• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.35-40
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• 2024

Hoof health management plays an important role in dairy farms because lameness can impact productivity via decreased milk yield, reproduction rate, and increased culling rate. Regular hoof trimming can help reduce the incidence of hoof diseases in dairy cows. However, its effects on healthy dairy cows remain unclear. This study investigated the effects of hoof trimming on milk yield, rumination time, and activity in healthy Holstein and Jersey cows. Fourteen cows (7 Holstein and 7 Jersey) without lameness were used in this study. We trimmed the cows and collected data from 3 days prior to 9 days after hoof trimming. Milk yield, rumination time, and activity were measured using automatic milking and health monitoring systems. Milk yield and rumination time decreased, whereas activity level increased on the trimming day compared to the previous days in both breeds, although the difference was not significant. On the days after hoof trimming, milk yield, rumination time, and activity recovered to normal. Especially in Holstein cows, a temporary increase in milk yield was observed compared to that in the pre-trimming period. Hoof trimming did not negatively affect the productivity of dairy cows of either breed. Furthermore, productivity can temporarily increase.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.236-243
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• 2000

A number of developments have occurred over recent years that are being used commercially or have the potential to increase the milk yield and consequently the efficiency of dairy cows. Bovine growth hormone is the most widely known of several attempts that have been made to alter the metabolic endocrinology of dairy cows to increase the rate of milk secretion. The factors affecting the milk yield response to growth hormone, growth hormone-releasing factor, thyroxine and placental lactogen as well as to the immuno-neutralization of somatostatin are briefly considered. Secondly, the recent greater understanding of the mechanism by which the milk yield is increased following more frequent milking, which has resulted from the identification and characterization of the feedback inhibitor of lactation (FIL) protein, is reviewed. The identification of this protein provides new avenues of research which may lead to a reduction in the rate of decline in milk yield with advancing lactation or to undiminished milk yields despite a reduction in frequency with which the animals are milked.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.800-809
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• 2011

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of different ratios of corn silage (CS): alfalfa hay (AH), and extruded soybeans (ESB) on milk yield, milk composition, blood metabolites, and fatty acids in milk fat and plasma. Ninety multiparous Holstein cows were arranged in a randomized block design experiment which lasted 14 weeks. Treatments were arranged as a $3{\times}3$ factorial with 0%, 5% or 10% ESB (dry matter basis) and three forage treatments: I) 30% CS, 10% AH and 10% Leymus chinense hay (LC); ii) 20% corn silage, 20% alfalfa hay and 10% LC; iii) 10% CS, 30% AH and 10% LC. Cows were allowed to consume a total mixed ration ad libitum. There was no change of dry matter intake when cows were fed the experimental diets. As more AH was added to the diets, milk yield, milk protein content and yield, and trans9, cis11-conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) concentrations in milk fat and plasma increased. When ESB were supplemented to the diets, milk yield, and trans9, cis11-CLA concentration in milk fat and plasma increased. When 10% ESB was added to the diet containing 30% AH the trans9, cis11-CLA content (1.46 g/100 g of total fatty acids) in milk was the highest among all treatments. These results suggests that AH could replace part of a CS diet and be a good forage source of diet for dairy cows to improve milk yield and milk composition. Meanwhile, ESB could be included in the diet with high AH to improve production performance of dairy cows.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.12
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• pp.1705-1711
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• 2014

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of ruminally protected amino acids (RPAAs) and ruminally protected fat (RPF) supplementation on ruminal fermentation characteristics (in vitro) and milk yield and milk composition (in vivo). Fourteen mid-lactating Holstein dairy cows (mean weight $653{\pm}62.59kg$) were divided into two groups according to mean milk yield and number of days of postpartum. The cows were then fed a basal diet during adaptation (2 wk) and experimental diets during the treatment period (6 wk). Dietary treatments were i) a basal diet (control) and ii) basal diet containing 50 g of RPAAs (lysine and methionine, 3:1 ratio) and 50 g of RPF. In rumen fermentation trail (in vitro), RPAAs and RPF supplementation had no influence on the ruminal pH, dry matter digestibility, total volatile fatty acid production and ammonia-N concentration. In feeding trial (in vivo), milk yield (p<0.001), 4% fat corrected milk (p<0.05), milk fat (p<0.05), milk protein (p<0.001), and milk urea nitrogen (p<0.05) were greater in cows fed RPAAs and RPF than the corresponding values in the control group. With an index against as 0%, the rates of decrease in milk yield and milk protein were lower in RPAAs and RPF treated diet than those of basal diet group (p<0.05). In conclusion, diet supplemented with RPAAs and RPF can improve milk yield and milk composition without negatively affecting ruminal functions in Holstein dairy cows at mid-lactating.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.45-57
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• 2021

