Animal Systems News
Effect of dry propylene glycol vs. drenching: a preliminary report.
An experiment currently in progress is evaluating the effects of feeding dry glycerin to early lactating Holstein dairy cows. Some of these strategies include the use of glucose precursors like glycerin and propylene glycol. Glycerin may improve energy supply in early lactation dairy cows.
About 80 percent of this loss occurs before day 17, 10-15 percent between day 17 and 42 and 5 percent after day 42.
A good housing system for calves and heifers will provide for the well-being of animals of various ages, promote safe and efficient working conditions for the caretaker, protect the environment and be cost-effective to build and maintain.
A summary of some of the new and interesting findings that affect calf health, feeding, and management.
A new book, Penn State Housing Plans for Milking and Special Needs Cows is now available.
Warm sunny spring days feel nice after cold winter nights. For many of our cows these days are already the harbinger of uncomfortable hot weather to come.
Dairy cows are at risk of becoming heat stressed more than most animals because with genetic selection for milk yield the cow has a high internal heat production.
Penn State Extension dairy educators across the state as well as faculty and staff from Penn State University’s departments of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Dairy and Animal Science, Crop and Soil Sciences, and Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences have combined their expertise to create an innovative program designed to identify key opportunity areas limiting the profitability of Pennsylvania dairies.
Energy and odor combined with state and federal cost sharing programs have increased the interest in using controlled anaerobic digestion to stabilize dairy manure and produce biogas.
Bovine Virus Diarrhea virus (BVDv) is a bovine enteric virus with a worldwide distribution.
A key factor in extension education is to take university research results and apply them in a practical manner to our dairy clientele.
Having a productive and profitable herd without a lot of planning, a lot of paying attention to detail, and without all members of the farm team working together
The basic bedded pack can be a quick and simple way to house a variety of dairy cattle including young heifers, dry cows, milking cows and special needs cows.
Based upon a survey of Pennsylvania dairy producers, the major reasons listed by those who do not use artificial insemination for their heifers are the perception of lowered conception rates with artificial insemination (AI), difficulty or time involved with estrous detection, location of heifers was inconvenient for reproductive management and lack of restraint facilities.
