Cows Fed Availa 4 Produce More Milk, Show Better Reproductive Performance

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1 TECHNICAL BULLETIN Cows Fed Availa 4 Produce More Milk, Show Better Reproductive Performance Key Findings Replacing a portion of standard sulfate trace minerals with Availa 4 from Zinpro Performance Minerals resulted in: 1.2 kg more milk, 3.5% fat-corrected milk and energycorrected milk; 0.04 kg more milk fat and protein; 22 fewer days open; A 32.8% increase in first service conception rates and 22.1% more cows pregnant by 150 days in milk, and Fewer claw (hoof) disorders and less white line disease. Introduction Research has demonstrated that lactating dairy cows fed 4-Plex, a combination of ZINPRO, MANPRO, CuPLEX and COPRO, produced 1.2 kg more milk and had 16 fewer days open. In addition, 4-Plex has been shown to improve claw integrity of cows previously fed only ZINPRO zinc methionine or no Zinpro Performance Minerals. Zinpro has subsequently introduced Availa-4, a source of unique zinc, manganese, copper and cobalt created using a patented Amino Acid Extraction Process. The objective of this trial was to determine the effect of Availa-4 on milk production, somatic cell count (SCC), claw integrity and reproduction in a high producing herd under commercial conditions. Materials and Methods Holly T. Ballantine, Ph.D., an independent consulting dairy nutritionist, was the principal investigator for the trial, conducted on a large commercial dairy in northern Florida. At approximately three weeks prior to calving, 0 multiparous Holstein cows were randomly assigned to the study to determine the effect of trace mineral source on incidence and severity of claw lesions, reproduction and lactation performance of lactating dairy cows. Treatments were (1) all trace minerals supplied by standard trace mineral sources or (2) 360 mg of zinc, 200 mg of manganese, 125 mg of copper and 12 mg of cobalt per day from Zinpro Performance Mineral sources (Availa-4), replacing an equivalent Table 1. Ingredient composition of diets a Ingredient, % DM amount of zinc, manganese, copper and cobalt from ordinary sulfates. Cows received their respective treatments from 21 days prior to calving through 250 days of lactation. Treatments were blended into a supplement at a commercial feed mill and delivered to the farm. There were two supplement formulations; one was fed during the prefresh period and the other was fed during the postfresh and lactation periods. Chemical compositions of treatment supplements were similar with supplements differing only in source of zinc, manganese, copper and cobalt. Supplements were blended into a total mixed ration (TMR) and group-fed at least three times/d at a rate to achieve 5 to 10% feed refusals. Ingredient and chemical composition of diets are shown in Table 1 and Table 2 (page 2). Prefresh Diet Postfresh Lactation Corn silage Alfalfa hay Bermuda grass hay Sorghum silage Ryegrass silage 2.7 Brewers grains, wet Hominy Citrus pulp Cottonseed, whole w/lint Soybean meal, dehulled Lacto-Whey b Prefresh supplement 5.0 Lactation supplement Cottonseed hulls 2.2 Minerals/fat a Treatment and control diets fed during the prefresh, postfresh and lactation periods were similar in nutrient and ingredient content, differing only in source of trace minerals b Lacto-Whey, Packerland Whey Products, Inc., Luxemburg, WI Ref. Slide # DL A4-91 Zinpro Corporation 100 Viking Dr. Suite 2 Eden Prairie, MN USA fax Page 1 of 5

