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Analysis of ß-hydroxybutyrate concentrations in milk during early lactation: Development of a strategy to improve dairy herd’s management using data-mining
Project
Project code: REFORDAT-176, II-A 1 F 41.2013.02
Contract period: 01.05.2013
- 30.04.2015
Budget: 94,000 Euro
Purpose of research: Applied research
In dairy farming, the choice of automatic cow-site analyses for predicting health disturbances increases (e.g., the online assessment of the milk in the milking system, sensors for quantifying lying times - in addition to activity-, or ruminating times). Recently, several German milk recording organisations (including Landeskontrollverband NRW, Krefeld, and Landeskontrollverband Rheinland-Pfalz, Bad Kreuznach) have extended their system of analysis (FOSS, Denmark) by the Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy (Milkoscan FT+). Besides other variables, the concentration of ß-Hydroxybutyrate (BHB) in milk shall thereby be routinely assessed. Premilary studies have tested whether the continuous analysis of BHB in milk by means of FTIR spectroscopy using the Middle Infrared area (MIR), should be routinely included in the control program of the milk recording organisations. By the FTIR method, a continuous quantification of milk BHB concentrations would be possible in the context of the milk recordings. However, the informational benefit needs to be balanced against the investment for the milk recording organisations; moreover, the frequency of routine sampling (monthly samples after calving) might be insufficient to exploit the information adequately and thus higher sampling frequencies might be advantageous. The BHB content is related to the negative energy balance during early lactation (usually 4 to 5 weeks post partum p.p.) when the energy needs for maintenance and milk can not entirely be met by feed intake and thus body reserves, mainly fat, have to be mobilized. The increased fat mobilization together with the energy deficit leads to insufficient metabolism of fatty acids which in turn results in accumulation of ketone bodies. BHB is one of these components (although is a strictly chemical-structural sense it is not a ketone body) and it’s concentrations in blood and milk are indicative for metabolic stress. There is a vast body of literature available about BHB recordings but with different conclusions. For beeing able to develop strategic prediction models and conclusions from a continuous analysis of the testing parameter BHB in milk, a corresponding data set is required which can be built up based on the concept and research facilities of the experimental dairy farm of the research center Frankenforst. The current proposal aims to evaluate whether FTIR-based assessment BHB in milk during the first postpartal weeks is qualified to monitor metabolism within herd management systems in dairy herds and thus provide preventive approaches. To test this, weekly milk and blood samples will be collected from the cows of the experimental dairy farm of the research center Frankenforst during the first nine weeks p.p. for BHB analyses. In addition, milk performance records will be done in weekly intervals. Based on the experimental scope available in Frankenforst, the BHB data can be related to various animal-specific data. After combining these data sets, the options for a model from the different variables with optimal and well-timed prediction of metabolic stress during early lactation shall be tested by means of data mining (analyses of classifications, regression analyses, etc.) for deriving suitable herd management strategies for the farm manager.
Section overview
Subjects
- Animal health
