Abstract
We investigated whether delaying oral calcium (Ca) bolus administration to the second day postpartum (DEL) was noninferior to bolus administration within 24 h of calving (CON) in its effects on plasma Ca concentrations during the first five days in milk (DIM). We also investigated the effects of DEL vs. CON strategies on magnesium (Mg) concentrations and daily rumination time (RT). Twenty-three multiparous (parity ≥ 3) dairy cows were randomly assigned to the CON (n = 11) or DEL (n = 12) treatment. Blood Ca and Mg were measured at 1–5 DIM and RT was monitored from −7 d to 7 d relative to calving. The noninferiority margin was a difference in Ca concentration of 0.15 mmol/L. Blood Ca and Mg concentrations and RT were analyzed by multivariable linear mixed models accounting for repeated measures. Blood Ca concentrations were 0.07 mmol/L (95% confidence interval: −0.30–0.17) less in DEL cows than CON cows, thus non-inferiority results were inconclusive. The Ca concentration increased across the first 5 DIM but did not differ between treatments while Mg concentrations decreased in both treatments (p < 0.001). There was no treatment difference in RT (CON: 436 ± 21, DEL: 485 ± 19 min/d). While noninferiority results were inconclusive, similar blood Ca dynamics between CON and DEL treatment strategies indicates that delayed Ca administration is a potential management option for commercial dairy farms; however, additional studies using large sample sizes are warranted to confirm these findings.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 872-880 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Dairy |
Volume | 3 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study was funded by the Veterinary Population Medicine Department, College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota. We also thank the dairy managers, Jon-Paul Salvador and Danielle Johnson, and all of the staff at University of Minnesota Dairy Cattle Teaching and Research Center crew for their assistance during the experiment.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors.
Keywords
- calcium bolus
- magnesium
- multiparous
- rumination behavior
- subclinical hypocalcemia