TDK conference 2020

In our study we examined the possible connection between rumination time and the incidence of diseases in the postpartum period of dairy cattle. For the experiment we used forty-two Holstein-Friesian cows from Ráckeresztúr (Prograg Agrárcentrum Kft.). We placed transponders (Ruminact HR-Tag) on the animals one week before the expected time of calving to measure the rumination time. After parturition we recorded the occurrence of retained placenta, metritis, mastitis, metabolic disorders and culling for a three-week period. In addition, we monitored the milk production (first and second trial milking) and the results of artificial inseminations.

Postpartum the healthy cows ruminated significantly (P <0,05), 58 minutes more daily than those which suffered from retained placenta or metritis. We did not find a significant difference in the rumination time between cows with and without mastitis. In the postpartum period cows with any kind of diseases had significantly (P <0,05) less rumination time than healthy ones.

The tracked rumination times in the three weeks after parturition had no connection with the amount of milk recorded in the first and second trial milking. But the incidence of diseases and lactation number significantly (P <0,05) affected the outcome in the first trial milking, and lactation number influenced the amount of milk in the second trial milking. The measured rumination time in the postpartum period did not affect the time of the first artificial insemination significantly, but the incidence of diseases did influence it. We examined the data of culled cows and it has been found that rumination time during the postpartum period did not act significantly on the chance of culling, but this chance was increasing with the lactation number.

We can conclude that the monitoring of rumination data can be helpful to find the sick cows in certain diseases, but at the same time it is not suitable to predict the potential milk production.