Effects of a physical exercise programme on bodyweight, body condition score and chest, abdominal and thigh circumferences in dogs.

BACKGROUND: Research on the effects of physical exercise on canine body composition is limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a physical exercise programme on bodyweight, body condition score (BCS) and chest, abdominal and thigh circumferences in dogs. Twenty-one healthy dogs of different breeds exercised together with their owners during an eight-week programme consisting of jogging and strength exercises. Standardised measurements were performed in triplicates with a measuring tape on standing dogs. Chest circumference was measured at three anatomical locations, abdomen at two and thigh at one. Data on bodyweight, BCS (9-point scale) and circumferences were analysed with mixed model repeated measures analyses to evaluate changes after the programme and effects of target distance. RESULTS: Seven dog owners choose a target distance of 2 km and 14 owners choose 5-10 km. Mean BCS decreased (P = 0.007) after the programme (5.1 ± 0.9 vs. 4.7 ± 0.6) but there was no effect of target distance. Almost all chest and abdominal circumference measurements decreased (P ≤ 0.007) with the 2 km group driving the reduction in chest circumference and the 5-10 km group driving the reduction in abdominal circumference. In contrast, thigh circumference (28.8 ± 0.4 vs. 30.2 ± 0.4) increased (P = 0.007) while bodyweight was maintained. There were positive correlations between BCS and abdominal/chest ratios before and after the programme (Pearson correlation; R square ≤ 0.43, P ≤ 0.0012) but the mean ratio remained constant. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicated a redistribution between total body fat and muscle mass in body composition of normal weight to slightly overweight dogs after the physical exercise programme. The use of bodyweight alone was not a reliable evaluation method to complement the BCS assessment. However, repeated measurements of chest, abdominal and thigh circumference might aid in the assessment of body composition in dogs performing physical exercise. Further research should include a control group and objective evaluations of total body fat and lean mass, in order to investigate the effectiveness of physical exercise as a freestanding method for decreasing BCS and increasing muscle mass in overweight dogs.

Association Between Household Location (Urban versus Rural) and Fundamental Care Provided to Domestic Dogs (Canis Familiaris) in Northern Ireland.

This study aimed to generate information regarding living conditions (e.g. indoors and outdoors, living space available), fundamental care (e.g. feeding and exercise) and owners' perceptions of dog's preferences (e.g. living conditions) in the urban and rural areas of Northern Ireland via a cross-sectional survey questionnaire. The responses were collected from May to August 2022, at 24 locations across Northern Ireland, including 15 agricultural shows and livestock markets and nine large supermarkets (single supermarket chain) located in an area of the show or market grounds. In all, 548 questionnaires were collected and after exclusion of questionnaires with missing or incomprehensible responses, 507 questionnaires were included in the final database. Out of 507 questionnaires, 264 respondents resided in a city while 243 respondents resided on farms. The majority of respondents from the city locations perceived their dogs as pets, while those living on farms regarded their dogs as working animals. The populations of dogs in the city locations and on the farms in this study were similar regarding the age range and numbers of the animals, but more female dogs were spayed in the city locations than on the farms. Most respondents in this study, regardless of their household location, declared that they did not monitor their animal's body weight or body condition. When feeding their dogs, the respondents from the city locations were predominantly following veterinary advice or instructions on food labels. On the other hand, the respondents from farm locations mostly reported that they fed their dogs based on 'a visual inspection of dog condition'; this type of feeding was associated with a certain type of household occupancy (more frequent in single and adults only households) and respondents' employment status (more frequent by retired and those managing the home). The living conditions of dogs in city and farm locations in this study were different, namely dogs in the city were kept predominantly indoors with access to outdoors while dogs from farm locations were kept predominantly outdoors. The dogs were reported to be walked daily for a shorter time (up to 1 h/day) in the city locations and longer on the farm locations (1-2 h/day). Regardless of household location (city versus farm) respondents believed that exercise needs depend on animal age, body condition and medical condition, that dogs need to be kept active by owners to keep them fit, that dogs cannot self-regulate the amount of food they eat daily, and finally that walking with a dog a few times a day is difficult due to other commitments. On the other hand, the respondents from farm locations more often believe that dogs can get all the exercise they need by themselves if kept outdoors and they are happier with living outdoors, while the respondents from city locations believed that dogs are happier with living indoors. In conclusion, the results of this study have shown a number of differences in basic care and perception of dogs kept in city locations and on farm locations. Further studies are required to understand the provision of health care and fulfilments of all welfare needs of the dogs kept on farms.

Association between body condition profiles, milk production and reproduction performance in Holstein and Normande cows.

