Managing the Transition Cow So, how do we help this cow? 2013 DAIRY SUMMIT January 22-23-24 Dr. Phil Cardoso, DVM, PhD Dairy Research and Extension How should we feed and manage dry and transition cows to: 1) minimize health disorders, 2) maximize production and reproduction Transition Period Usually identified as the 3 weeks prior to and the 3 weeks following parturition (Drackley, 1999; Grummer, 1995). Periparturient Period Typical Gestation-Lactation Cycle for Dairy Cattle Dry Period Parturition Lactation Body stores used for milk production DMI, Energy Balance Body stores regained for next lactation Dry period Mammary Involution/ Regeneration -60-21 0 21 Transition period Gestating, non-lactating state non-pregnant, lactating 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Month
Ketosis incidence observed and measured Location # of cows Milk, lbs/d Ketosis observed, % Ketosis measured, % NY 1890 92.0 13.2 41.3 NY 1827 92.0 14.9 27.3 WI 2794 86.7 4.2 40.7 WI 4106 77.0 35.2 57.2 Overall measured ketosis = 46% Cows with BHBA > 1.2 mmol/l in at least one test (Precision Xtra meter) Highest incidence at 5 DIM Oetzel, 2012: Hoards Dairyman webinar series, Feb. 13 2012 Transition Period Transition Period Challenging period with most infectious diseases and metabolic disorders occurring during this time (Drackley, 1999; Grummer, 1995). Metabolic Disorders & Infectious Diseases Fatty Liver Ketosis Milk fever Hypocalcemia Retained Placenta Metritis Mastitis Displaced abomasum Fatty Liver Can greatly affect lactation performance and profitability Healthy Liver Drackley, 1999 Transition Period Metabolic Disorder Incidence U.S. (%) Cost (US$) Milk Fever 6.5 334 Retained Placenta 8.6 285 Metritis 10.1 280 Left Displaced Abomasum 1.7 340 Ketosis 4.8 145 Adapted from Kelton et al., 1998 Friggens et al., 2004
Transition Period Evolution of Milk Production and Reproduction in the Last 50 years Milk losses across the first 4 DHIA tests in lactation associated with serum metabolites sampled in wk -1 relative to calving for 1,919 Holstein cows Variable Proportion of animals in the high-risk group (%) Estimate SEM (kg of milk/d) P-value NEFA 0.5 meq/l 25-1.6 0.5 0.001 BHBA 6.0 mmol/l 26-1.7 0.4 <0.0001 Calcium 8.4 mg/dl 7-3.2 0.8 <0.0001 Conception Rate, % 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 30000 25000 20000 15000 10000 5000 0 Milk Production, lbs Adapted from Chapinal et al., 2012 Walsh,S.W. et al., 2011 Goals for nutrition and management during the dry period Meet nutrient requirements for gestation and mammary development Minimize risk for peripartal metabolic disorders and infectious diseases Prepare cow for high milk production and high subsequent fertility Optimize costs and maximize profit Butler and Smith, 1989 What are Controlled Energy Diets? Feed to meet cows requirements Not too much, not too little But just right Goal is consistent intake throughout dry period Cows fed even moderate-energy diets during the dry period easily over-consume energy relative to requirements 156% of NEL reqt. 81% of NEL reqt. Diets ~1.50 Mcal NEL per kg From J.K. Drackley Douglas et al., 2006
Controlled Energy diets (CE) : Transition Period Improved DMI postpartum (Douglas et al., 2006) Similar milk production when compared to high energy diets (Douglas et al., 2006; Janovick and Drackley, 2010) Lower diseases and disorders incidence when compared to high energy diets (Janovick et al., 2011) Periparturient Period Parturition Lactation Dry Period -60-21 0 21 Transition period Reproduction Less DMI decline (Drackley et al., 2005) Gestating, non-lactating state non-pregnant, lactating Gestating, lactating state Some questions about controlled-energy diets Our group and others have explored the effects of feed regimen and health of dairy cows (Janovick et al., 2011; Richards, 2011; Vickers et al., 2010). However studies constantly lack statistical power to determine a strong association between treatments and classificatory outcome variables such as disease and non-diseased animals. Trying to explore a specific disease (e.g. DA, KET, RP) becomes even harder due to the low occurrence of those pathologies on trials. Some questions about controlled-energy diets Animal numbers per study too small Milk yields sometimes numerically lower with controlled-energy diets What are effects on reproduction and disease incidence? Meta-analysis Database 7 experiments from University of Illinois (6 published) 408 cows 354 2 nd lactation or greater 54 1 st lactation Fed similar lactation diets according to NRC recommendations Lactating cows housed in tie stalls, milked 2x daily Individual cow information compiled into common database Prepartum plane of nutrition classification High Energy (HE): cows fed ad libitum, target NE L intake >100% of NRC requirement Controlled Energy (CE): cows either limit fed (NE L 80% of NRC) or fed high fiber diet for ad libitum intake (NE L ~100% NRC) Compared effects in far-off and close-up periods F. Cardoso, S. Leblanc, J. Drackley et al., 2011, unpublished
