Effect of Cow Start Bolus Supplementation on Early Lactation Health and Performance Indicators in a Group of Older, At-Risk Dairy Cows

John Lawlor; Rachel Reardon; Cathal O’ Sé; Enda Neville; Alan Fahey

doi:doi:10.11648/j.avs.20210905.12

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Effect of Cow Start Bolus Supplementation on Early Lactation Health and Performance Indicators in a Group of Older, At-Risk Dairy Cows

John Lawlor, Rachel Reardon, Cathal O’ Sé, Enda Neville, Alan Fahey

Published in Animal and Veterinary Sciences (Volume 9, Issue 5)

Received: 9 September 2021 Accepted: 24 September 2021 Published: 5 October 2021

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Abstract

Whilst older cows can be some of the most profitable producers on the farm, as well as helping to reduce the environmental impact of dairy production and improving consumer perception of dairy farming, they can also be more prone to early lactation metabolic challenges and at higher risk of culling or death in early lactation. Research into nutritional supplementation strategies specifically to support older, at-risk herd members has not, to the author’s knowledge, been carried out and leaves a dearth of knowledge as to how best to support the successful transition of this valuable cohort of cows from gestation into peak lactation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of supplementation with a combined calcium, magnesium and antioxidant bolus (Cow Start) on key early lactation health and performance indicators in a cohort of older, higher yielding dairy cows that may be expected to be at greater risk of developing key post-partum metabolic disorders. High yielding multiparous (n=38) cows averaging 4.7 lactations at calving were enrolled in this study and randomly assigned to either a control (CON, n=19) group or a Cow Start oral bolus supplemented (CSC, n=19) group. The CON group experienced a clinical milk fever (Blood Ca < 1.5 mM) incidence rate of 15.7% compared to 0% for the CSC group. Cows in the CSC group recorded a treatment effect of a significantly (P < 0.01) higher blood calcium status compared to CON. Energy Corrected Milk volumes showed a statistical trend of an increase (P < 0.10) from day 5 until day 60 of lactation for the CSC group (+1.8 kg/day) when compared to CON, also milk fat kg (P < 0.05) and combined fat and protein kg yields (P < 0.10) were increased in the CSC group when compared to the CON group. Results of this study suggest that supplementation of older at-risk cows with a combined calcium, magnesium and antioxidant (Cow Start) oral bolus can reduce the incidence rate of clinical milk fever and exposure to sub-clinical milk fever, whilst also improving blood calcium status and increasing milk production parameters in early lactation when compared to CON.

Published in	Animal and Veterinary Sciences (Volume 9, Issue 5)
DOI	10.11648/j.avs.20210905.12
Page(s)	134-140
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Calcium and Antioxidant Bolus, Post-Partum Calcium Status, Early Lactation At-Risk Cows

References

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John Lawlor, Rachel Reardon, Cathal O’ Sé, Enda Neville, Alan Fahey. (2021). Effect of Cow Start Bolus Supplementation on Early Lactation Health and Performance Indicators in a Group of Older, At-Risk Dairy Cows. Animal and Veterinary Sciences, 9(5), 134-140. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20210905.12

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John Lawlor; Rachel Reardon; Cathal O’ Sé; Enda Neville; Alan Fahey. Effect of Cow Start Bolus Supplementation on Early Lactation Health and Performance Indicators in a Group of Older, At-Risk Dairy Cows. Anim. Vet. Sci. 2021, 9(5), 134-140. doi: 10.11648/j.avs.20210905.12

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AMA Style

John Lawlor, Rachel Reardon, Cathal O’ Sé, Enda Neville, Alan Fahey. Effect of Cow Start Bolus Supplementation on Early Lactation Health and Performance Indicators in a Group of Older, At-Risk Dairy Cows. Anim Vet Sci. 2021;9(5):134-140. doi: 10.11648/j.avs.20210905.12