Body-condition dynamics are known to affect the different steps of reproduction in cattle (cyclicity, estrus expression, fertilization, embryo development). This has led to a widespread idea that there is an ideal-target optimal body condition, but no clear profile has yet been identified. Here we investigated the relationships between body condition score (BCS) profiles and reproductive performance in dairy cows. Data were from Holstein or Normande herds in 6 French experimental farms. In the Holstein breed, we discriminated 4 BCS profiles based on combining BCS at calving (Low: around 2.6 points, or High: around 3.3 points) with BCS loss after calving (Moderate (M): ≤ 1.0 points, or Severe (S): > 1.0 points). The Low-M profile mostly included multiparous cows with higher milk yield and lower reproductive performance than cows in the 3 other profiles. Low-M cows that experienced abnormal ovarian activity had lower reproductive performance than their profile-mates. Moreover, 67% of Low-M cows kept the same profile at the following lactation. The High-S profile mostly included primiparous cows with lower milk yield and higher reproductive performance than cows in other profiles. In High-S cows, higher milk yields correlated to higher risk of failure to calf on first insemination. Moreover, 38% of High-S cows kept the same profile at the following lactation, and none changed to Low-M. The other 2 BCS profiles (Low-S and High-M) were intermediate in terms of milk yield and reproductive performance. In Normande, we discriminated 3 BCS profiles based on combining BCS at calving (Low: around 2.6 points, or High: around 3.5 points) with BCS loss after calving (Flat (F): flat with no loss, Moderate (M): around 0.5 points, or Severe (S): around 1.0 point). The Low-M and High-S profiles included cows with similar performance, even though High-S-profile cows showed better but not significantly different milk yield and reproduction performance. The High-F profile included cows that were more likely to experience abnormal ovarian activity and fail at first insemination than cows in other profiles. More than 50% of Normande cows with 2 successive lactations kept in the same BCS profile at the next lactation. Even though a low BCS at calving combined with severe BCS loss (more than 1 point) after calving was found to increase reproductive failure, there was no evidence of an optimal BCS profile for reproduction in dairy cows, and reproductive success or failure is multifactorial.

Development and validation of a fully automated 2-dimensional imaging system generating body condition scores for dairy cows using machine learning.

Monitoring body condition score (BCS) is a useful management tool to estimate the energy reserves of an individual cow or a group of cows. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the performance of a fully automated 2-dimensional imaging system using a machine learning algorithm to generate real-time BCS for dairy cows. Two separate datasets were used for training and testing. The training dataset included 34,150 manual BCS (MAN_BCS) assigned by 5 experienced veterinarians during 35 visits at 7 dairy farms. Ordinal regression methods and deep learning architecture were used when developing the algorithm. Subsequently, the testing dataset was used to evaluate the developed BCS prediction algorithm on 4 of the participating farms. An experienced human assessor (HA1) visited these farms and performed 8 whole-milking-herd BCS sessions. Each farm was visited twice, allowing for 30 d (±2 d) to pass between visits. The MAN_BCS assigned by HA1 were considered the ground truth data. At the end of the validation study, MAN_BCS were merged with the stored automated BCS (AI_BCS), resulting in a testing dataset of 9,657 single BCS. A total of 3,817 cows in the testing dataset were scored twice 30 d (±2 d) apart, and the change in their BCS (ΔBCS) was calculated. A subset of cows at one farm were scored twice on consecutive days to evaluate the within-observer agreement of both the human assessor and the system. The manual BCS of 2 more assessors (HA2 and HA3) were used to assess the interobserver agreement between humans. Finally, we also collected ultrasound measurements of backfat thickness (BFT) from 111 randomly selected cows with available MAN_BCS and AI_BCS. Using the testing dataset, intra- and interobserver agreement for single BCS and ΔBCS were estimated by calculating the simple percentage agreement (PA) at 3 error levels and the weighted kappa (κw) for the exact agreement. A Bland-Altman plot was constructed to visualize the systematic and proportional bias. The association between MAN_BCS and AI_BCS and the BFT was assessed with Passing-Bablok regressions. The system had an almost perfect repeatability with a κw of 0.99. The agreement between MAN_BCS and AI_BCS was substantial, with an overall κw of 0.69. The overall PA at the exact, ± 0.25-unit, and ± 0.50-unit BCS error range between MAN_BCS and AI_BCS was 44.4%, 84.6%, and 94.8%, respectively, and greater than the PA obtained between HA1 and HA3. The Bland-Altman plot revealed a minimal systematic bias of -0.09 with a proportional bias at the extreme scores. Furthermore, despite the low κw of 0.20, the overall PA at the exact and ± 0.25-unit of BCS error range between MAN_BCS and AI_BCS regarding the ΔBCS was 45.7 and 88.2%, respectively. A strong linear relationship was observed between BFT and AI_BCS (ρ = 0.75), although weaker than that between BFT and MAN_BCS (ρ = 0.91). The system was able to predict single BCS and ΔBCS with satisfactory accuracy, comparable to that obtained between trained human scorers.

Derivation of the maintenance energy requirements in Jersey cows differing in body condition score.

