMS during the first week postcalving (King et al, 2018), suggesting that inadequate supplementation at that time may be a contributing factor to the observed SCK.…”

“…Sugar supplementation supports microbial growth, particularly for fiber-digesting bacteria, speeding up fiber degradation and allowing for greater intake (de Ondarza et al, 2017); this in turn may help improve energy balance. Despite the worldwide exponential increase in AMS, to our knowledge, no previous studies have been conducted to investigate the effects of supplementing sugar to early-lactation cows in AMS, where energy demands may be greater compared with conventional milking herds (Tatone et al, 2017;King et al, 2018).…”