[Effect of a diet rich in rape fodder on the health status of a dairy cow herd].

The influence on sanitary condition, of feeding dairy cows a high level of fresh rapeseed, has been observed. No clinical disorders have been induced by this diet, compared with corn silage. Nevertheless, some blood parameters have been disturbed. Haematocrit was strongly decreased while cholesterol, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, alkaline phosphatase and haptoglobin were slightly increased. From the beginning of the diet, plasma and milk thiocyanate concentration exhibited an average five fold increase without this enlargement being important enough to be harmful to eventual consumers except for babies reared with milk yielded from a dairy herd fed a high level of rapeseed.