This study aimed to determine the effects if ambient temperature (Ta), relative humidity (RH), and temperature-humidity index (THI) on milk production parameters such as milk yield, fat, protein, milk urea nitrogen (MUN), and lactose. A total of fifty (50) mid-lactating Korean Holstein cows (144 - 150 days postpartum) were randomly assigned to two groups in equal numbers (n = 25) according to the type of diet received: conventional feed, a mixture of 56: 44 ratio of roughage and concentrate mix, and organic feed containing 100% organic roughage. Temperature, RH, and THI were recorded daily and averaged monthly. Conventional group showed higher dry matter intake throughout the experiment and thus, showed higher total milk yield and milk composition such as milk fat, protein, and lactose content than organic milk. Milk of the conventional group showed higher polyunsaturated fatty acid concentration. Highest milk yield was observed in September (21.7℃, 82.4%RH) in conventional group (27.69 kg·day^-1) and in June (21.4℃, 72.9%RH) in organic group (14.31 kg·day^-1). In conventional group, milk yield was positively correlated with Ta and THI, and milk protein was negatively correlated with Ta, RH, and THI. In organic feeding, only the MUN among milk composition parameters showed a significant correlation where it showed a negative correlation with Ta, RH, and THI. Conventional feeding showed significantly higher milk yield, fat, protein, and lactose than organic feeding throughout the experiment, although, organic feeding showed to be less likely affected by Ta, RH, and THI than the conventional feeding.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.1377-1385
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• 2011

This study was conducted to determine the nutritive value of live yeast culture (RumiSacc, Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and to investigate its effects on milk yield, milk composition and some blood parameters in lactating cows. Six multiparous Holstein cows were allocated to two groups of three cows and assigned randomly to one of two diets in a cross-over experiment. Daily 50 g RumiSacc was top dressed at the p.m. feeding for the treatment group. RumiSacc supplied a high protein and energy with high organic matter digestibility values (83.35%) determined by in vitro enzymatic analysis. Yeast culture supplementation significantly increased milk yield, tended to increase fat yield, protein yield and lactose yield of milk. Methylated fatty acid level of 18:3 (n-3) in milk fat was increased by yeast culture supplementation. The concentrations of methionine, phenyalanine, tyrosine, tryptophan and taurine were significantly increased with dietary inclusion of yeast culture. Live yeast culture supplementation did not affect other performance characteristics, milk quality characteristics and blood parameters. As a conclusion live yeast culture (RumiSacc, Saccharomyces cerevisiae) had high nutritive value and positive effects on milk production and some milk quality characteristics in lactating cows under field conditions.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.489-500
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• 2013

Daily milk yields on test days were estimated using morning or afternoon partial milk yields collected by official agencies and the accuracy of the estimates was determined. Test-day data for milk yields consisted of 3,156,734 records of AM/PM partial milking measurements of 255,437 milking Holstein cows from 3,708 farms collected from December 2008 to April 2013. A linear regression model (LRM) was applied to estimate daily milk yields using alternate AM/PM milk yield records within lactation stages, milking intervals, and parities on every daily milk yield. The alternate statistical approach was a non-linear hierarchical model (NHM) in which Brody's growth function was implemented by reflecting an animal's physiological milk production cycle. When compared with LRM, daily milk yields predicted by the NHM were assumed to be functionally related to day in milk (or lactation) stage, milking intervals, and partial milk yields. Since the results were in terms of accuracies based on comparisons of different statistical models, accuracies of estimates of daily milk yields by NHM were close to those determined by the LRM. The average of these accuracies was 0.94 for AM partial milk yields and 0.93 for PM partial milk yields for first calving cows. However, the accuracies of AM/PM milk yield estimations from cows under a calving stage higher than the first parity were 0.96 and 0.95, respectively. Correlations between the estimated daily milk yields and the actual daily milk yields ranged from 0.96~0.98. These accuracies were lower for unbalanced AM/PM milking intervals and the first calving cows. Overall, prediction of daily milk yields by NHM would be more appropriate than by LRM due to its flexibility under different milk yield-related circumstances, which provides an idea of the functional relationship between milking intervals and days in milk with daily milk yields from statistical viewpoints.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.56-60
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• 1999

