Thermal, productive, and reproductive responses of high yielding cows exposed to short-term cooling in summer.
Effect of cooling on body temperature, milk production, estrous behavior, and reproductive performance was examined in 66 estrous-synchronized, Israeli-Holstein dairy cows. Cooling was by an automated system, which actuated sprinkling (30 s) followed by forced ventilation (4.5 min) for 30-min periods. Cows were cooled 9 times/d between 0500 and 2100 h over 10 d, starting 1 d before expected estrus until d 8 post estrus. Cooling reduced typical diurnal rise of body temperature in summer heat-stressed cows by .5 to .9 degrees C, and body temperature was maintained close to normothermic temperature (38.6 degrees C). Milk production of cooled cows was 2.6 kg/d (+8%) above control at end of the cooling period. More cooled cows than noncooled exhibited standing estrous behavior; in noncooled cows, silent ovulations or anestrus were more frequent. Conception rate of cooled cows did not differ from control, suggesting need for a longer than a 10-d cooling period for improvement of fertility. The cooling system has potential to alleviate heat stress in dairy cows and to improve their thermal balance, productive, and reproductive performances.
Her
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E
Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Hebrew University, Rehovot, Israel.
Wolfenson
D
D
Flamenbaum
I
I
Folman
Y
Y
Kaim
M
M
Berman
A
A
D000818:Animals; D001831:Body Temperature; D002417:Cattle / Q000502:physiology*; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005260:Female; D007774:Lactation / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D012621:Seasons