Research in a variety of species including cattle has suggested energy required for maintenance may be affected by body condition. The objective of this study was to use indirect calorimetry and total fecal and urine collections to estimate maintenance energy and fasting heat production (FHP) of cows differing in BCS. Twelve multiparous nonpregnant and nonlactating Jersey cows were randomly assigned to one of 2 treatment groups. To construct these groups, cows were fed 2 different TMR in a preexperimental period for 84 d resulting in a BCS of >5 (HiBCS) and a BCS <3 (LoBCS), and no difference was observed in initial BW or BCS between treatments, averaging 509 ± 26.0 kg and 4.1 ± 0.23. To begin the experiment all animals were fed at maintenance [NELmaint, (Mcal/d) = 0.10 × metabolic BW (BW0.75)] for 24 d followed by 4 d of data collection for energy balance, cows were then fasted of 96 h with data collection for energy balance once again taken over the final 24 h. During the maintenance collection period, differences in BW and BCS existed (439 and 566 ± 19.0 kg BW, and 3.0 and 5.0 ± 0.13 BCS) for LoBCS and HiBCS, respectively. Heat production increased with increasing BCS (13.1 to 16.2 ± 0.55 Mcal/d), but when expressed per unit of BW0.75 no difference was observed (0.14 ± 0.002 Mcal/d per BW0.75). When fasted, BW loss did not differ averaging 28.9 ± 0.181 kg. The FHP did not differ, averaging 0.10 ± 0.004 Mcal/d per BW0.75 and resulted in the following representation of maintenance: [NELmaint, (Mcal/d) = 0.10 ± 0.004 × BW0.75]. During fasting the nitrogen free respiratory quotient tended to differ (0.69 and 0.73 ± 0.014) and O2 consumption and CO2 production for protein oxidation differed for LoBCS and HiBCS (5.44 and 2.35 ± 0.988 O2 and 4.52 and 1.95 ± 0.821 CO2 L/BW0.75). Overall, FHP increased with increasing BCS, but FHP per unit of BW0.75 did not differ. Although BW change was similar during fasting, differences O2 consumption and CO2 production per unit of BW0.75 used for protein oxidation may indicate differences in the nature of body tissue utilization in cows differing in BCS.

Association between prepartum body condition score and prepartum and postpartum dry matter intake and energy balance in multiparous Holstein cows.

The objectives of this retrospective observational study were to investigate the association between BCS at 21 d before calving with prepartum and postpartum DMI, energy balance (EB), and milk yield. Data from 427 multigravid cows from 11 different experiments conducted at the University of Florida (Gainesville, FL) were used. Cows were classified according to their BCS at 21 d before calving as fat (BCS ≥ 4.00; n = 83), moderate (BCS = 3.25-3.75; n = 287), and thin (BCS ≤ 3.00; n = 57). Daily DMI from -21 to -1 and from +1 to +28 DIM was individually recorded. Energy balance was calculated as the difference between net energy for lactation consumed and required. Dry matter intake in fat cows was lower than that in moderate and thin cows both prepartum (fat = 9.97 ± 0.21, moderate = 11.15 ± 0.14, and thin = 11.92 ± 0.22 kg/d) and postpartum (fat = 14.35 ± 0.49, moderate = 15.47 ± 0.38, and thin = 16.09 ± 0.47 kg/d). Dry matter intake was also lower for moderate cows compared with thin cows prepartum, but not postpartum. Energy balance in fat cows was lower than in moderate and thin cows both prepartum (fat = -4.16 ± 0.61, moderate = -1.20 ± 0.56, and thin = 0.88 ± 0.62 Mcal/d) and postpartum (fat = -12.77 ± 0.50, moderate = -10.13 ± 0.29, and thin = -6.14 ± 0.51 Mcal/d). Energy balance was also lower for moderate cows compared with thin cows both prepartum and postpartum. There was a quadratic association between BCS at 21 d before calving and milk yield. Increasing BCS from 2.5 to 3.5 was associated with an increase in daily milk yield of 6.0 kg and 28 d cumulative milk of 147 kg. Increasing BCS from 3.5 to 4.5 was associated with a decrease in daily milk yield of 4.4 kg and 28 d cumulative milk of 116 kg. In summary, a moderate BCS at 21 d before calving was associated with intermediate DMI and EB pre- and postpartum but greater milk yield compared with thinner and fatter cows. Our findings indicate that a moderate BCS is ideal for ensuring a successful lactation.

The association between calf birth weight and the postcalving performance of its dairy dam in the absence of dystocia.