2 Precalving, cows were housed in a naturally ventilated barn with sand packs. In early lactation, cows were housed in a naturally ventilated barn with sand bedded freestalls and access to dirt lots. In mid-lactation, some of the cows were moved from the freestall barn to outside lots. Movement of cows was controlled to maintain an equal number of control and treatment cows in the freestall barn and an equal number of control and treatment cows in the outside lots. Cows were milked three times a day and milk weights recorded at each milking. Milk was sampled twice monthly and analyzed for milk components and SCC. Administration of rbst began during Week nine of lactation, with reinjection occurring every 14 days thereafter. Trace mineral status of cows was assessed by collecting liver biopsies from 32 animals per treatment. Biopsies were collected prior to initiation of treatments and at approximately 18 weeks postcalving. Samples were sent to Michigan State Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory for mineral analysis. Claws were trimmed prior to initiation of treatments and at approximately 75 and 250 days postcalving by two claw trimmers. The claw trimmers were graduates of the Master Hoof Care Program and were not informed of the treatment assignments of the cows. Furthermore, each trimmer examined an equal number of Control and treatment cows. Lesions were noted in the seven zones of the claw, with each lesion scored for severity on a scale of 1 = no pain to 3 = severe pain. For cows exhibiting a noted claw disorder, a claw lesion index was calculated by taking the number of zones afflicted and multiplying it by the average severity score of the lesions. Culling of cows from the herd was done in accordance with standard policy of the dairy. A total of 49 cows (22 treatment and 27 control) were culled from the herd prior to completion of 250 days of lactation. Table 2. Chemical composition of diets a Chemical Composition, DM Basis Crude protein, % Acid detergent fiber, % Nonstructural carbohydrates, % Calcium, % Phosphorus, % Potassium, % Magnesium, % Sulfur, % Sodium, % Zinc, ppm Manganese, ppm Copper, ppm Cobalt, ppm Iron, ppm Iodine, ppm Selenium, ppm Vitamin A, KIU/kg Vitamin D, KIU/kg Vitamin E, IU/kg Data collected prior to treatment assignment, such as trace mineral content of liver and incidence of claw lesions, were used to covariately adjust data collected postcalving. Lactation data was covariately adjusted using the 5-day Mature Equivalent of the lactation prior to assignment of the cows to the study. Overall means for the Prefresh Diet Postfresh Lactation a Treatment and control diets fed during the prefresh, postfresh and lactation periods were similar in nutrient and ingredient content, differing only in source of trace minerals Ref. Slide # DL A Table 3. Effect of trace mineral source on lactation performance Dry matter intake, kg/d b Milk production, kg/d Energy-corrected milk, kg/d cd % Fat-corrected milk, kg/d d Fat yield, kg/d d Protein yield, kg/d Solids, kg/d de Fat, % d Protein, % Solids, % de Linear SCC score f SCC, 1000s/mL a Availa-4 supplied daily 360 mg Zn from Availa Zn zinc amino acid complex, 200 mg Mn from Availa Mn manganese amino acid complex, 125 mg Cu from Availa Cu copper amino acid complex and 12 mg Co from COPRO cobalt glucoheptonate b Due to group feeding, dry matter intake was not analyzed statistically c Energy-corrected milk, 3.5% fat and 3.2% protein d Significant week X treatment interaction (P < 0.05) e Solids = fat + protein f Somatic cell count Ref. Slide # DL A4-101 lactation data such as milk production and milk composition were averaged across cow and analyzed using Fit Model procedure of JMP. Weekly milk production and milk composition averages were analyzed using PROC MIXED of SAS to determine the effect of time on treatment responses. Noncategorical data such as days open, Page 2 of 5

