There are presented the results of investigations on the effect of dairy cattle maintenance system on the animal health and welfare. The paper is mainly focused on observations on the effect of cowshed bedding on animals' physiological state. Methodic of investigations was based on observing the cow herd in four farms during eight months. The animal maintenance technologies in these farms were different. Prior to investigations, the breeders were interviewed in respect of technical parameters in the buildings for livestock. The results of investigations proved that maintenance system, type of bedding and technical parameters of the livestock building influenced evaluation of cattle health and potential hazards expressed by injuries.
Dairy cattle crossbreedingand milk production.The aim of this study was to compare the results of milk performance of purebred Polish Holstein-Frisian (PHF) cows and their crossbreeds (PHF x SRB). Data for the analysis originated from the Polish Federation of Dairy Cattle Breeder and Producers - cows reports. The results indicate a positive influence of the breed on milk composition: fat, protein and dry matter content and somatic cell count. purebred Polish Holstein-Frisian (PHF) cows had significantly higher (p≤0.05) milk yield for both the 100 and 305 days milking. The milk production of MM cows is lower by 15.89%, at 100 days of lactation, and by 34.57% in the full lactation than PHF.
The aim of the study was to assess the seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii in cattle herds in different regions of Poland. A total of 1150 serum samples collected from 443 cattle herds from 14 provinces were tested using complement fixation test. The seroprevalence was different in individual regions of Poland. The average percentage of seropositive herds was 40.41% and these herds were identified in each province tested.
The aim of this article was to examine the level and other various aspects of dairy cattle welfare in Mazowieckie and Podlaskie province, as well as to indicate existing differences. The research was conducted in 2012 on a sample of 150 farms. Based on the survey, it was found that the overall level of welfare is higher in Mazowieckie than in Podlaskie province. At the same time the milk yield achieved in farms located in Mazowieckie province was lower than in farms located in Podlaskie province. This relationship was similar in the case of veterinary costs. Finally, the level of gross margin achieved from farm per cow was higher in Mazowieckie than Podlaskie province.
The aim of this study was to estimate the relations between the CRH-A145G polymorphism and milk production traits (yields of milk, protein, and fat, as well as protein and fat content) in 176 Jersey cows. The genotype and allele frequencies were estimated and they were as follows: AG – 0.31; GG – 0.69; A – 0.16; G – 0.84. Statistical analysis revealed that studied polymorphism significantly affected the fat yield, fat content (P≤0.05) and protein content in milk (P≤0.05). The results indicate that selection for the CRH-A145G AG animals might contribute to increase the value of these traits in Jersey cattle. However, further studies are necessary to verify the results of our study.
The aim of the presented study was to estimate the influence of the traits of hoof measurement in dairy cows on claw disorders, lameness, and locomotion scores were determined. Data on claw health and measurement trait of claws were collected from 68 primiparous cows housed in tie stalls and from 76 primiparous cows housed in free stalls. Data were collected during professional claw trimming. The following claw disorders were recorded: sole haemorrhage, digital dermatitis, interdigital dermatitis, sole ulcer, interdigital growth, axial wall fissure, sand-crack (vertical fissure), laminitis, and dermatitis of the toe. Locomotion scores were defined directly before claw trimming. The angles of claws were measured in degrees with an electronic protractor. The heel depth, dorsal border, and diagonal sole surface were measured with an electronic caliper. Moderate association of claw measurements with claw disorders was demonstrated. No significant differences were found in hoof measurement traits between cows with normal gait and clinical lameness.
The bovine kappa-casein (CASK) gene is known as a potential quantitative trait locus in dairy cattle breeding. However, the molecular basis of the effect of the CASK allele B on different milk properties remains unclear. In this report, a 214 bp fragment of the 5' untranslated region of the CASK gene containing 5 potential consensus sequenses for different transcription factors was PCR-amplified to find RFLPs. A Dde I RFLP was identified. In a population of 112 Bos taurus (86 cows and 26 bulls of Polish Black and White crossbred Holstein-Friesian) and 7 Bison bonasus individuals, 7 had no recognition sites for Dde I, 23 were heterozygous and 89 were cut completely into two fragments.
In marker-assisted selection (MAS) of dairy cattle certain genes are proposed as potential candidates associated with dairy performance traits. Among different candidates, prolactin receptor gene (PRLR) seems to be promising because of its crucial role in transmitting signal from lactogenic hormones to milk protein gene promoters. In this study nine PCR fragments representing most important functional domains of PRLR were screened for polymorphism. Using SSCP method one SNP (A→C) was found in intron 9. The SNP was deposited in GenBank AY484400 and AY339393 at position of 205 nt, for Jersey and Polish Black-and-White cattle, respectively. Allele frequency was estimated in 186 Polish Black-and-White (0.981 and 0.019 for A and C, respectively) and 138 Jersey (0.812 and 0.188 for A and C, respectively) cows. Preliminary analysis showed no significant associations between PRLR genotypes and milk performance traits. However, Jersey cows of CC genotype produced more milk with higher protein content than those of AA and AC genotypes. Because of the low number of cows of CC genotype, it is necessary to investigate more numerous population of cattle in which all genotypes will be efficiently represented.
The article aimed at drawing attention to the problem of mycotoxicoses, appearing in cattle and often undiagnosed because of lack of characteristic clinical signs. It described an outbreak of mycotoxicosis in one of the dairy-cattle herd in north-east Poland. In this case, DON, 3-Ac-DON, OTA, T-2 toxin, and ZEA were found in the feed and were considered as causative agents in a decrease in milk yield, occurrence of clinical symptoms of toxicosis, and death of some cows.
The study aimed to assess the within-herd Neospora caninum exposure in dairy cattle in southern Romania, based on the detection of specific antibodies in milk and serum. A total of 104 paired samples of milk and serum were collected from four dairy farms. Individual samples were analyzed for N. caninum antibodies by ELISA: IDEXX Neospora Ab (Idx) (three farms: A, B, C; n = 60) and ID-VET Lab (Idv) (farm D; n = 44). Additionally, four pooled milk samples, one per each farm (A, B, C) and a composed one (A+B+C), were analyzed with Idx ELISA. Optimized cut-off values for milk samples were determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, with serum results considered as true status. The agreement was expressed by K values. The overall seroprevalence of N. caninum infection was 45% in the farms tested by Idx ELISA and 56.8% in the farm tested by Idv ELISA. A good agreement between serum and milk was obtained for both ELISA kits (K = 0.72 and 0.77, respectively). The specificity and sensitivity at optimized cut-off of S/P>0.704 for Idx and S/P%>7.966% for Idv were 100% and 70.37% for Idx and 89.47% and 88% for Idv. Testing pooled milk samples, there were identified as N. caninum positive the dairy farms with a 15% or higher within-herd seroprevalence at the cut-off value of S/P>0.51. This is the first study in Romania in which milk samples were tested to determine the N. caninum infection status in dairy farms, providing a base for further researches.
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