Transition cow nutrition and management strategies of dairy herds in the northeastern United States: Part II—Associations of metabolic- and inflammation-related analytes with health, milk yield, and reproduction

• DOI: 10.3168/jds.2021-20863
• Publication Date: 2022-04-22T11:48:20Z
• Authors: A.L. Kerwin; W.S. Burhans; S. Mann; D.V. Nydam; S.K. Wall; K.M. Schoenberg; K.L. Perfield; T.R. Overton
• Keywords: NEFA; Metritis; Ketosis; Haptoglobin

The objectives were as follows: (1) establish cow-level thresholds for prepartum nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) and postpartum NEFA, β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), haptoglobin (Hp) concentrations associated with negative health events; (2) evaluate associations between biomarkers 305-d mature equivalent milk at the fourth test day (ME305) reproductive performance; (3) identify herd-alarm levels (proportion of cows sampled above critical threshold) that are herd-level changes in disorder incidence (displaced abomasum clinical ketosis), performance, ME305. In a prospective cohort study, 1,473 from 72 farms enrolled northeastern United States. Blood samples collected same 11 to 24 per herd during late-prepartum early-postpartum periods. Whole blood was analyzed BHB concentrations; plasma NEFA Hp concentrations. Critical events all established using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Poisson, linear mixed effects, Cox proportional hazards models investigated association performance. threshold culling ≥0.17 mmol/L 0.45 g/L, respectively. diagnosis metritis, displaced abomasum, or ketosis ≥0.46 ≥0.9 mmol/L, Multiparous concentration produced 479 kg less primiparous 280 446 more ME305, Cows ≥1.1 552 ME305 had 20% decreased risk pregnancy within 150 d milk, respectively; however, multiparous ≥1.5 376 ≥0.45 g/L 492 28% DIM. 19% first service (PRFS). Herds 6.0-percentage unit increase decrease 21-d rate (PR) cows, 3.9-percentage PR 5.8-percentage probability cows. 5.8- 4.2-percentage respectively, 789 6.8- 6.3-percentage PRFS an 8.5-percentage incidence, 332 229 3.2-, 5.2-, 7.0-percentage PR, pregnancy, PRFS, 5.3-percentage incidence. At cow level level, elevated biomarker increased varied performance responses.