09/26/2021 | News release | Distributed by Public on 09/26/2021 18:03
New research presented at the American Dairy Science Association meeting in July indicates that periparturient activity and rumination time are associated with the dynamics of postpartum subclinical hypocalcemia (SCH).
Cornell University researchers conducted a study on 2 New York dairies with 89 multiparous Holstein cows. Starting at 10 days prior to calving, cows were monitored for urine pH, activity, rumination time and serum total calcium (tCa). Based on mean serum tCa at 1 and 4 days in milk (DIM) cows were classified into the following SCH groups: normocalcemic >1.89 mmol/L at 1 DIM and >2.25 mmol/L at 4 DIM; transient SCH <1.89 mmol/L at 1 DIM and >2.25 mmol/L at 4 DIM; delayed SCH >1.89 mmol/L at 1 DIM and <2.25 mmol/L at 4 DIM; and persistent SCH <1.89 mmol/L at 1 DIM and <2.25 mmol/L at 4 DIM. Cows were monitored through 10 DIM. Analysis of changes over time revealed the following differences between SCH groups:
These results indicate that low rumination time prepartum is associated with persistent SCH in cows, and this difference follows numerically into the postpartum period. More research is needed to determine if low urine pH prepartum is associated with delayed SCH in cows.
Seely et al., 2021. J. Dairy Sci. Vol. 104(Suppl. 1) p 73 Abstract 188