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A herbal feed additive shows potential to improve metabolic situation in early lactating dairy cows

Walkenhorst, M.; Ivemeyer, S.; Schaette, R.; Mayer, P. and Arndt, G. (2013) A herbal feed additive shows potential to improve metabolic situation in early lactating dairy cows. Planta Medica, 79 (PL25), - .

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Document available online at: https://www.thieme-connect.de/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-0033-1352333


Summary

The gap between performance and feed intake in early lactating dairy cows often leads to metabolic imbalance which is connected to udder inflammation (UI).
A study with 72 dairy cows calving from November 2010 to March 2011 on 10 Swiss and German farms was conducted to test the effect of a herbal feed additive (HFA) containing mainly Urtica dioica L. (herba), Silybum marianum (L.) Gaert. (fructus), Artemisia absinthium L. (herba) and Achillea millefolium L. (herba).
Cows were stratified (farm and milk yield) randomised divided into three groups. From 14 days prior predicted calving to the end of the following lactation cows received daily 100 g pellets containing A: 100% HFA, B: 50% HFA and 50% alfalfa and C: 100% alfalfa (placebo). Two or three cows per group were included per farm. Farmers documented the pellet intake individually per cow on a daily base. Cows with an intake less than two third of the offered dose per lactation part (early: day 1 – 100; mid: day 101 – 200; late: day 201 – 300) were excluded from analyse (A: 6 cows, B: 4 cows, C: 0 cows).
Weekly milk samples from a healthy udder quarter were taken in lactation week 1 – 10 to analyse the aceton content indicating metabolic imbalance. Milk recording data (milk yield, milk contents and somatic cell score as UI marker) as well as the development of the body condition score, treatment, intercalving period and culling rate were analysed.


EPrint Type:Journal paper
Keywords:dairy cows, herbal feed aditive, metabolic imbalance, Tiergesundheit, Milchvieh, Stoffwechselstörungen
Agrovoc keywords:
Language
Value
URI
English
dairy cows
http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_26767
Subjects: Animal husbandry > Production systems > Dairy cattle
Animal husbandry > Health and welfare
Research affiliation: Switzerland > FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture Switzerland > Animal > Animal health > Parasitology
Germany > University of Kassel > Department of Farm Animal Behaviour and Husbandry
Germany > Other organizations
ISSN:0032-0949
DOI:DOI: 10.1055/s-0033-1352333
Related Links:http://www.fibl.org/en/switzerland/research/animal-sciences/animal-sciences-research.html#c26239
Deposited By: Walkenhorst, Michael
ID Code:25311
Deposited On:14 Mar 2014 22:31
Last Modified:04 Aug 2021 06:23
Document Language:English
Status:Published
Refereed:Peer-reviewed and accepted

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