Effects of periconception of dairy cows on health, development and lactation performance of their offspring

Worldwide little is known on the relationship between health and metabolic status of dairy cows around conception and health, development and performance of her calf in early and later life. Based on human and rodent studies, it can be expected that metabolic and health status of the dairy cow around conception affects not only embryo development, calf vitality at birth and development in early life but also the performance in later life. This could imply that management of the dairy
cows around conception is essential for performance and longevity of the future generation.

Furthermore, colostrum is crucial for providing passive immunity to newborn calves. To our knowledge, studies are limited not only relating metabolic status of the dairy cows to health of her calf during early and later life, but also explore how the colostrum from cows in different physiological states affects calf health and performance. The aim of the current study is first to evaluate the consequences of periconception health and metabolic state in dairy cows on health, development and lactation performance of her offspring, and second to assess the impact of colostrum on calf growth, health, and future lactation performance

The approach of the current project consists of:

1. An animal experiment under controlled conditions where calves are monitored for growth and health during early life and lactation performance in later life. The calves are born to cows which are inseminated during different phases of the lactation with contrasts in milk yield and metabolic status around conception.
2. An evaluation of colostrum from cows at different stages of insemination, focusing on the relationship between dam colostrum quality and calf health during early life and later life.