Teagasc, Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork, Ireland P61 C997; Animal Production Systems group, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, the Netherlands.
Animal Production Systems group, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, the Netherlands.
J Dairy Sci. 2019 Nov;102(11):10266-10276. doi: 10.3168/jds.2019-16815. Epub 2019 Sep 11.
Calves are particularly vulnerable to health issues before weaning and experience high rates of mortality. Poor colostrum quality or substandard colostrum management, combined with poor hygiene, can increase disease susceptibility, contributing to elevated mortality rates. This study aimed to assess colostrum and calf management together with subsequent mortality rates in preweaning calves. Forty-seven Irish spring-calving, pasture-based dairy herds were enrolled in the study. To investigate whether colostrum and hygiene practices change as the calving season progresses, each farm was visited in both the first and last 6 wk of the calving season. The concentration of IgG in 250 colostrum samples and 580 calf serum samples was determined by radial immunodiffusion assay. Mean colostrum IgG concentration was 85 mg/mL, and mean calf serum IgG concentration was 30.9 and 27.1 mg/mL, respectively, in the first and last 6 wk of the calving season. Smaller herd size and younger age at sampling were associated with higher calf serum IgG concentration. Dairy breed calves were associated with higher serum IgG concentrations compared with beef breed calves; no association was detected based on sex. For feeding equipment hygiene, we assessed the presence of protein residues and found that hygiene levels tended to worsen from the first to the final 6 wk of the calving season. We found no association between feeding equipment hygiene and herd size or 28-d calf mortality rate. Colostrum and calf management practices were not associated with either calf serum IgG concentration or 28-d calf mortality rate. We found that IgG concentration in colostrum produced in Irish dairy herds was generally good, although large variation existed, emphasizing the need for assessment of colostrum before feeding. Results also suggested that hygiene practices associated with calf rearing can be improved, particularly in the latter half of the calving season.
calves 在断奶前特别容易出现健康问题，死亡率很高。初乳质量差或管理不善，加上卫生条件差，会增加疾病易感性，导致死亡率升高。本研究旨在评估断奶前犊牛的初乳和犊牛管理情况及其随后的死亡率。47 个爱尔兰春季产犊、牧场奶牛场参加了这项研究。为了研究初乳和卫生实践是否随着产犊季节的进展而变化，每个农场在产犊季节的前 6 周和最后 6 周都进行了访问。通过放射免疫扩散法测定了 250 份初乳样本和 580 份犊牛血清样本中 IgG 的浓度。初乳 IgG 浓度的平均值为 85mg/ml，在产犊季节的前 6 周和最后 6 周，犊牛血清 IgG 浓度的平均值分别为 30.9 和 27.1mg/ml。较小的畜群规模和采样时的年龄较小与较高的犊牛血清 IgG 浓度相关。与肉牛品种相比，奶牛品种的犊牛血清 IgG 浓度较高；但根据性别，未发现相关性。在评估喂养设备的卫生状况时，我们检测了蛋白质残留的存在情况，发现卫生水平从产犊季节的前 6 周到最后 6 周呈下降趋势。我们没有发现喂养设备的卫生状况与畜群规模或 28 日龄犊牛死亡率之间存在任何关联。初乳和犊牛管理实践与犊牛血清 IgG 浓度或 28 日龄犊牛死亡率均无关联。我们发现，爱尔兰奶牛场生产的初乳 IgG 浓度普遍较好，尽管存在较大差异，这强调了在喂养前评估初乳的必要性。结果还表明，与犊牛饲养相关的卫生实践可以得到改善，特别是在产犊季节的后半段。
