The Milk Producer - March 2011 - (Page 38)

APPLIEDSCIENCE By Hélène V. Petit Enhanced transition O mega-3 fatty acids, heralded for their human health benefits and now found in several milk products, could also enhance your dairy cows’ well-being during the critical transition period. Recent research has shown how an essential fatty acid could reduce incidence of a serious condition that can depress appetite and milk yields, and increase other disease risks. The transition period usually begins the sixth week before calving and lasts up to the fourth week after calving. During this period, a cow’s feed intake is insufficient to meet increased milk production requirements after she calves, which causes a negative energy balance. To make up the difference, she mobilizes body fat and muscle reserves to maintain milk production. After excessive body fat mobilization, fat accumulates in her liver and the cow can develop what is known as “fatty liver syndrome.” Along with reducing liver function, it can depress a cow’s appetite, milk yield and fertility, while increasing her risk of diseases such as metritis and mastitis. Research done on rats has demonstrated that polyunsaturated fatty acids reduce fat accumulation in the liver. Some research also suggests omega-3 type polyunsaturated fatty acids have a greater effect than omega-6 types. Since flaxseed is a major source of linolenic acid, an essential omega-3 fatty acid that benefits cattle health and fertility, researchers at the Dairy and Swine Research and Development Centre in Lennoxville, Que. developed the hypothesis that adding flaxseed to transition cow rations would help reduce fatty liver syndrome incidence. In a study done in collaboration Ensuring your cows get sufficient essential fatty acids in their diet around calving time can help ease them through transition period Flaxseed intake can help reduce fatty liver syndrome. with Dairy Farmers of Canada, Lennoxville researchers assessed effects of flaxseed intake on parameters related to fatty liver syndrome. The study was carried out on 18 cows that had calved multiple times and 15 cows pregnant for the first time. The project spanned the sixth week before calving up to the fourth week after calving. Cows received one of three rations: • a control ration without additional fat; • a ration containing 11 per cent whole flaxseed; • a ration containing an inert form of fat in the rumen equivalent to the amount present in the flaxseed ration. Researchers found certain parameters related to fatty liver syndrome improved in cows fed flaxseed, com- pared with cows receiving the control ration or the ration with inert fat in the rumen. This improvement resulted in a greater concentration of glycogen and a lower concentration of triglycerides in the liver. However, only the cows that had calved multiple times benefited from flaxseed intake. It had no effect in the cows calving for the first time. Nevertheless, feeding whole flaxseed could be a useful strategy for reducing fatty liver incidence and improving dairy cow health during the transition period. Hélène V. Petit, PhD, is a research scientist at the Dairy and Swine Research and Development Centre in Lennoxville, Que. 38 | March 2011 | MilkPRODUCER

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Milk Producer - March 2011

The Milk Producer - March 2011
Table of Contents
Editor's Notes
DFO Chair's Message
Dairy Update
DFC Promotion
Farm Finance
Issues Update
Cover Story
Research
Applied Science
Ruminations
Markets
New 'N' Noted
Back Forty

The Milk Producer - March 2011

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