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@article{10.11648/j.avs.20210905.12,
  author = {John Lawlor and Rachel Reardon and Cathal O’ Sé and Enda Neville and Alan Fahey},
  title = {Effect of Cow Start Bolus Supplementation on Early Lactation Health and Performance Indicators in a Group of Older, At-Risk Dairy Cows},
  journal = {Animal and Veterinary Sciences},
  volume = {9},
  number = {5},
  pages = {134-140},
  doi = {10.11648/j.avs.20210905.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20210905.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.avs.20210905.12},
  abstract = {Whilst older cows can be some of the most profitable producers on the farm, as well as helping to reduce the environmental impact of dairy production and improving consumer perception of dairy farming, they can also be more prone to early lactation metabolic challenges and at higher risk of culling or death in early lactation. Research into nutritional supplementation strategies specifically to support older, at-risk herd members has not, to the author’s knowledge, been carried out and leaves a dearth of knowledge as to how best to support the successful transition of this valuable cohort of cows from gestation into peak lactation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of supplementation with a combined calcium, magnesium and antioxidant bolus (Cow Start) on key early lactation health and performance indicators in a cohort of older, higher yielding dairy cows that may be expected to be at greater risk of developing key post-partum metabolic disorders. High yielding multiparous (n=38) cows averaging 4.7 lactations at calving were enrolled in this study and randomly assigned to either a control (CON, n=19) group or a Cow Start oral bolus supplemented (CSC, n=19) group. The CON group experienced a clinical milk fever (Blood Ca < 1.5 mM) incidence rate of 15.7% compared to 0% for the CSC group. Cows in the CSC group recorded a treatment effect of a significantly (P < 0.01) higher blood calcium status compared to CON. Energy Corrected Milk volumes showed a statistical trend of an increase (P < 0.10) from day 5 until day 60 of lactation for the CSC group (+1.8 kg/day) when compared to CON, also milk fat kg (P < 0.05) and combined fat and protein kg yields (P < 0.10) were increased in the CSC group when compared to the CON group. Results of this study suggest that supplementation of older at-risk cows with a combined calcium, magnesium and antioxidant (Cow Start) oral bolus can reduce the incidence rate of clinical milk fever and exposure to sub-clinical milk fever, whilst also improving blood calcium status and increasing milk production parameters in early lactation when compared to CON.},
 year = {2021}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Effect of Cow Start Bolus Supplementation on Early Lactation Health and Performance Indicators in a Group of Older, At-Risk Dairy Cows
AU  - John Lawlor
AU  - Rachel Reardon
AU  - Cathal O’ Sé
AU  - Enda Neville
AU  - Alan Fahey
Y1  - 2021/10/05
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20210905.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.avs.20210905.12
T2  - Animal and Veterinary Sciences
JF  - Animal and Veterinary Sciences
JO  - Animal and Veterinary Sciences
SP  - 134
EP  - 140
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2328-5850
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20210905.12
AB  - Whilst older cows can be some of the most profitable producers on the farm, as well as helping to reduce the environmental impact of dairy production and improving consumer perception of dairy farming, they can also be more prone to early lactation metabolic challenges and at higher risk of culling or death in early lactation. Research into nutritional supplementation strategies specifically to support older, at-risk herd members has not, to the author’s knowledge, been carried out and leaves a dearth of knowledge as to how best to support the successful transition of this valuable cohort of cows from gestation into peak lactation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of supplementation with a combined calcium, magnesium and antioxidant bolus (Cow Start) on key early lactation health and performance indicators in a cohort of older, higher yielding dairy cows that may be expected to be at greater risk of developing key post-partum metabolic disorders. High yielding multiparous (n=38) cows averaging 4.7 lactations at calving were enrolled in this study and randomly assigned to either a control (CON, n=19) group or a Cow Start oral bolus supplemented (CSC, n=19) group. The CON group experienced a clinical milk fever (Blood Ca < 1.5 mM) incidence rate of 15.7% compared to 0% for the CSC group. Cows in the CSC group recorded a treatment effect of a significantly (P < 0.01) higher blood calcium status compared to CON. Energy Corrected Milk volumes showed a statistical trend of an increase (P < 0.10) from day 5 until day 60 of lactation for the CSC group (+1.8 kg/day) when compared to CON, also milk fat kg (P < 0.05) and combined fat and protein kg yields (P < 0.10) were increased in the CSC group when compared to the CON group. Results of this study suggest that supplementation of older at-risk cows with a combined calcium, magnesium and antioxidant (Cow Start) oral bolus can reduce the incidence rate of clinical milk fever and exposure to sub-clinical milk fever, whilst also improving blood calcium status and increasing milk production parameters in early lactation when compared to CON.
VL  - 9
IS  - 5
ER  -

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Author Information

John Lawlor

Anchor Life Science Ltd., Co. Cork, Ireland
Rachel Reardon

Anchor Life Science Ltd., Co. Cork, Ireland
Cathal O’ Sé

Reprovet Ltd., Co. Cork, Ireland
Enda Neville

School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Alan Fahey

School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

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John Lawlor, Rachel Reardon, Cathal O’ Sé, Enda Neville, Alan Fahey. (2021). Effect of Cow Start Bolus Supplementation on Early Lactation Health and Performance Indicators in a Group of Older, At-Risk Dairy Cows. Animal and Veterinary Sciences, 9(5), 134-140. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20210905.12

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ACS Style

John Lawlor; Rachel Reardon; Cathal O’ Sé; Enda Neville; Alan Fahey. Effect of Cow Start Bolus Supplementation on Early Lactation Health and Performance Indicators in a Group of Older, At-Risk Dairy Cows. Anim. Vet. Sci. 2021, 9(5), 134-140. doi: 10.11648/j.avs.20210905.12

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AMA Style

John Lawlor, Rachel Reardon, Cathal O’ Sé, Enda Neville, Alan Fahey. Effect of Cow Start Bolus Supplementation on Early Lactation Health and Performance Indicators in a Group of Older, At-Risk Dairy Cows. Anim Vet Sci. 2021;9(5):134-140. doi: 10.11648/j.avs.20210905.12

