J. Dairy Sci. 102:3362–3375
https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2018-15387
© American Dairy Science Association®, 2019.
Associations of postpartum lying time with culling, milk yield, cyclicity,
and reproductive performance of lactating dairy cows
J. M. Piñeiro,1* B. T. Menichetti,1 A. A. Barragan,1† A. E. Relling,2 W. P. Weiss,2 S. Bas,1‡
and G. M. Schuenemann1§
1
2
Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus 43210
Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University, Wooster 44691
ABSTRACT
The objectives were to evaluate the associations of
lying time (LT) during the first 14 d in milk (DIM)
with milk yield, cyclicity (CYC), culling within 60 DIM
(CULL), and reproductive performance of lactating
dairy cows. A total of 1,052 Holstein cattle (401 nulliparous heifers and 651 parous cows) from 3 commercial dairy farms had electronic data loggers (IceQube,
IceRobotics, Edinburgh, UK) placed on a hind leg 14 ±
3 d before the expected parturition date and removed
at 14 ± 3 DIM to assess their LT. Serum concentrations
of β-hydroxybutyrate were determined at 7 ± 3 and 14
± 3 DIM. Cases of retained placenta, metritis, mastitis,
pneumonia, and digestive disorders within 30 DIM were
recorded and lactating cows were categorized into 1 of
4 groups: (1) nondiseased (ND, n = 613; cows without
ketosis or any other diagnosed health condition); (2)
cows with only ketosis (KET, n = 152); (3) sick cows
experiencing ≥1 health conditions but without ketosis
(SICK, n = 198); or (4) cows with ketosis plus ≥1
health condition (KET+, n = 61). Ultrasound was
performed at 28 ± 3 and 42 ± 3 DIM to assess ovarian
cyclicity (presence or absence of corpus luteum). Milk
yield at first Dairy Herd Improvement Association test
was not associated with LT during the first 14 DIM,
but it was negatively correlated with the coefficient
of variation of LT during the first 14 DIM. Lactating
dairy cows experiencing KET+ had the lowest milk
yield compared with ND, regardless of parity. Parity,
health status, and season were significantly associated
with CYC and CULL. Lying time had a significantly
Received July 15, 2018.
Accepted December 22, 2018.
*Current address: Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension
Center, Amarillo 79106.
†Current address: Department of Veterinary and Biomedical
Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park 16802.
‡Current address: Phytobiotics Futterzusatzstoffe GmbH, D-65343
Eltville, Germany.
§Corresponding author: schuenemann.5@osu.edu
linear association with the risk of being culled: for every
1-h increment of LT during 0 to 14 DIM, the risk of
culling within 60 DIM increased by 1 percentage point.
Lying time had a negative quadratic association with
cyclicity at 42 DIM. Multiparous cows with a LT of
9 to 13 h/d had a significantly greater probability of
pregnancy up to 300 DIM compared with cows with
a LT >13 h/d. Regardless of parity, KET+ cows had
significantly higher proportion of culling within 60 DIM
and decreased probability of pregnancy up to 300 DIM
compared with ND cows. These findings suggest that
there is an optimum daily LT range for early postpartum cows housed in freestall barns, different from that
reported for mid-lactation cows, with the potential for
improved survival, health, and the overall performance
(milk yield and reproduction).
Key words: lying time, milk yield, reproduction, dairy
cattle
INTRODUCTION
Health traits are important for improved fertility
and longevity of dairy cows, which affect the profitability of dairy operations (Boichard, 1990; Essl, 1998).
The annual culling rate (cows exiting herds because
of slaughter, death, or sale; Fetrow et al., 2006) in the
United States for the last 2 decades has been about
35 to 40%, with a large number of cows exiting the
herd early in lactation (De Vries, 2013). Excessive
culling (e.g., >35%) might increase replacement costs
and reduce profitability of dairy herds (Schuenemann
et al., 2017). Metabolic and infectious diseases (e.g.,
milk fever, metritis, mastitis) along with lameness and
dystocia increase the risk of culling (Rajala-Schultz and
Gröhn, 1999; Beaudeau et al., 2000). Death, injury, and
diseases are the primary reasons for early removal of
cows in early lactation (Pinedo and De Vries, 2010).