Physical characteristics of dietary treatments PSPS (% and SD) CE HE >19 mm 21.8 ± 2.6 6.44 ± 1.3 8-19 mm 35.2 ± 1.7 43.08 ± 1.3 < 8 mm 43 ± 1.4 50.48 ± 3.1 Milk production from Holstein cows fed different dietary treatments Milk N Far-off Close-up P-value HE CE HE CE SEM P-value Sum 4 wk, kg 177 115.5 117.3 0.78 120.2 112.7 3.2 0.26 Slope wk 1-3, % 168 45.4 42.3 0.66 42.1 45.6 4.1 0.62 Milk production from Holstein cows fed different dietary treatments Milk fat percentage from Holstein cows fed different dietary treatments P < 0.05 Milk protein percentage from Holstein cows fed different dietary treatments Plasma NEFA concentration from cows receiving different treatments P 0.05 Far-off Metabolite Week N HE CE SEM P-value NEFA (μeq/l) 1 346 817 667 1.2 <0.01 2 309 618 508 1.2 0.01 3 331 346 272 1.2 <0.01
Plasma NEFA concentration from cows receiving different treatments Association of cows receiving different treatments and specific diseases Far-off Metabolite Week N HE CE SEM P-value NEFA (μeq/l) 1 346 817 667 1.2 <0.01 2 309 618 508 1.2 0.01 3 331 346 272 1.2 <0.01 Disease = yes (NEFA>700μEq/L) OR = 1.2 (P <0.05) CE P = 0.01 5.021 P = 0.04 HE 2.097 HE Body condition score (BCS) loss from wk 6 to wk 1 from cows receiving different treatments Mean NE L I of the first 4 wk after calving from cows receiving different treatments P = 0.001-0.30-0.35-0.39 24.1-0.43 22.8 22.4 P = 0.04 21.1 Overfeeding in close-up increased days to conception (DTC) Median DTC: HE = 167,CE = 157 HR =.689 P = 0.04 Association of cows receiving different treatments and days to conception (DTC) P = 0.04 CE HE Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the association of high energy diet (HE) and control energy diet (CE, referent) with days to conception (DTC) (P = 0.04). PHREG procedure considering experiment as random effect and controlling for the effects of calving season, reproduction pathology, and parity (P < 0.06). CU: Close-up. FO: Far-off. 157 167
Common problems in management Sorting (improper processing or mixing) Diet composition too different from pre- to postpartum (e.g., starch, silage vs. hay) Inadequate access to feed (overcrowding, no push-up, not enough fed) Limited water availability Failure to adjust for changing DM% of feeds Moldy or poor-quality ingredients Why do controlled-energy diets decrease NEFA, BHBA, and liver fat? Overfeeding and internal body fat stores in dry cows Research question: Do cows overfed during the dry period accumulate internal fat during the dry period? Adipose tissue depots in non-lactating non-pregnant cows after 57 d on diets Variable LE HE SEM Initial BCS 3.00 3.08 0.25 Final BCS 3.55 3.62 0.11 Post-blood BW, kg 710 722 33 Adipose tissue site Omental, kg 17.5 28.1 1.3 Mesenteric, kg 12.1 22.0 2.4 Perirenal, kg 6.0 9.9 1.2 n = 9 per diet P < 0.01 P < 0.05 Nikkhah et al., 2009 Controlled energy improves neutrophil phagocytosis postpartum Controlled energy or restricted intake lessens decrease in Ca at calving Moderate Energy Controlled Energy Graugnard et al., 2009 Janovick et al., unpublished
What do we do with problems in the short term? A number of additives may provide benefits in helping at-risk cows through the transition: Protected choline Calcium propionate, propylene glycol Drench formulas at calving Others What about the fresh-cow group? Optimal dry period diets dilute lactation diet ingredients with straw (provides rumen adaptation) Straw leaves rumen slowly; results in auto-adaptation when lactation ration is introduced after calving Include small amount (~0.5 to 1.5 kg) of chopped straw in fresh-cow / lactation groups, especially where effective fiber marginal Summary and conclusions Controlling energy with high fiber rations seems to improve: Fertility in dairy cows. DMI after parturition, thereby avoiding excessive adipose tissue lipid mobilization. Health in dairy cows. Increased energy during the close-up period results in greater body reserve mobilization during early lactation. Summary and conclusions Increased energy during the close-up period results in greater body reserve mobilization during early lactation. The effect of increased energy during the close-up period on milk yield is minimal. Controlled energy diets during the dry period decrease milk fat content in very early lactation, because of decreased body fat mobilization. Summary and Conclusions Dietary recommendations: NEL: Control energy intake at 14 to 16 Mcal daily (diet ~ 1.30 Mcal/kg DM) for mature cows Crude protein: 12 14% of DM Metabolizable protein (MP): > 1000 g/d NDF from forage: ~0.7 0.8% of BW or 4.5 to 5 kg per head daily Minerals and vitamins: follow guidelines www.dairyfocus.illinois.edu facebook: Dairy Focus at Illinois