Production and reproduction data of 47 Nili-Ravi buffaloes (162 records) were analyzed with regression techniques. Average lactation milk yield was $2,020.04{\pm}44.59$ liters, lactation length $277.42{\pm}5.70$ d and calving interval $467.10{\pm}11.58$ d. The ranges for these parameters respectively were : 609-3591 lit, 122-614 d and 228-982 d. Year of calving and lactation length had significant effect on total milk yield (p < 0.01), whereas other factors such as month of calving, lactation number and calving interval had no effect on total lactation milk yield. Year of calving had influenced significantly other traits (p < .01) such as calving interval and lactations completed. This indicated considerable environment role in buffalo productivity. Effect of month of calving on total lactation milk yield and other traits was however, found to be non-significant. Nili-Ravi buffaloes produced maximum milk during their first three lactations as compared to subsequent lactations. Regression model explained 40 percent variation in total lactation milk yield due to factors analyzed : animal (dam), year and month of calving lactation length and calving interval.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.243-252
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• 2001

Milk constituents and somatic cell count (SCC) were analysed for 4,059 milk samples from 178 dairy farms from April to December in 1999. Correlations among each milk constituents, milk urea (MU) concentration and SCC in association with lactation stage, milk yield and parity, and balancing status of nutrients' supplies were analysed, and the results are summarized as follows; Averages of milk fat percent, total solids percent and milk yield were $3.72{\pm}0.91%$, $12.50{\pm}1.31%$ and $23.80{\pm}8.54kg$, respectively, whereas those were significantly lower during the summer season. In contrast, average of MU concentration was $0.0361{\pm}0.0006%$ which was significantly higher during the summer season. With milk yield, concentrations of fat, protein and SCC in milk decreased but concentrations of lactose and urea in milk and body condition score (BCS) were not altered. Concentrations of fat, protein, lactose, total solids, SNF, and urea in milk were significantly affected by stage of lactation ($P{\leq}0.0001$) but SCC was not changed. Parity of dairy cows had a significant effect on concentrations of fat ($P{\leq}0.02$), lactose ($P{\leq}0.0001$), total solids ($P{\leq}0.002$), and SNF ($P{\leq}0.0001$) in milk and milk yield ($P{\leq}0.0005$) but did not change concentrations of urea and protein in milk. Somatic cell count had significant positive correlationship with percentages of fat, protein and total solids ($P{\leq}0.0001$), respectively, but had negative correlationship with percentages of urea and lactose in milk and milk yield ($P{\leq}0.0001$). Milk urea concentration was negatively correlated with concentrations of protein, fat, total solids, and SNF in milk and milk yield ($P{\leq}0.0001$) and, according to regression analysis using milk urea concentration and SCC, following equation was obtained; $Y(MU)=3.688{\times}10^{-2}-4.04{\times}10^{-7}{\times}X(SCC{\times}1,000)(r^2=0.0038$, $P{\leq}0.0001$). We studied balance between protein and energy supplies to dairy cows in each farm based upon milk urea and protein concentrations, and results showed that 137 of total 178 farms fed cows unbalanced amounts of dietary protein and energy.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.213-218
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• 2013

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of supplementing additional sucrose, in the form of black sugar (BS), into the diet of Holstein dairy cows on dry matter intake (DMI), milk yield, and milk composition. Eight Holstein dairy cows ($741{\pm}65.8kg$ body weight) were divided into two groups, including the control and BS groups. Animals in the control group were offered a total mixed ration (TMR) ad libitum, and the BS group was offered TMR with 300 g of BS/head/d. After two weeks of adaptation period, the animal performance, including DMI, milk yield and milk composition, was measured. Cows supplemented with BS appeared to consume more feed than that by the controls (i.e., 17.08 and 18.28 kg/d for the control and BS groups, respectively). However, there were no significant differences between treatments. Milk yield or milk composition, such as milk fat, milk protein, lactose, solids-non-fat, total solids and pH, did not differ between treatments. However, there was a significant difference (p<0.05) in the concentration of milk urea nitrogen (MUN). The MUN concentration of the BS group was approximately 15% lower than that of the control group (i.e., 18.75 vs. 16.05 mg/dL for the control and BS groups, respectively), which suggests improved nitrogen metabolism in the animals. The somatic cell count was numerically lower in the cows of the BS group compared to those in the control group. However, a significant difference was not noted due to the substantial amount of variation among cows. In terms of the trace mineral composition for milk, the concentration of Cu from BS animals was higher (p<0.05) than that of the control animals. In summary, supplementing the diets of dairy cows with BS marginally affected animal performance and improved nitrogen metabolism. The level of supplementation and other factors, such as animal variation were discussed.