3 days to first service and claw lesion index were analyzed using PROC GLM. Categorical data such as incidence of claw lesions, percent pregnant and percent pregnant by 150 days in milk (DIM), were analyzed using PROC GENMOD of SAS. Significant treatment effects were noted at P < 0.05 and trends for treatment effects were noted at P > 0.05 and P < Results and Discussion Although not statistically analyzed, cows fed Availa-4 consumed more dry matter than cows receiving a diet supplemented with trace minerals only from standard sulfate sources (Table 3, page 2). Cows fed Availa-4 produced 1.2 kg more (P < 0.05) milk, energycorrected milk and 3.5% fat-corrected milk than cows supplemented with only ordinary sulfate trace minerals (Table 3, Figure 1). Supplementing with lso increased (P < 0.05) milk fat production by 3.02%, milk protein by 3.46% and milk solids by 3.23%. There was no effect (P > 0.15) of trace mineral source on fat, protein, solids and SCC content of milk. In contrast to previous research, cows fed Availa-4 produced milk with a numerically higher SCC content than cows fed the control diet (Table 3, page 2). Table 4. Effect of trace mineral source on reproduction Days to first service Pregnant by 150 days in milk, % First service conception rate b, % Services per conception % 250 days Days open Week by treatment interactions (P < 0.05) were observed for several production parameters. The effect of Availa-4 on production of 3.5% fatcorrected milk, energy-corrected milk (Figure 2), fat and milk solids was greatest during the first 11 weeks of lactation and and 12 mg Co b Total number of cows pregnant to first service divided by total number of cows eligible to be bred Ref. Slide # DL A4-111 Figure 1. Effect of trace mineral source on milk production, composition kg/d y 41.8 z 39.3 y.5 z 39.5 y.7 z Milk ECM bc 3.5% FCM cd b Energy-corrected milk, 3.5% fat and 3.2% protein c Significant week X treatment interaction (P < 0.05) d Fat-corrected milk, 3.5% fat yz Within a category, least square means lacking a common superscript letter differ (P < 0.05) Ref. Slide # DL A4-103 Weeks 22 to 33 of lactation. Effect of treatment on fat and solids content of milk was variable. In early lactation, cows fed Availa-4 produced milk with a higher fat and solids content. However, in late lactation, cows fed the ordinary trace mineral diet produced milk with a higher fat and solids content. Figure 2. Response to trace mineral source across time a Energy-Corrected Milk b, kg/d Availa-4 c Week of Lactation a Significant week X treatment interaction (P < 0.05) b Energy-corrected milk, 3.5% fat and 3.2% protein c Availa-4 supplied daily 360 mg Zn from Availa-Zn zinc amino acid complex, 200 mg Mn from Availa-Mn manganese amino acid complex, 125 mg Cu from Availa-Cu copper amino acid complex Ref. Slide # DL A Page 3 of 5

4 Replacing standard sulfate trace minerals with Availa-4 decreased (P < 0.05) days open by 22 days (Figure 3). Feeding lso tended to increase (P < 0.15) percent of cows pregnant by 150 DIM (Figure 4) and percent of cows that conceived on the first insemination. Percent of cows pregnant by 150 DIM increased by 22.1% and first service conception rates increased 32.8% when Availa-4 was fed. There was no effect (P > 0.15) of trace mineral source on days to first service, services per conception or percent of cows pregnant (Table 4, page 3), although cows fed Availa-4 numerically had fewer days to first service and fewer services per conception. Cows fed Availa-4 tended to have a lower incidence of claw (hoof) disorders (P < 0.15) than cows fed standard sulfate trace minerals at 75 days postpartum (23.6 vs. 34.1%) and a numerically lower incidence (P > 0.15) at 250 days postpartum (Figure 5). At 75 days postpartum, Availa-4 tended to decrease (P < 0.15) incidence of white line disease (Table 5, page 5). In addition, if cows exhibited white line disease or heel erosion, the severity was lessened with the addition of Availa-4 to the diet as noted by the decrease in the claw lesion index (1.3 vs. 2.6, P < 0.05; 6.7 vs. 8.9, P < 0.15, respectively). Cows fed Availa-4 had a higher incidence (P < 0.05) of sole hemorrhages than cows fed ordinary sulfate trace minerals. However, it should be noted that cows fed Availa-4 in this study still only had a 4% incidence of sole hemorrhages (Table 5, page 5). Researchers at Ohio State, Washington State and New York observed incidence of sole hemorrhages to be greater than 50%. The low occurrence of sole hemorrhages in this study may have been