The objective of the study was to quantify the association between the birth weight of a calf and the subsequent performance of its dairy dam in the absence of any recorded calving assistance. A total of 11,592 lactation records from 4,549 spring-calving dairy cows were used. The association between a series of quantitative cow performance metrics (dependent variable) and calf birth weight (independent variable) was determined using linear mixed models; logistic regression was used where the dependent variable was binary. Nuisance factors in the models were calf sex, heterosis coefficient of both the cow and calf, dry period length immediately before the birth of the calf, cow age at calving relative to the median cow age per parity, breed proportion of the cow, cow live weight between 100 and 200 d of lactation relative to the mean cow weight per parity, and contemporary group. Calf birth weight was included in the model as either a continuous or a categorical variable. Primiparous and multiparous cows were analyzed separately. Mean (SD) calf birth weight was 36.2 (6.8) kg. In primiparous cows, calf birth weight was associated with milk yield in the first 60 d of lactation, calving to first service interval, calving body weight (BW), and both nadir BW and body condition score (BCS). In multiparous cows, calf birth weight was associated with total milk, fat, and protein yield in the first 60 and 305 d of lactation, peak milk yield, total milk solids, both calving and nadir BW, and BCS loss from calving to nadir. Relative to primiparous cows that gave birth to calves weighing 34 to 37 kg (i.e., population mean), their contemporaries who gave birth to calves that weighed 15 to 29 kg produced 9.82 kg more milk in the first 60 d of lactation, had a 2-d shorter interval to first service, and were 8.08 kg and 5.51 kg lighter at calving and nadir BW, respectively; the former was also 0.05 units lower in BCS (5-point scale, 1 = emaciated and 5 = obese) at nadir. Relative to multiparous cows that gave birth to calves that were 34 to 37 kg birth weight, multiparous cows that gave birth to calves that were 15 to 29 kg yielded 59.63 kg, 2.44 kg, and 1.76 kg less milk, fat, and protein, respectively, in the first 60 d of lactation; produced 17.69 kg less milk solids throughout the 305-d lactation; and were also 10.49 kg lighter at nadir and lost 0.01 units more BCS to nadir. In a separate series of analyses, sire breed was added to the model as a fixed effect with and without calf birth weight. When calf birth weight was not adjusted for, 60-d milk yield for multiparous cows who gave birth to calves sired by a traditional beef breed (i.e., Angus, Hereford) produced 59.63 kg more milk than multiparous cows who gave birth to calves sired by a Holstein-Friesian. Hence, calf birth weight is associated with some subsequent dam performance measures; however, where associations do exist, the effect is biologically small.

Effect of postpartum body condition score change on the pregnancy outcomes of lactating Jersey cows inseminated at first service with sexed Jersey or conventional beef semen after a synchronized estrus versus a synchronized ovulation.

Our objective was to compare insemination rate and pregnancies per artificial insemination (P/AI) of lactating Jersey cows inseminated at first service with sexed Jersey or conventional beef semen after submission to a Double-Ovsynch protocol for timed artificial insemination (TAI) versus a protocol to synchronize estrus at similar days in milk (DIM). Secondary objectives were to determine the effect of protocol synchrony and postpartum body condition score (BCS) change on P/AI. Lactating Jersey cows (n = 1,272) were allocated by odd versus even ear tag number, which was randomly allocated within the herd, within parity and semen type for submission to a Double-Ovsynch protocol (DO; n = 707) or a protocol to synchronize estrus (ED; n = 565). All ED cows detected in estrus were inseminated (EDAI; n = 424), with undetected cows receiving TAI after an Ovsynch protocol (EDTAI; n = 141). There was a treatment by parity interaction on insemination rate with 100% of DO cows receiving TAI, but a tendency for fewer primiparous ED cows to be detected in estrus and AI than multiparous cows (69.5% ± 0.04% vs. 77.1% ± 0.02%, respectively). For cows inseminated with sexed Jersey or conventional beef semen, DO cows tended to have and had more P/AI than EDAI cows (sexed, 49.2% ± 0.03% vs. 43.6% ± 0.03%; beef, 64.2% ± 0.04% vs. 56.3% ± 0.05%, respectively) and had more P/AI than EDAI+EDTAI cows (sexed, 49.1% ± 0.03% vs. 40.6% ± 0.03%; beef, 65.5% ± 0.04% vs. 56.2% ± 0.04%, respectively). Overall, 29.1% of DO cows expressed estrus with 5.0% and 24.2% of cows detected in estrus ≥24 h before and at TAI, respectively, and there was no difference in P/AI 61 ± 4 d after AI based on expression of estrus at TAI. The synchronization rate was greater for DO than EDAI cows (92.1% ± 0.01% vs. 79.2% ± 0.02%, respectively); however, synchronized DO cows had more P/AI than synchronized EDAI cows (55.0% ± 0.02% vs. 49.2% ± 0.03%, respectively). There was an interaction between BCS change from 7 to 39 ± 2 DIM and treatment on P/AI 61 ± 4 d after AI with no difference between DO and EDAI cows that lost = 0.25 (49.8% ± 0.04% vs. 51.0% ± 0.05%, respectively) or maintained or gained (55.6% ± 0.04% vs. 50.8% ± 0.05%, respectively) BCS, but within cows that lost ≥0.5 BCS, DO cows had more P/AI than EDAI cows (54.1% ± 0.04% vs. 36.1% ± 0.04%, respectively). In conclusion, submission of lactating Jersey cows to a Double-Ovsynch protocol for first insemination increased insemination rate and fertility to first insemination compared with AI after a detected estrus regardless of semen type and expression of estrus, particularly for cows with excessive postpartum BCS loss.

Relationship among thermal environment, stage of lactation, body characteristics, yield and milk constituents of dairy Gyr cows managed on pasture.

