Early lactation performance of primiparous dairy heifers reared with differing levels of early-life complexity
Laura Field
A B * , Lauren Hemsworth A , Ellen Jongman A , David McGill C and Megan Verdon B
A
B
C
Abstract
The complexity of the early-life environment can affect personality development. In dairy cattle, traits such as nervousness are linked to higher stress and lower productivity.
This study explored productivity indices of dairy heifers in the first 28 d of lactation, with preliminary exploration of the effects of early-life complexity on these outcomes.
Groups of heifers were reared at different levels of complexity between 2 and 13 weeks of age. Two groups of 10 were group-reared as commercial controls, in covered, bedded pens (CC, n = 20). These commercial controls were compared to two treatments reared at pasture, housed either in two groups of 10 with no adult contact (−S, n = 20) or in two groups of 10 housed with three non-maternal mature dry cows per group (+S, n = 20). Forty-eight of the original 60-heifer cohort remained in the replacement herd at calving around 24 months of age. Calving occurred in two peak periods, commencing approximately 18 d apart. Productivity data (daily milk yield, liveweight and body condition score (BCS)) were collected twice-daily for the first 28 d of lactation following calving. Individual milk samples were collected at 7 d, 14 d and 28 d of lactation and analysed for cortisol concentration.
There was a significant treatment × calving peak × week effect on milk yield (P < 0.001) and BCS (P < 0.001). Heifer data followed converse patterns wherein as milk yield increased over the 28 d study period, BCS declined. The magnitude of weight loss tended to reduce over weeks of the 28 d study period (P < 0.001). Cortisol concentrations in milk samples taken at 14 d of lactation (i.e. the week following introduction to the main herd) were significantly higher than those taken at 28 d of lactation, after approximately 3 weeks in the main herd (P = 0.009).
Early-life treatments did not influence most outcomes measured in this study, likely due to low replication and limited sample sizes. Data presented do, however, comprehensively describe the experiences of primiparous heifers over their first month of lactation in a seasonal-calving pasture-based dairy system.
The first month of lactation may cause significant stress to primiparous heifers, particularly surrounding early social integration with the milking herd.
Keywords: calf welfare, cow-calf contact, early-life experience, environmental enrichment, first lactation, non-maternal contact, primiparous, social enrichment.
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