Evaluación de un bolo con levadura, minerales y antioxidantes administrado al parto sobre el rendimiento en la transición de vacas lecheras Holstein en República Checa
Antonella Della Badia 1, Rodrigo García-Lastra1, Tom Novotny2, Michael Reid1
(1)-TechMix Europe SLU, 43860 Spain (2)-MTS spol. s r.o., Czech Republic
Introduction
High-yielding dairy cows experience substantial metabolic and nutritional challenges during the transition into early lactation, a period associated with increased risk of subclinical hypocalcemia and impaired immune function. These conditions can predispose cows to disorders such as mastitis. While calcium supplementation at calving is a common preventive strategy, additional functional additives such as live yeast and electrolytes may further support milk yield and health during this critical phase. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether a bolus containing live yeast, minerals and antioxidants administered at calving influences milk yield and the incidence of clinical mastitis compared to a calcium-only bolus under commercial conditions.
Materials and methods
A randomized field trial was conducted in a commercial dairy farm in Czech Republic. Eighty Holstein dairy cows were enrolled at calving and randomly assigned to either a control group receiving a calcium-only bolus (n=40) or to a treatment group receiving a bolus containing live yeast, magnesium, calcium, potassium and antioxidants (n=40). Groups were balanced for parity and previous milk yield. Cows were monitored for 11 weeks postpartum. The average weekly milk yield for each cow was recorded. Differences in milk yield data were assessed using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Mastitis incidence was analyzed by nominal logistic regression. Statistical analyses were performed using JMP software (version 19.0; SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA). Differences were considered significant at P ≤0.05.
Results
Average daily milk yield over the 11-week period was higher in the treatment group compared with the control group (46.5 vs 45.6 Kg; P = 0.023) accounting for a difference of 0.98 kg per day. The overall incidence of clinical mastitis was 21.3%, with 11 cases (27.5%) in the control group and 6 cases (15.0%) in the treatment group; this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.169).
Conclusions
The administration of a bolus containing calcium, live yeast and electrolytes at calving was associated with increased milk yield during the first 11 weeks of lactation compared with a calcium-only bolus. Although the incidence of clinical mastitis was numerically lower in treated cows, this difference was not significant. These findings suggest that combining calcium with live yeast and electrolytes may help support milk production during the transition period.
