Whole lactation feeding behaviour of Simmental cows in commercial dairy farms

IF 2.2 2区农林科学 Q1 AGRICULTURE, DAIRY & ANIMAL SCIENCE

Applied Animal Behaviour Science Pub Date : 2025-04-29 DOI:10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106657

Eleonora Florit, Alberto Romanzin, Matteo Braidot, Mauro Spanghero

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Understanding the changes that occur in dairy cows during lactation may be important to better manage the herd and optimise production. Nowadays, thanks to the spread of new technologies in commercial dairy farms, it is possible to obtain numerous individual data throughout its productive career. Using daily data collected with sensors available in commercial farms, we investigate the relation between feeding behaviour, parity, and performance in Italian Simmental dairy cows. The main aim was to better understand how lactation affects cows feeding behaviour. Individual data on milk performance, eating time (ET), rumination time (RT), and body weight (BW) from 80 dairy cows during the whole lactation were collected for 12 months. Animals were divided into two groups considering parity (primiparous, PP, and multiparous, MP) and three feeding behaviour classes from low to high values (eating time classes, ETC; rumination time classes, RTC). Data was statistically analysed with a factorial design with animals as repeated measurements. ETC is positively related to milk composition, as animals in the higher ETC are more productive, especially at the two ends of the lactation curve (p < 0.01). An interesting relation between ET and RT was found. Milk production is also positively related to RTC, but surprisingly, no effect was found on milk fat (p > 0.05). As expected, a positive relation between parity and milk production was found (p = 0.002), but no differences were found in milk composition or somatic cell count between the two parity groups. PP cows have greater eating activity but lower estimated dry matter intake than MP cows (21.85 vs. 23.43 kg/d, p < 0.001), which meet their requirements with an increased eating rate (105 vs. 89 g/min, p = 0.002) and a tendentially higher RT (525 vs. 506 min/d, p = 0.015). All this information can be combined and integrated to provide valuable support to the farmer in managing the herd.

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西门塔尔奶牛在商业奶牛场的全乳摄食行为

了解奶牛在哺乳期间发生的变化对于更好地管理牛群和优化生产可能很重要。如今，由于新技术在商业奶牛场的推广，有可能在其整个生产生涯中获得大量的个人数据。利用商业农场中可用的传感器收集的日常数据，我们研究了意大利西门塔尔奶牛的摄食行为、胎次和生产性能之间的关系。主要目的是更好地了解哺乳如何影响奶牛的喂养行为。试验收集了80头奶牛全泌乳期产奶性能、进食时间（ET）、反刍时间（RT）和体重（BW）的单项数据，为期12个月。根据胎次将动物分为两组（初产，PP和多产，MP）和从低到高的三个摄食行为等级（进食时间等级，等）；反刍时间课程，RTC)。用因子设计对数据进行统计分析，动物作为重复测量。ETC与乳成分呈正相关，ETC越高的动物产奶量越高，尤其是在泌乳曲线的两端（p <； 0.01）。ET和RT之间有一个有趣的关系。产奶量也与RTC呈正相关，但令人惊讶的是，对乳脂没有影响（p >； 0.05）。正如预期的那样，胎次与产奶量呈正相关（p = 0.002），但在两个胎次组之间的乳成分或体细胞计数没有差异。PP牛有更大的饮食活动但估计干物质摄入低于议员牛(21.85 vs 23.43 公斤/ d p & lt; 0.001),从而满足他们的需求增加饮食率(105年和89年 g /分钟,p = 0.002)和高tendentially RT(525年和506年 最小/ d p = 0.015)。所有这些信息可以组合和整合，为农民管理牛群提供有价值的支持。

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来源期刊

Applied Animal Behaviour Science 农林科学-行为科学

CiteScore

4.40

自引率

21.70%

发文量

191

审稿时长

18.1 weeks

期刊介绍： This journal publishes relevant information on the behaviour of domesticated and utilized animals. Topics covered include: -Behaviour of farm, zoo and laboratory animals in relation to animal management and welfare -Behaviour of companion animals in relation to behavioural problems, for example, in relation to the training of dogs for different purposes, in relation to behavioural problems -Studies of the behaviour of wild animals when these studies are relevant from an applied perspective, for example in relation to wildlife management, pest management or nature conservation -Methodological studies within relevant fields The principal subjects are farm, companion and laboratory animals, including, of course, poultry. The journal also deals with the following animal subjects: -Those involved in any farming system, e.g. deer, rabbits and fur-bearing animals -Those in ANY form of confinement, e.g. zoos, safari parks and other forms of display -Feral animals, and any animal species which impinge on farming operations, e.g. as causes of loss or damage -Species used for hunting, recreation etc. may also be considered as acceptable subjects in some instances -Laboratory animals, if the material relates to their behavioural requirements