due to an under-diagnosis of the disorder by the claw trimmers. At 250 days postpartum, cows fed Availa-4 tended to have less (P < 0.15) white line disease and less foot rot (Table 6, page 5). es for cows fed Availa-4 tended to be lower Figure 3. Effect of trace mineral source on days open Days Open y 147 z yz Least square means lacking a common superscript letter differ (P < 0.05) Ref. Slide # DL A4-113 Figure 4. Effect of trace mineral source on reproduction % y 27.4 z First Service Conception Rate b 42.7 y 54.8 z Pregnant by 150 Days in Milk b Total number of cows pregnant to first service divided by total number of cows eligible to be bred yz Within a category, least square means lacking a common superscript letter differ (P < 0.15) Ref. Slide # DL A4-112 Figure 5. Effect of trace mineral source on incidence of claw disorders a Cows With Claw Disorders, % y 23.6 z d Postpartum 250 d Postpartum a Means were covariately adjusted using data collected prior to treatment administration b Availa-4 supplied daily 360 mg Zn from Availa-Zn zinc amino acid complex, 200 mg Mn from yz Least square means lacking a common superscript letter differ (P < 0.15) Ref. Slide # DL A4-116 Page 4 of 5

5 (P < 0.15) for both white line disease (1.7 vs. 2.7) and sole ulcers (2.5 vs. 4.2), (Table 6). These results indicate that feeding Availa-4 decreased the incidence of claw disorders. If cows did develop a claw lesion, feeding Availa-4 decreased the severity of the lesion. There was no effect of trace mineral source on incidence (P > 0.15) of metabolic disorders. There was no effect of trace mineral source (P > 0.15) on concentrations of trace minerals in the liver (Table 7). Overall levels of zinc, manganese and copper in the liver indicated that cows had adequate trace mineral status. It should be noted that even though there was no treatment effect on trace mineral content of liver, source of trace mineral impacted lactation performance, reproduction and claw integrity, indicating that liver status may be a poor indicator to make cow performance predictions and that source of trace mineral (Zinpro Performance Minerals vs. standard sulfates) makes a difference. Implications Replacing ordinary sulfate trace minerals with Zinpro Performance Minerals found in Availa-4 resulted in: 1.2 kg more milk ( 0.008), 3.5% fat-corrected milk ( 0.02) and energy-corrected milk ( 0.01); 0.04 kg more milk fat ( 0.05) and protein ( 0.003); 22 fewer days open ( 0.03); 32.8% increase in first service conception rates ( 0.08) and 22.1% more cows pregnant by 150 days in milk ( );.8% decrease in overall claw disorders at 75 days postpartum ( 0.15) and 43.5% decrease at 250 days postpartum ( 0.17); 34.9% decrease in white line disease at 75 days postpartum ( 0.07) and 44.3% decrease at 250 days postpartum ( ), and Decreased severity of claw lesions if cows did develop a lesion. Table 5. Effect of trace mineral source on claw lesions a (75 days postpartum) Cows with claw disorders, % White line disease c Hemorrhages Sole ulcers Heel erosion Digital dermatitis c Calculated for only cows with at least one zone afflicted with the stated disorder. Calculated by multiplying the number of zones afflicted by the average lesion score. Lesions were scored on a scale of 1 = no pain to 3 = severe pain Ref. Slide # DL A4-114 Table 6. Effect of trace mineral source on claw lesions a (250 days postpartum) Cows with claw disorders, % White line disease Sole ulcers Foot rot, % c c Calculated for only cows with at least one zone afflicted with the stated disorder. Calculated by multiplying the number of zones afflicted by the average lesion score. Lesions were scored on a scale of 1 = no pain to 3 = severe pain Ref. Slide # DL A4-115 Table 7. Effect of trace mineral source on trace mineral content of liver a Mineral, ppm DM Zinc Manganese Copper Iron Molybdenum Samples were collected prior to treatment administration and at approximately 18 weeks postpartum Ref. Slide # DL A Page 5 of 5