Our aims were to evaluate changes in body characteristics, milk yield and milk constituents as well as to determine the relationship between the thermal environment and production characteristics during the first lactation of dairy Gyr cows managed on pasture. Between 2013 and 2015, forty-five primiparous dairy Gyr cows were evaluated from prepartum to 10 months of lactation in Southeast of Brazil. Body weight, body condition score (BCS), subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT), milk yield (305 d), and milk constituents were collected monthly and progesterone was collected weekly. Additionally, we determined the temperature humidity index (THI) based on microclimate data. Overall, the cows lost body weight until six months of lactation and there was a progressive decrease in BCS, SFT, milk yield and milk lactose as the months in lactation progressed. In contrast, there was an increase in milk fat, milk protein and milk solids. The thermal environment did not pose a consistent heat challenge, nevertheless, we found a positive correlation between the average THI two days before milk collection with milk yield, fat and lactose contents, but in contrast a negative correlation was found with total solids and protein. In conclusion, the THI and months of lactation affected the yield and constituents of milk. However, more studies are necessary to understand the impacts of body characteristics and thermal environment on yield and milk constituents throughout the productive life of Gyr dairy cows.

Genetic investigations on backfat thickness and body condition score in German Holstein cattle.

Up to now, little has been known about backfat thickness (BFT) in dairy cattle. The objective of this study was to investigate the lactation curve and genetic parameters for BFT as well as its relationship with body condition score (BCS) and milk yield (MKG). For this purpose, a dataset was analysed including phenotypic observations of 1929 German Holstein cows for BFT, BCS and MKG recorded on a single research dairy farm between September 2005 and December 2022. Additionally, pedigree and genomic information was available. Lactation curves were predicted and genetic parameters were estimated for all traits in first to third lactation using univariate random regression models. For BCS, lactation curves had nadirs at 94 DIM, 101 DIM and 107 DIM in first, second and third lactation. By contrast, trajectories of BFT showed lowest values later in lactation at 129 DIM, 117 DIM and 120 DIM in lactation numbers 1 to 3, respectively. Although lactation curves of BCS and BFT had similar shapes, the traits showed distinct sequence of curves for lactation number 2 and 3. Cows in third lactation had highest BCS, whereas highest BFT values were found for second parity animals. Average heritabilities were 0.315 ± 0.052, 0.297 ± 0.048 and 0.332 ± 0.061 for BCS in lactation number 1 to 3, respectively. Compared to that, BFT had considerably higher heritability in all lactation numbers with estimates ranging between 0.357 ± 0.028 and 0.424 ± 0.034. Pearson correlation coefficients between estimated breeding values for the 3 traits were negative between MKG with both BCS (r = -0.245 to -0.322) and BFT (r = -0.163 to -0.301). Correlation between traits BCS and BFT was positive and consistently high (r = 0.719 to 0.738). Overall, the results of this study suggest that BFT and BCS show genetic differences in dairy cattle, which might be due to differences in depletion and accumulation of body reserves measured by BFT and BCS. Therefore, routine recording of BFT on practical dairy farms could provide valuable information beyond BCS measurements and might be useful, for example, to better assess the nutritional status of cows.

Effects of Supplementing Different Quantities of Moringa stenopetala Leaves on Plasma Metabolite and Acylcarnitine Profile, Body Condition Score and Milk Yield Performance in Zebu (Bos indicus) Cattle.

The formulation of multi-nutrient blocks based on low-cost and locally available browse feed resources can be a valid feeding strategy in Sub-Saharan Africa, where inadequate feed supply, both in quality and quantity, is a major constraint. We evaluated the four different inclusion percentages (M-0%, M-25%, M-35% and M-45%) of Moringa stenopetala leaf powder to multi-nutrient blocks on their change on blood metabolite of dairy cows under practical, ranging conditions. Multi-nutrient blocks with four inclusion rates of M. stenopetala leaves were applied as complementary feed for free ranging dairy cows. The study was performed on 24 free ranging dairy cows reared around Arba Minch town in the Southern Ethiopian Rift Valley. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein of dairy cows both before and after supplementation. Plasma glucose, beta hydroxy butyrate (BHB), urea, creatinine, triglycerides and nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) concentration was quantified spectrophotometrically. Dried serum spots were subject to quantitative electrospray tandem mass spectrometry to estimate changes in nutrient metabolism based on selected carnitines. Based on these measurements, the milk yield and body condition score were increased during the period of multi-nutrient block supplementation. During the supplementation period, the cows got higher plasma glucose, triglyceride and urea concentrations and lower concentrations of BHB, NEFA and creatinine. From the metabolite profiles, a more efficient nutrient use could be concluded. Although no clear dose-response relationship was observed, the highest inclusion of the M. stenopetala leaves in the multi-nutrient blocks gave the best performance. This outcome supports the idea of implementing M. stenopetala based multi-nutrient blocks on tropical smallholder farms that are not easily accessible to conventional extension services.

Identification of risk factors for ewe mortality during the pregnancy and lambing period in extensively managed flocks.

