Overfeeding copper during rearing affects the liver function and fertility of replacement dairy heifers.

Background: Oversupply of dietary copper (Cu) is common among UK dairy herds, but studies on the long-term outcomes of this oversupply are scarce.

Methods: A longitudinal study was undertaken to determine the long-term implications when 80 Holstein‒Friesian heifers with a mean (±standard error) age of 4.1 ± 0.

An Investigation of Equine Sperm Quality Following Cryopreservation at Low Sperm Concentration and Repeated Freeze-Thawing.

Stallion spermatozoa are typically cryopreserved at 200 to 300 million sperm/ml; however recent advances such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) requires only one spermatozoon, wasting many, after thawing a whole straw. Cryopreserving at concentrations less than the current standard or refreezing thawed spermatozoa could maximize the use of genetically valuable animals and reduce waste. This investigation aimed to identify if lowering the sperm concentration for cryopreservation affected post-thaw quality after one and two freeze-thaw cycles.

Assessing the Accuracy of Leg Mounted Sensors for Recording Dairy Cow Behavioural Activity at Pasture, in Cubicle Housing and a Straw Yard.

The accuracy of CowAlert IceQube sensors (IceRobotics Ltd., Edinburgh, UK) for recording lying duration, standing and lying transitions and number of steps when dairy cows where at pasture, in cubicle housing and in a straw yard, was investigated. Holstein Friesian cows at Harper Adams University, UK were fitted with IceQube sensors; one on the back left (BL) leg and one on the front left (FL) leg.

Stakeholder Perceptions of Disease Management for Dairy Calves: "It's Just Little Things That Make Such a Big Difference".

Calf morbidity and mortality rates are often high in dairy herds, raising animal welfare concerns and negatively affecting farm economic efficiency and future performance. Disease prevention is critical to maintain calves in good health, but interventions are dependent upon the persons conducting them. This paper explores the perceptions of farmers, farm workers, veterinarians, and other advisors on the management of calfhood disease on dairy farms in England.

Co-Produced Care in Veterinary Services: A Qualitative Study of UK Stakeholders' Perspectives.

Changes in client behaviour and expectations, and a dynamic business landscape, amplify the already complex nature of veterinary and animal health service provision. Drawing on prior experiences, veterinary clients increasingly pursue enhanced involvement in services and have expectations of relationship-centred care. Co-production as a conceptualisation of reciprocity in service provision is a fundamental offering in the services sector, including human medicine, yet the role of co-production in veterinary services has been minimally explored.

Appropriate Dairy Calf Feeding from Birth to Weaning: "It's an Investment for the Future".

Dairy calves must be fed appropriately to meet their nutritional needs, supporting optimal growth and development to achieve the recommended target age at first calving (AFC) of 24 months. Traditional restricted milk feeding practices suppress growth, contribute to negative welfare states and may result in malnutrition and immunosuppression. Despite more recent recommendations to increase milk allowances for pre-weaned calves, restricted feeding remains a common practice.

Cows with paratuberculosis (Johne's disease) alter their lying behavior around peak lactation.

Paratuberculosis or Johne's disease (JD) is a fatal chronic enteritis that causes detrimental effects on production and health and significantly reduces the welfare of cattle. Control of JD is highly desirable, but single milk ELISA testing may not be sensitive enough to identify all affected animals, particularly in the early stages of the disease. The objective of this study was to compare the activity of JD-positive (JD5) to JD-negative (JD0) cows from calving until wk 20 of lactation.

Fatty acid profile of milk for determining reproductive status in lactating Holstein Friesian cows.

Large percentages of dairy cows do not express behavioural signs of oestrus. Faecal and urine fatty acid concentrations increase during oestrus. The objective of the present study was to determine the milk FA profile of dairy cows during the oestrous and dioestrous periods and the relationship with behavioural signs on the day of oestrus.

Ovarian expression of insulin-like peptide 3 (INSL3) and its receptor (RXFP2) during development of bovine antral follicles and corpora lutea and measurement of circulating INSL3 levels during synchronized estrous cycles.

Insulin-like peptide 3 (INSL3), a major product of testicular Leydig cells, is also expressed by the ovary, but its functional role remains poorly understood. Here, we quantified expression of INSL3 and its receptor RXFP2 in theca interna cell (TIC) and granulosa cell compartments of developing bovine antral follicles and in corpora lutea (CL). INSL3 and RXFP2 mRNA levels were much higher in TIC than granulosa cell and increased progressively during follicle maturation with INSL3 peaking in large (11-18 mm) estrogen-active follicles and RXFP2 peaking in 9- to 10-mm follicles before declining in larger (11-18 mm) follicles.

Association between ovarian follicle development and pregnancy rates in dairy cows undergoing spontaneous oestrous cycles.

Ovarian follicle development continues in a wave-like manner during the bovine oestrous cycle giving rise to variation in the duration of ovulatory follicle development. The objectives of the present study were to determine whether a relationship exists between the duration of ovulatory follicle development and pregnancy rates following artificial insemination (AI) in dairy cows undergoing spontaneous oestrous cycles, and to identify factors influencing follicle turnover and pregnancy rate and the relationship between these two variables. Follicle development was monitored by daily transrectal ultrasonography from 10 days after oestrus until the subsequent oestrus in 158 lactating dairy cows.