A 2-Year compapison of in-parlour and out-of-parlour concentrate feeding on the production and health of dairy cows

Extract

Dairy cows mobilise fat during early lactation to meet the energy deficit produced by increasing milk yield and reduced appetite. This can result in the deposition of fat in liver, kidney, muscle and other tissues. This “fatty liver syndrome” is associated with reduced fertility and an increased susceptibility to metabolic and infectious disease. Attempts to prevent the development of fatty liver are aimed at reducing fat mobilisation by: 1) calving cows in lean condition, thus increasing appetite and 2) by encouraging high feed intakes immediately after calving by the provision of feed of high energy density on a little and often basis. A useful system in this context might be out-of-parlour concentrate dispensers