BACKGROUND: Ewe mortality during pregnancy and lambing is an issue for sheep producers globally, resulting in reduced productivity and profitability, compromised ewe welfare, and poor consumer perception. Despite these negative consequences, there was little investigation into factors associated with ewe death during this time. Therefore, this study aimed to assess associations between ewe body condition score (BCS), weight, reproductive parameters, and risk of mortality during pregnancy and lambing. METHODS: Four cohorts from three commercial New Zealand farms participated, with 13,142 ewe lambs enrolled and followed over time. Data were collected for five consecutive lambings. Visits aligned with key on-farm management times, specifically: prior to breeding, at pregnancy diagnosis (PD), prior to lambing (set-stocking), and, at weaning of their lambs. At each visit, ewes were weighed, BCS assessed and reproductive status was recorded when relevant (litter size at PD and lactation status after lambing). Ewes that died or were culled were recorded, and any ewes that were absent from consecutive visits were presumed dead. Logistic regressions were developed to assess the relationship between weight and BCS at each visit, PD result (single or multiple-bearing) and lactation status (wet or dry) in each year, and, risk of mortality during the pregnancy and lambing period in each year. RESULTS: In the PD to weaning period, mortality incidence ranged from 6.3 to 6.9% for two-tooth (18-months-old at breeding) to mixed-age (54-months-old at breeding) ewes. For ewe lambs (7 to 8-months-old at breeding), mortality was 7.3% from set-stocking to weaning. Heavier ewe lambs at PD were less likely to die during lambing (OR: 0.978, p = 0.013), as were those with greater set-stocking BCS. In subsequent years, BCS was a predictor of ewe death, with odds of mortality greatest for ewes < BCS 2.5. Additionally, for poorer BCS ewes, increasing weight reduced risk of mortality, but there was no impact of increasing weight in greater BCS ewes. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified risk factors associated with ewe mortality during the pregnancy and lambing period. Flock owners can use these to either cull at-risk ewes or proactively intervene to reduce likelihood of mortality, thereby improving flock productivity, profitability and welfare.

Visually assessed body condition shows high heritability in a pedigreed great ape population.

Body condition, a measure for relative fat mass, is associated with primate health, fitness, and overall welfare. Body condition is often influenced by dietary factors, age, and/or sex, but several body condition measures (body weight, weight-to-height ratios, and so on) also show high heritability across primate species, indicating a role of genetic effects. Although different measures for body condition exist, many require direct handling of animals, which is invasive, time-consuming, and expensive, making them impractical in wild and captive settings. Therefore, noninvasive visual body condition score (BCS) systems were developed for various animal species, including macaques and chimpanzees, to visually assess relative fat mass. Here we evaluate the utility of a visual BCS system in bonobos by assessing (1) inter-rater reliability, (2) links with body mass, a traditional hands-on measure of condition, and (3) the factors driving individual variation in BCS. We adapted the chimpanzee BCS system to rate 76 bonobos in 11 European zoos (92% of the adult population). Inter-rater reliability was high (s* = 0.948), BCSs were positively associated with body mass (ß = 0.075) and not predicted by diet, sex, or age, nor were they associated with a higher abundance of obesity-related diseases. Instead, BCSs showed high levels of heritability (h2 = 0.637), indicating that a majority of body condition variation in bonobos is attributable to genetic similarity of the individuals. This is in line with reported h2 -values for traditional body condition measures in primates and provides support for the reliability of visual BCS systems in great apes. The results of this study emphasize an often unanticipated role of genetics in determining primate body fat and health that has implications for the management of captive primates. Application of this tool in wild populations would aid to unravel environmental from genetic drivers of body condition variation in primates.

Usefulness of mid-infrared spectroscopy as a tool to estimate body condition score change from milk samples in intensively fed dairy cows.

Directly measuring individual cow energy balance is not trivial. Other traits such as body condition score (BCS) and BCS change (ΔBCS) can, however, be used as an indicator of cow energy status. Body condition score is a metric used worldwide to estimate cow body reserves, but the estimation of ΔBCS was, until now, conditional on the availability of multiple BCS assessments. The aim of the present study was to estimate ΔBCS from milk mid-infrared (MIR) spectra and days in milk (DIM) in intensively fed dairy cows using statistical prediction methods. Daily BCS was interpolated from cubic splines fitted through the BCS records and daily ΔBCS was calculated from these splines. The ΔBCS records were merged with milk MIR spectra recorded on the same week. The dataset comprised 37,077 ΔBCS phenotypes across 9,403 lactations from 6,988 cows in 151 herds based in Quebec, Canada. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) and a neural network (NN) were then used to estimate ΔBCS from (1) MIR spectra only, (2) DIM only, or (3) MIR spectra and DIM together. The ΔBCS data in both the first 120 and 305 DIM of lactation were used to develop the estimates. Daily ΔBCS had a standard deviation of 4.40 × 10-3 BCS units in the 120-d dataset and of 3.63 × 10-3 BCS units in the 305-d dataset. A 4-fold cross-validation was used to calibrate and test the prediction equations. External validation was also conducted using more recent years of data. Irrespective of whether based on the first 120 or 305 DIM, or when MIR spectra only, DIM only or MIR spectra and DIM were jointly used as prediction variables, NN produced the lowest root mean square error (RMSE) of cross-validation (1.81 × 10-3 BCS units and 1.51 × 10-3 BCS units, respectively, using the 120-d and 305-d dataset). Relative to predictions for the entire 305 DIM, the RMSE of cross-validation was 15.4% and 1.5% lower in the first 120 DIM when using PLSR and NN, respectively. Predictions from DIM only were more accurate than those using just MIR spectra data but, irrespective of the dataset and of the prediction model used, combining DIM information with MIR spectral data as prediction variables reduced the RMSE compared with the inclusion of DIM alone, albeit the benefit was small (the RMSE from cross-validation reduced by up to 5.5% when DIM and spectral data were jointly used as model features instead of DIM only). However, when predicting extreme ΔBCS records, the MIR spectral data were more informative than DIM. Model performance when predicting ΔBCS records in future years was similar to that from cross-validation demonstrating the ability of MIR spectra of milk and DIM combined to estimate ΔBCS, particularly in early lactation. This can be used to routinely generate estimates of ΔBCS to aid in day-to-day individual cow management.

