The objective of present study was to derive the economic values for number of inseminations to conception, calving interval, milk yield and stillbirth, using economic data of 10 Iranian Holstein herds. The economic values were derived by using the profit function methods and differentiating a profit equation with respect to the traits of interest. The cow fertility costs herd amortization or r...

Hypersensitivity to cow milk proteins is one of the main food allergies and affects mostly but not exclusively infants, while it may also persist through adulthood and can be very severe. Different clinical symptoms of milk allergy have been established. The diagnosis of milk allergy differs widely due to the multiplicity and degrees of symptoms, and can be achieved by skin or blood tests. Cow ...

AIM Cows on smallholder dairy farms (SDF) in developing countries such as Kenya typically produce volumes of milk that are well below their genetic potential. An epidemiological study was conducted to determine reasons for this low milk production, including limited use of best management practices, such as suboptimal nutritional management. METHODS An observational cross-sectional study of 1...

Although a number of common reproductive disorders in livestock involve bacterial infection, very little is known about their normal vaginal microbiota. Therefore, we sought to determine the species composition of sheep and cattle vaginal microbiota. Twenty Rambouillet ewes and twenty crossbred cows varying in age and reproductive status were sampled by ectocervicovaginal lavage. We amplified a...

The BOVINOSE project (www.bovinose.eu) aims to develop an “electronic nose” to detect estrus in a dairy cow, and thus to determine the optimal timing of artificial insemination. The physical principle is based on detection of sex pheromones that are secreted by the cow, exclusively during estrus. These pheromones are the natural olfactory signal for the bull that the cow is in heat. This techno...

Bovine abortion is an important cause of economic loss to the cattle livestock industry. In California this may as much as $700 for each cow that has aborted (Thurmond & Picanso, 1990). Kossaibati & Esslemont (1997) estimated the average cost of calf mortality in English dairy herds was £310 per calf death at 1995 prices; for culling an additional cow following illness, such as abortion, it was...

Ming-Yang Kao and Michael L. Littman Department of Computer Science Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0129 fkao, [email protected] Abstract We extend the classic on-line search problem known as the cow-path problem to the case in which goal locations are selected according to one of a set of possible known probability distributions. We present a polynomial-time linear-programming algorithm ...

“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...