• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.439-447
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• 1996

Monthly test day production for 12,020 records, were collected from six of the largest specialized dairy farms located in central region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The records described lactating cows in four parities and two seasons of calving. Monthly test day records were fitted using Wood's model $At{{^b}{_e}}^{-ct}$ with multiple and additive error term. Linear and non-linear regression models were used to find the estimates of the parameters necessary to draw the lactation curves. The shape of the lactation curves of different parities showed that third lactation has the heighest peak (43.08 kg) for linear regression model and (42.08 kg) for non-linear regression model. Fourth lactation has the lowest peak (24.00kg) for linear regression model and (25.64 kg) for non-linear regression models. Cows of second and third lactations reached the peak at 58 day for both linear and non-linear regression models. Cows of first lactation were more persistent and had late peak at 68 and 67 days for both models respectively. While, third lactation cows were lower persistent and had early peak at 58 day for both models. Cows calved at winter months have higher starting values (A), higher ascending slope (b) and higher decending slope (c). Least square means of milk yield of the first four parities and for overall data were 6,653, 7,659, 7,482, 6,988 and 7,614 kg respectively. The corresponding lactation period were 358, 367, 350, 363 and 364 days respectively.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.575-583
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• 2021

Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the effect of parity and the stage of lactation on the metabolic profile of cows based on the basic chemical milk components and the blood parameters. Methods: The study material consisted of high-yielding Holstein-Friesian cows. In total, 473 cows were examined. According to the parity, cows were divided into four groups: primiparous (P), and multiparous in the second (M2), in the third (M3), and in subsequent lactations (M4). The feeding of cows was based on total mixed ration (TMR) ad libitum. Milk and blood samples were collected individually from each cow three times per standard lactation period. Results: Greater exacerbation of changes in the dynamics of the blood plasma parameters examined was proved for multiparous cows. The highest value of β-hydroxybutyrate acid (0.946 mmol/L) was found for multiparous cows from group M3 at the beginning of lactation. However, it was still in the normal range. The results showed aspartate aminotransferase, and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) activities in dairy cows during lactation had significant variations taking in to account stage of lactation. The highest activity of GGT was found in the group of the oldest cows and measured from 26.36 U/L at the beginning of lactation to 48.75 U/L at the end of the lactation period. Conclusion: The time-related changes in the concentrations of the biochemical parameters described differ markedly among lactating cows, though the housing conditions on the research dairy farm are highly standardised. This indicates that the ability to cope with metabolic stress is mainly affected by the individual predispositions of cows and feed nutrient supply in different stage of lactation. Especially, the feed nutrient supply (in net energy for lactation), which was the best in TMR 1 in comparison TMR 3.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.53-59
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• 2004

The environmental impact of nutrient waste from agriculture has become an area of concern as ways to produce more food and of offspring. In dairy cattle, as the genetic capacity for milk production has increased, decreased fertility has become a severe problem by feeding high dietary protein, resulting in high concentration of blood urea nitrogen (BUN). There are numerous reports on BUN which is associated with reduced conception rates and closely related to body condition score (BCS) in lactating cattle, but not in Korean native cattle. This study was therefore performed to investigate the relation of BUN to both BCS and conception rates in Korean cattle. A total of 400 female Korean cattle (2∼5 years) in Daewanryong were used for this experiment. Feeding condition divided into two groups depending on grazing and darn feeding period. In grazing period, the mixture of Timothy, Orchard grass and Tall fescue, and concentrates (2.5 kg/day) was fed whereas hay (6.5 kg/day) and corn silage (20 kg/day) were fed while barn feeding period. Average BUN concentration at grazing and barn feeding were 7.39$\pm$2.65 mg/㎗ and 12.36$\pm$2.92 mg/㎗, respectively. During grazing period, high rates of pregnancy showed at 4∼8 mg/㎗ BUN concentration. In barn feeding period, 66%, of cattle were in pregnant at 8∼l4 mg/㎗ BUN concentration. The BCS for obtaining high rate of pregnancy raged at 2.5∼3.5. However, BUN did not directly relate to BCS in Korean cattle.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.189-197
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• 2006

