June 2018
Paired housing can promote feed intake and decrease fearfulness in dairy calves, according to a short communication article published in the Journal of Dairy Science. Researchers compared the health and body weight of calves raised in pairs in modified hutches or in individual hutches. When calves were 60 days old, they underwent a food neophobia test where they were exposed to a novel feed for the first time. Pair-housed calves ate more starter than individually housed calves; these calves also consumed 2.6 times more novel feed in the neophobia test. The researchers observed no effect of treatment on body weight and concluded that social housing in modified hutches promotes solid feed intake and decreases fearfulness in dairy calves. Read more here.
L. Whalin, D.M. Weary, M.A.G. von Keyserlingk
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2017-14361
April 2018
Dairy farmers use antibiotics to keep their herds healthy and production high. At the same time, these treatments threaten to harm public health through the creation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. While the quantitative impact of such antibiotics on humans is not completely understood, a new Cornell study has pinpointed the financial toll that eliminating antibiotic use would have on dairy farms, a finding that could help guide regulatory policy.
Read more … Researchers weigh the tradeoffs of antimicrobial policies in dairy production
March 2018
Effect of milk cessation method at dry-off on behavioral activity of dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science. Advance online publication. doi: 10.3168/jds.2017-13588
BACKGROUND: Most dairies in the US and many other countries dry cows off abruptly (e.g., stop milking cows on a set day), which has been shown to affect cow comfort. Gradually reducing milk production is another approach to dry cows off, routinely used in some countries and herds. No known research investigating the effect of different drying-off methods on dairy cow behavior have been conducted in US confinement systems or have specifically focused on the effect of high milk production at dry-off on lying behavior and activity of cows.
Read more … Effect of milk cessation method at dry-off on behavioral activity of dairy cows
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