The aim of this study was to determine the effect of selected bean cultivars with different levels of anti-nutritional substances on performance and metabolism of dairy cows. In the current twelve-week-long study, 32 dairy cows at 3 to 6 weeks after parturition were divided into four groups. Diets were balanced to have an analogical content of crude protein and energy. Experimental groups (MI, ...

The high energy diets that are typically fed to dairy cows can put the cow at risk of experiencing ruminal acidosis. High energy diets are low in neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and high in starch. The starch sources are often processed in a manner to optimize starch availability in the rumen and the fiber sources are often highly digestible and short in particle length. As a result, these types ...

High-producing dairy cows are subfertile. Hormonal and metabolic responses associated with homeorrhetic and homeostatic regulatory responses to partition nutrients for lactation, coupled with management, contribute to the reduction in fertility. Systems of reproductive management partially restore herd reproductive performance and provide a basis to access the impact of targeted nutritional str...

Increased capability for milk production has been associated with a decline in fertility of lactating cows. Nutritional requirements increase rapidly with milk production after calving and result in negative energy balance (NEBAL). NEBAL delays the time of first ovulation through inhibition of LH pulse frequency and low levels of blood glucose, insulin and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) t...

“Gradual dryoff” is the practice of skipping some milkings before cessation of milking a cow at the end of lactation. I was taught in agricultural and vet school classes that this was to be avoided; abrupt dryoff no skipped milkings is physiologically superior for the cow. Nevertheless, like most dairy veterinarians, I experienced clients using gradual dryoff sometimes. When I was a resident at...

Postpartum endometritis compromises milk production and fertility in high-producing dairy cows. Infection of the endometrium induces an inflammatory response with secretion of cytokines that lead to polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) influx and bacterial clearance. Considering that only a portion of cows with endometritis is eligible for clinical diagnosis, there is an increasing effort for developi...