Twenty small-scale farms of two villages (A and B) were surveyed to identify the feeding traits, milk productivity and nutritional status of lactating cattle and buffalo in Terai, Nepal. Constituents and dry matter (DM) of feed supplied, body condition score (BCS), heart girth (HG), bodyweight (BW), milk yield (MY) and plasma metabolites were obtained in the pasture-sufficient, pasture-decreasing and fodder-shortage periods. Milk yield of 305-day lactation was estimated by the daily MY. The supplies of rice straw and native grass were lower and higher in the pasture-sufficient period than in the other periods, respectively (5.5 kg/day vs. 9.8 kg/day and 3.2 kg/day vs. 0.4 kg/day, respectively, p<0.01). The roughage-supplement rates of the animals were higher in village A than in village B (5.0 vs. 2.2 in cattle and 9.3 vs. 1.8 in buffalo, p<0.01). The variance of feed constituents among the periods and between the villages induced different supplies of CP, NDF and TDN. The concentrations of CP and TDN in the cattle feed were higher in the pasture-sufficient period than in the other periods (9.1% vs. 7.3% and 57.4% vs. 51.0%, respectively, p<0.01). The supplies of CP for cattle and buffalo, and of TDN for buffalo were lower in village A than in village B (7.5% vs. 8.7% and 6.6% vs. 9.1% [p<0.01], and 53.1% vs. 56.2% [p<0.05], respectively). The BCS, HG and BW of the animals were lower in village A than in village B (2.51 vs. 2.86, 156 cm vs. 170 cm and 300 kg vs. 318 kg, respectively in cattle, 2.83 vs. 4.00, 186 cm vs. 216 cm and 429 kg vs. 531 kg, respectively in buffalo, p<0.01). The cattle yielded more milk in the pasture-sufficient period than in the other periods (7.9 liters/day vs. 6.6 liters/day, p<0.01). The 305-day MY of cattle that calved in the fodder-shortage period was lower than that of cattle that calved in the other periods (1,900 liters vs. 2,251 liters, p<0.01). The MYs of cattle and buffalo were lower in village A than in village B (6.2 liters/day vs. 8.1 liters/day and 3.7 liters/day vs. 7.7 liters/day, respectively, p<0.01). The 305-day MY of cattle was lower in village A than in village B (1,935 liters vs. 2,409 liters, p<0.01). The concentrations of plasma albumin and urea nitrogen in cattle were lower in village A than in village B (3.2 g/dl vs. 3.4 g/dl [p<0.01] and 7.4 mg/dl vs. 10.2 mg/dl [p<0.05], respectively). The different supplies of CP, NDF and TDN among the periods and between the villages might have affected MY and nutritional status in cattle and buffalo. It was likely that the lower supplies of CP and TDN for cattle that calved in the fodder-shortage period and in village A lowered the 305-day MY of cattle.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.12
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• pp.1625-1632
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• 2009

Four lactating Holstein Friesian crossbred cows, with an average initial weight of 450 kg, 48${\pm}$12 days in milk and initial milk yield of 18 kg/h/d, were randomly arranged according to a 2${\times}$2 factorial arrangement in a 4${\times}$4 in Latin square design with 21-d period to investigate the effects of type of total mixed ration (TMR) and type of whole cottonseed (WCS) on intake, digestibility and milk production. The dietary treatments were i) TMR and WCS supplementation at 0.5 kg/h/d, ii) TMR and cracked WCS (cWCS) supplementation at 0.5 kg/h/d, iii) fermented TMR (FTMR) and WCS supplementation at 0.5 kg/h/d, and iv) FTMR and cWCS supplementation at 0.5 kg/h/d. Voluntary feed intake was 15.9, 15.2, 15.4 and 15.6 kg DM/d in dietary treatment 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. Digestibility of DM, OM, CP, EE, NDF and ADF were not significantly different among dietary treatments. Ruminal pH, $NH_{3}-N$ and volatile fatty acids in the rumen were also not significantly different among type of TMR or type of WCS. Blood urea-N concentration was not significantly different among dietary treatments. Ruminal bacteria population tended to increase but ruminal protozoa population tended to decrease with supplementation of cWCS, but they were not affected by FTMR. Milk yield and 3.5% FCM were not statistically different among treatments (16.6, 16.2, 17.0, 16.3 kg/d and 18.0, 18.6, 19.9 and 19.0 kg/d, respectively). Milk composition was not significantly different among dietary treatments. However, unsaturated fatty acids in milk fat in cows fed FTMR were lower (p<0.05) than in cows fed TMR. In conclusion, fermentation is a conceivable method to improve the quality of TMR for long-time storage and the cracking method is suitable to release the fat from cottonseed for enhancing fatty acid deposition in milk. Thus, the combination of FTMR and cWCS supplementation would be an alternative strategy to improve performance of lactating cows.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.155-162
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• 2015