Association between body condition genomic values and feed intake, milk production, and body weight in French Holstein cows.

Body condition score (BCS) offers a good estimate of the amount of stored fat on the body, and its variations can be used as a proxy for energy balance. Many countries have implemented a genomic evaluation of BCS, including France, where estimated breeding values are based on an individual BCS determination during the first lactation. In this article, we investigate the degree to which this genomic estimated breeding value based on a single phenotype record per cow might reflect different profiles of body reserves throughout lactation and be used to predict, and perhaps limit, their mobilization during early lactation. We also investigate whether selection on BCS affects other traits. A data set including 686 lactations of 435 Holstein cows from 3 experimental farms not used in the reference population for genomic evaluation was used to estimate the effects of the BCS direct genomic value (iBCS) on BCS, body weight, feed intake, milk production, and fat and protein contents throughout the lactation period. For each trait, the model included different iBCS regressions and an effect of the direct genomic value of the trait itself when available. It thus appeared that cows with a positive iBCS always had a higher BCS than negative iBCS cows, whatever the lactation stage, and that this difference increased during the first 6 mo to reach a difference of 0.8 point. A similar effect was seen regarding body weight, but it was the opposite for milk production, with negative iBCS cows producing slightly more milk (difference of about 3% over lactation). Feed intake increased slightly faster at the beginning of lactation for cows with positive iBCS. Therefore, iBCS is a promising tool that could help to limit intense mobilization during early lactation. Should feed efficiency be included in the breeding goal, greater attention should be paid to BCS to avoid further body mobilization in early lactation.

Effect of feeding a Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product to Holstein cows exposed to high temperature and humidity conditions on milk production performance and efficiency-A pen-level trial.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of feeding a Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product (SCFP) on milk production efficiency of Holstein cows naturally exposed to high temperature and humidity conditions. The study was conducted in 2 commercial farms in Mexico from July to October 2020 and included 1 wk covariate period, 3 wk adaptation, and 12 wk data collection. Cows [n = 1,843; ≥21 d in milk (DIM) and <100 d carried calf] were enrolled and assigned to the study pens (n = 10) balanced for parity, milk yield, and DIM. Pens were fed a total mixed ration diet either without (CTRL) or with SCFP (19 g/d, NutriTek, Diamond V). Milk yield, energy-corrected milk (ECM), milk components, linear somatic cell score, dry matter intake (DMI), feed efficiency (FE; Milk/DMI and ECM/DMI), body condition score, and the incidence of clinical mastitis, pneumonia, and culling were monitored. Statistical analyses included mixed linear and logistic models accounting for repeated measures (when applicable; multiple measurements per cow within treated pens) with pen as the experimental unit and treatment, time (week of study), parity (1 vs. 2+), and their interactions as fixed and pen nested within farm and treatment as random effect. Parity 2+ cows within pens fed SCFP produced more milk than cows within CTRL pens (42.1 vs. 41.2 kg/d); there were no production differences between groups of primiparous groups. Cows within SCFP pens had lower DMI (25.2 vs. 26.0 kg/d) and greater FE (1.59 vs. 1.53) and ECM FE (1.73 vs. 1.68) than cows within CTRL pens. Milk components, linear somatic cell score, health events, and culling were not different between groups. At the end of the study (245 ± 54 DIM), SCFP cows had greater body condition score than CTRL (3.33 vs. 3.23 in the first parity; 3.11 vs. 3.04 in 2+ parity cows). Feeding Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation products to lactating cows exposed to high temperature and humidity conditions improved FE.

Body and milk production traits as indicators of energy requirements and efficiency of purebred Holstein and 3-breed rotational crossbred cows from Viking Red, Montbéliarde, and Holstein sires.