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.avs.20210905.12,
  author = {John Lawlor and Rachel Reardon and Cathal O’ Sé and Enda Neville and Alan Fahey},
  title = {Effect of Cow Start Bolus Supplementation on Early Lactation Health and Performance Indicators in a Group of Older, At-Risk Dairy Cows},
  journal = {Animal and Veterinary Sciences},
  volume = {9},
  number = {5},
  pages = {134-140},
  doi = {10.11648/j.avs.20210905.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20210905.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.avs.20210905.12},
  abstract = {Whilst older cows can be some of the most profitable producers on the farm, as well as helping to reduce the environmental impact of dairy production and improving consumer perception of dairy farming, they can also be more prone to early lactation metabolic challenges and at higher risk of culling or death in early lactation. Research into nutritional supplementation strategies specifically to support older, at-risk herd members has not, to the author’s knowledge, been carried out and leaves a dearth of knowledge as to how best to support the successful transition of this valuable cohort of cows from gestation into peak lactation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of supplementation with a combined calcium, magnesium and antioxidant bolus (Cow Start) on key early lactation health and performance indicators in a cohort of older, higher yielding dairy cows that may be expected to be at greater risk of developing key post-partum metabolic disorders. High yielding multiparous (n=38) cows averaging 4.7 lactations at calving were enrolled in this study and randomly assigned to either a control (CON, n=19) group or a Cow Start oral bolus supplemented (CSC, n=19) group. The CON group experienced a clinical milk fever (Blood Ca < 1.5 mM) incidence rate of 15.7% compared to 0% for the CSC group. Cows in the CSC group recorded a treatment effect of a significantly (P < 0.01) higher blood calcium status compared to CON. Energy Corrected Milk volumes showed a statistical trend of an increase (P < 0.10) from day 5 until day 60 of lactation for the CSC group (+1.8 kg/day) when compared to CON, also milk fat kg (P < 0.05) and combined fat and protein kg yields (P < 0.10) were increased in the CSC group when compared to the CON group. Results of this study suggest that supplementation of older at-risk cows with a combined calcium, magnesium and antioxidant (Cow Start) oral bolus can reduce the incidence rate of clinical milk fever and exposure to sub-clinical milk fever, whilst also improving blood calcium status and increasing milk production parameters in early lactation when compared to CON.},
 year = {2021}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Effect of Cow Start Bolus Supplementation on Early Lactation Health and Performance Indicators in a Group of Older, At-Risk Dairy Cows
AU  - John Lawlor
AU  - Rachel Reardon
AU  - Cathal O’ Sé
AU  - Enda Neville
AU  - Alan Fahey
Y1  - 2021/10/05
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20210905.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.avs.20210905.12
T2  - Animal and Veterinary Sciences
JF  - Animal and Veterinary Sciences
JO  - Animal and Veterinary Sciences
SP  - 134
EP  - 140
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2328-5850
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20210905.12
AB  - Whilst older cows can be some of the most profitable producers on the farm, as well as helping to reduce the environmental impact of dairy production and improving consumer perception of dairy farming, they can also be more prone to early lactation metabolic challenges and at higher risk of culling or death in early lactation. Research into nutritional supplementation strategies specifically to support older, at-risk herd members has not, to the author’s knowledge, been carried out and leaves a dearth of knowledge as to how best to support the successful transition of this valuable cohort of cows from gestation into peak lactation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of supplementation with a combined calcium, magnesium and antioxidant bolus (Cow Start) on key early lactation health and performance indicators in a cohort of older, higher yielding dairy cows that may be expected to be at greater risk of developing key post-partum metabolic disorders. High yielding multiparous (n=38) cows averaging 4.7 lactations at calving were enrolled in this study and randomly assigned to either a control (CON, n=19) group or a Cow Start oral bolus supplemented (CSC, n=19) group. The CON group experienced a clinical milk fever (Blood Ca < 1.5 mM) incidence rate of 15.7% compared to 0% for the CSC group. Cows in the CSC group recorded a treatment effect of a significantly (P < 0.01) higher blood calcium status compared to CON. Energy Corrected Milk volumes showed a statistical trend of an increase (P < 0.10) from day 5 until day 60 of lactation for the CSC group (+1.8 kg/day) when compared to CON, also milk fat kg (P < 0.05) and combined fat and protein kg yields (P < 0.10) were increased in the CSC group when compared to the CON group. Results of this study suggest that supplementation of older at-risk cows with a combined calcium, magnesium and antioxidant (Cow Start) oral bolus can reduce the incidence rate of clinical milk fever and exposure to sub-clinical milk fever, whilst also improving blood calcium status and increasing milk production parameters in early lactation when compared to CON.
VL  - 9
IS  - 5
ER  -

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