The incidence of second-grade milk production in 9 dairy farms of South Korea was investigated from May 2011 to March 2012, and the serum composition of cows producing first- and second-grade milk in 14 farms including the 9 farms was analyzed. The incidence rate of second-grade milk production of 402 cows in nine dairy farms located in the central and southwestern regions of Korea was 15.4% with the highest rate being 34.4%. Seasonal morbidity was higher during late winter (February) and early summer (June) with the highest rate observed in February (32.6%) followed by November (33.3%). Second-grade milk was most frequently found within one month postpartum (34.1%) while only 3.5% was found during the first 60~90 days of lactating period (n=785, 5 herds). The morbidity increased thereafter (P<0.05) with the highest observed between 270~300 days of lactation (36.1%). The acidity was not significantly different between second-grade ($0.159{\pm}0.026%$) and first-grade milk ($0.158{\pm}0.027%$). Blood serum analysis of 371 cows in the 14 dairy farms indicated that aspartate aminotransferase (AST) level was significantly higher (P<0.001) in cows producing second-grade milk while albumin was significantly lower (P<0.001) than cows producing first-grade milk. Total protein and triglyceride was also significantly low along with glucose, non-esterified fatty acid and blood urea nitrogen in cows producing second-grade milk. Statistical analysis including sensitivity, specificity and positive/negative prediction values showed that lactating cows with high AST, low albumin, total protein and triglyceride levels in the serum tended to produce second-grade milk. It was concluded that serological parameters, especially live functional and metabolic-related serum compositions (AST, albumin, total protein and triglyceride), were significantly influenced in cows producing second-grade milk.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.385-395
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• 2010

The objective of this study was to determine optimal lysine requirement of lactating Mong Cai sows and their piglets. An experiment was conducted using 30 Mong Cai sows in a factorial randomized design with 5 dietary total lysine levels (0.60, 0.70, 0.85, 1.0 and 1.15%) for one-week pre-partum and 5 dietary total lysine levels (0.60, 0.75, 0.90, 1.05 and 1.2%) for lactation diets. Mong Cai sows were about 1 to 2 years old and had an initial body weight of 120 kg (sd = 2.5) after farrowing. Sows were restrictively fed 1.7 kg feed during gestation and were fed ad libitum during lactation. Diets of sows contained about 12% CP during pregnancy and about 14% CP for the lactation period. DE concentration of the diets ranged between 12.5-13.0 MJ of DE. Water was supplied at up to 8 liters per sow per day in a basin. Studied traits were related to both sows and their progeny. Sows were weighed at 107 days of gestation, after farrowing and at weaning. Sow back-fat depth was measured at 110 days of gestation, after farrowing, at 21 days of lactation and at weaning. Number of piglets born, at 24 h after birth, at 21 days of age and at weaning were recorded. Piglets were weighte at birth, at 21 days and at weaning. Supplying lysine one week pre-partum had no effect on the number of piglets born nor litter weight at birth (p = 0.776 and p = 0.224). A positive effect of increasing dietary lysine level during lactation from 0.60 to 1.20% was observed with regard to less sow weight loss, and increased piglet weight at 21 days and at weaning. The level of lysine that resulted in the lowest sow backfat loss and the highest weaned piglet weight was 1.05%; this may be the optimum level of lysine for the diet of lactating Mong Cai sows. At this lysine level, the number of weaned piglets was also highest.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.3-12
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• 2001

Long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) are important components of brain phospholipds and play important role (s) in brain function. In rats, the maximum brain growth occurs during the period of lactation even though it happens during the third trimester of gestation in human. Since milk contained docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) even through the maternal diet had no DHA and/or a very small amount of its precursor, $\alpha$-linolenic acid ($\alpha$-LnA), an emphasis was given to maternal adipose tissue as a reservoir of this fatty acid. We, therefore, investigated the mesenteric and subcutaneous adipose tissues for their fatty acid composition in dams reared with different fat diets. Diets containing various amounts of $\omega$6 and $\omega$3 fatty acids were given to adult female rats (200-250g) throughout the pregnancy and lactation periods. Diets were composed of 10% (wt/wt) corn oil (CO), soybean oil (SO), perilla seed oil (PO) containing about 60% $\alpha$-LnA, or fish oil (FO) rich in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and DHA. The fatty acid ompositions of mesenteric and subcutaneous fat were measured and evaluated at Day-2 and Day-15 after parturition. In general, major characteristics of dietary fatty acid composition was reflected on the fatty acid composition of adipose tissues. Dietary fatty acid composition was reflected more on mesenteric fat as compared to subcutaneous fat. Mesenteric fat was found to contain less arachidonic acid (AA) and mesenteric fats of CO, SO and PO groups contained less DHA than did the subcutaneous fat. The P/M/S ratios of adipose tissues were similar between experimental groups while dietary P/M/S ratios differed significantly. It was noticeable that a small proportion of DHA was found in the adipose tissues of animals of CO, SO and PO groups (Day-2) and in SO and PO groups (Day-15), the groups which do not contain DHA in their diets. The percentage of DHA in mesenteric fat o CO, SO and PO groups decreased as lactation continues, while the proportion of DHA in FO group increased. Adipose tissues of FO group had higher DHA/EPA ratio as compared to the diet. Considering the fact that the body contains a large amount of adipose tissues, our present finding suggests that the adipose tissue can serve as a reservoir of DHA for pregnant and lactating rats.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.11.1-11.9
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• 2014