This study aimed to compare rotational 3-breed crossbred cows of Viking Red, Montbéliarde, and Holstein breeds with purebred Holstein cows for a range of body measurements, as well as different metrics of the cows' productivity and production efficiency. The study involved 791 cows (440 crossbreds and 351 purebreds), that were managed across 2 herds. Within each herd, crossbreds and purebreds were reared and milked together, fed the same diets, and managed as one group. The heart girth, height at withers, and body length were measured, and body condition score (BCS) was determined on all the cows on a single test day. The body weight (BW) of 225 cows were used to develop an equation to predict BW from body size traits, parity, and days in milk, which was then used to estimate the BW of all the cows. Equations from the literature were used to estimate body protein and lipid contents using the predicted BW and BCS. Evidence suggests that maintenance energy requirements may be closely related to body protein mass, and Holstein and crossbred cows may be different in body composition. Therefore, we computed the requirements of net energy for maintenance (NEM) on the basis either of the metabolic weight (NEM-MW: 0.418 MJ/kg of metabolic BW) or of the estimated body protein mass according to a coefficient (NEM-PM: 0.631 MJ/kg body protein mass) computed on the subset comprising the purebred Holstein. On the same day when body measurements were collected, individual test-day milk yield and fat and protein contents were retrieved once from the official Italian milk recording system, and milk was sampled to determine fresh cheese yield. Measures of NEM were used to scale the production traits. Statistical analyses of all variables included the fixed effects of herd, days in milk, parity, and genetic group (purebred Holstein and crossbred), and the herd × genetic group interaction. External validation of the equation predicting BW yielded a correlation coefficient of 0.94 and an average bias of -4.95 ± 36.81 kg. The crossbreds had similar predicted BW and NEM-MW compared with the Holsteins. However, NEM-PM of crossbreds was 3.8% lower than that of the Holsteins, due to their 11% greater BCS and different estimated body composition. The crossbred cows yielded 4.8% less milk and 3.4% less milk energy than the purebred Holsteins. However, the differences between genetic groups were no longer significant when the production traits were scaled on NEM-PM, suggesting that the crossbreds and purebreds have the same productive ability and efficiency per unit of body protein mass. In conclusion, measures of productivity and efficiency that combine the cows' production capability with traits related to body composition and the energy cost of production seem to be more effective criteria for comparing crossbred and purebred Holstein cows than just milk, fat, and protein yields.

Effect of shortening the dry period on colostrum and milk quality, blood parameters and some reproductive parameters in high-producing Holstein cows of different body condition score.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of shortening the dry period in high-yielding cows of different body condition scores (BCS). We report colostrum and milk quality, some serum metabolites, BCS changes, and some reproductive parameters with measurements being made over the first two months of lactation. Cows were grouped based on the length of the dry period (normal: about 50 d and short: about 28 d) and BCS (moderate: 2.75 to 3.5 and high ≥ 3.5). Short dry period decreased colostrum volume and, in combination with high BCS only, caused a decrease in milk production. Short dry period moderate BCS cows had the highest serum insulin concentration on day 14 after calving and highest glucose concentration on day 28, but neither differed significantly when measured over the whole period. By contrast, short dry period cows had significantly lower concentrations of non-esterified fatty acids and beta-hydroxybutyrate measured over the whole period. Post-partum loss of BCS was less in short and especially so in the short, moderate BCS group. Following a synchronization protocol at 35 d postpartum. The cows with a short dry period and moderate BCS had lower open days, days to first postpartum estrus and services per conception. It was concluded that short dry periods and moderate BCS had a positive influence on serum metabolites, BCS changes and reproductive parameters.

CAT-CBAM-Net: An Automatic Scoring Method for Sow Body Condition Based on CNN and Transformer.

Sow body condition scoring has been confirmed as a vital procedure in sow management. A timely and accurate assessment of the body condition of a sow is conducive to determining nutritional supply, and it takes on critical significance in enhancing sow reproductive performance. Manual sow body condition scoring methods have been extensively employed in large-scale sow farms, which are time-consuming and labor-intensive. To address the above-mentioned problem, a dual neural network-based automatic scoring method was developed in this study for sow body condition. The developed method aims to enhance the ability to capture local features and global information in sow images by combining CNN and transformer networks. Moreover, it introduces a CBAM module to help the network pay more attention to crucial feature channels while suppressing attention to irrelevant channels. To tackle the problem of imbalanced categories and mislabeling of body condition data, the original loss function was substituted with the optimized focal loss function. As indicated by the model test, the sow body condition classification achieved an average precision of 91.06%, the average recall rate was 91.58%, and the average F1 score reached 91.31%. The comprehensive comparative experimental results suggested that the proposed method yielded optimal performance on this dataset. The method developed in this study is capable of achieving automatic scoring of sow body condition, and it shows broad and promising applications.

Intake and digestibility of two diets for nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus: Linnaeus, 1758) kept under human care.

The study aimed to evaluate metabolic parameters, nutrient intake, and absorption of two diets formulated for Dasypus novemcinctus armadillos under human care. Were studied two diets: D1-a diet with dry dog food, ground beef, and boiled chicken egg with shells; D2-a diet with the same ingredients as D1, with added banana and papaya. Both are mixed in water. The parameters analyzed were body weight (BW), weight gain (WG), maintenance energy requirement (MER), Lee index, biometrics, body condition score, glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and cholesterol fractions for eight male armadillos. Dietary intake (DI) and efficiency, nutrient intake, metabolizable energy, and digestibility coefficient for the diets were evaluated in six male armadillos. The diet that included fruits showed higher BW, WG, MER, Lee index, and better glucose metabolism. Both diets promoted increases in WG and Lee Index, as well as improvements in glucose metabolism. The diet without fruit improved the lipid profile of the animals. D2 presented the highest DI, better dietary efficiency, and higher energy intake but also a lower crude fiber intake. However, it showed the best utilization of gross fiber and all other nutrients. In conclusion, the diets constituted an adequate nutritional option for captive armadillos and can be used in malnutrition and pathological processes recovery. Although both diets were adequate, the nonfruit diet was preferable due to the improved lipid profile.