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on the performance of lactating sows and piglets as well as the immunity of piglets suckling from sows fed CLA. Eighteen multiparous Duroc sows with an average body weight (BW) of $232.0{\pm}6.38kg$ were randomly selected and assigned to two dietary treatments (n = 9 for each treatment), control (no CLA addition) and 1% CLA supplementation. For the control diet, CLA was replaced with soybean oil. Experimental diets were fed to sows during a 28-day lactation period. Litter size for each sow was standardized to nine piglets by cross-fostering within 24 hours after birth. Sow milk and blood samples were taken from sows and piglets after 21 and 27 days of lactation, respectively. Loss of BW was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in sows fed control diet compared to sows fed CLA diet. Piglet weights at weaning and weight gain during suckling were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in sows fed CLA compared to sows fed control diet. Serum non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) and urea nitrogen concentrations were significantly (p < 0.05) lower in sows fed CLA than in sows fed soybean oil. IgG concentrations of the groups supplemented with CLA increased by 49% in sow serum (p < 0.0001), 23% in milk (p < 0.05), and 35% in piglet serum (p < 0.05) compared with the control group. Sows fed CLA showed an increase of 10% in milk yield compared with sows fed soybean oil (p < 0.05), even though there was no difference in daily feed intake between the treatments. Milk fat content was significantly (p < 0.05) lower in sows fed CLA than in sows fed soybean oil. Solid-not-fat yield was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in sows supplemented with CLA than in sows fed control diet and also protein-to-fat ratio in milk was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in sows fed CLA compared with the control group. The results show that CLA supplementation to sows increased milk yield without losing BW during lactation, whereas soybean oil supplementation resulted in severe BW loss.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.1005-1015
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• 2009

Two experiments were carried out to determine the utility of sainfoin hay, a temperate tanniferous forage legume, as a dietary supplement for grass-fed cows. The condensed tannins (CT) of sainfoin might counteract the typical metabolic ammonia load of cows in intensive grazing systems. Furthermore, the physical fibrousness of sainfoin might improve ruminal pH stability. In the preliminary experiment, the eating rate of non-lactating Holstein cows of two tanniferous hays, sainfoin and birdsfoot trefoil, was compared to that of a grass-clover hay after specific periods of time (n = 4). The eating rate of sainfoin was superior to that of the other forages. In the main experiment, designed as a replicated 3${\times}$3 Latin square, six ruminally-cannulated, lactating Red Holstein cows received grass, concentrate and either no supplementation, 3 kg/d of grass hay or 3 kg/d of sainfoin hay (n = 6). Measured intakes of the grass hay and the sainfoin hay were 2.0 and 1.5 kg DM, and two cows entirely refused to eat the sainfoin hay and had to be excluded from data analysis. Grass DMI was similar for cows supplemented with sainfoin hay and cows fed only grass whereas intake of concentrate was higher (p<0.01) for the latter treatment. Continuous measurement of ruminal pH showed that the minimum pH at night tended to be lower (p<0.10) with grass-only feeding compared to sainfoin supplementation, but pH did not decline below the threshold of subacute acidosis for a longer period of time. The slightly higher intake of nitrogen (N) for cows supplemented with sainfoin hay (413 g/d) compared to cows fed only grass (399 g/d) was accompanied by an increased (p<0.05) fecal N excretion and a tendency for an increased (p<0.10) urinary N excretion. Ruminal ammonia concentration, as well as plasma and milk urea, were not affected by sainfoin supplementation. In conclusion, the lack of positive effects typical for CT might be explained either by the limited CT content of this plant species (55 g/kg DM) or the relatively low proportion of sainfoin in the total diet or both. Moreover, due to the unexpected low grass quality, the general ammonia load might have been too low for CT to have an impact.