Therefore, implementing a proactive preventive transition cow management will likely reduce the risk for
diseases, with a subsequent reduction of culling during
early lactation.
3362
POSTPARTUM LYING TIME AND REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE
Reduced lying time (LT) has been associated with
increased lameness (Galindo and Broom, 2000). In turn,
lameness reduces DMI and milk yield and increases the
risk of culling and impaired cyclicity and reproductive
performance (Beaudeau et al., 2000; Bach et al., 2007;
Dubuc et al., 2011). In addition, cows prevented from
lying down had decreased eating bouts and daily feeding
time (Munksgaard and Simonsen, 1996; Huzzey et al.,
2006), which could result in slug feeding and digestive
disorders (Cooper et al., 2007; Schirmann et al., 2012).
However, the association of LT with milk yield is controversial. Some authors suggested a positive correlation between milk yield and LT (Grant, 2007), whereas
others have shown a negative correlation (Hasegawa et
al., 1993; Fregonesi and Leaver, 2001; Norring et al.,
2012) or no correlation at all (Steensels et al., 2012).
Herd-level factors affecting LT (Grant and Albright,
2001; Tucker et al., 2004; Drissler et al., 2005; von
Keyserlingk et al., 2008; Krawczel et al., 2012; Allen
et al., 2015), as well as cow-level factors affecting LT
(Chapinal et al., 2009; Steensels et al., 2012; Maselyne
et al., 2017) should be considered when evaluating the
association of LT with milk yield. Research controlling confounders such as season, parity, and health
events is needed to assess the association of LT with
milk yield. In addition, the association of LT during the
transition period with culling within 60 DIM, cyclicity,
and reproductive performance has not been previously
investigated. We hypothesized that reduced LT during
the first 14 DIM would be associated with reduced milk
yield at first DHIA test day, increased culling within
60 DIM, reduced cyclicity, and decreased probability
of pregnancy of cows up to 300 DIM. Therefore, the
objectives of this study were to assess the associations
of LT during the first 14 DIM with milk yield at first
DHIA test day, culling within 60 DIM, cyclicity, and
reproductive performance of lactating dairy cows.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Animals and Facilities
A total of 1,052 pregnant Holstein animals (401 nulliparous heifers, 278 primiparous and 373 multiparous
cows) from 3 commercial dairies selected by convenience
(housed cows in freestall barns) and located in central
Ohio were used for this prospective observational study.
Cohorts of 20 to 36 pregnant heifers and cows were
enrolled for 2 consecutive weeks, at each farm, every 5
wk for a 1-yr period. Farms were visited twice weekly.
At enrollment, a list of prepartum heifers and cows
2 wk before the expected calving date (262 ± 3 d of
gestation; Vieira-Neto et al., 2017) was obtained using
days pregnant from on-farm computer records (days
3363
carry calf; Dairy Comp 305, Valley Agricultural Software, Tulare, CA). A schematic representation showing
the timeline for data collection relative to calving is
provided in the companion paper (Piñeiro et al., 2019).
On farm 1, pregnant heifers and cows were grouped
separately in different pens during the prepartum
period and commingled in the same pen during the
postpartum period, housed in a 4-row freestall barn
with deep recycled manure bedding, and fed a TMR
twice daily at 0700 and 1230 h during summer and once
daily at 0700 h during the rest of the year. On farms 2
and 3, pregnant heifers and cows were grouped together
(commingled) during the pre- and postpartum periods,
housed in 6-row freestall barns with deep sand bedding,
and fed a TMR once daily at 0900 h. All farms grouped
their animals at dry-off (60 to 22 d before calving), at
prepartum (21 d before calving), and at postpartum
(up to 21 DIM), and had high (22–150 DIM) and low
(>150 DIM) milk yield pens for their lactating cows.
In addition, pregnant animals in the prepartum pen
were frequently monitored by on-farm personnel for
imminent signs of parturition, at which time they were
moved into contiguous maternity pens at calving. Dairy
cattle were fed a TMR to meet or exceed dietary nutritional requirements (NRC, 2001). The ingredient and
nutrient composition of formulated pre- and postpartum diets (DM basis) were reported by farm (provided
in the companion paper; Piñeiro et al., 2019). On farms
1 (1,300 dairy cows) and 2 (1,500 dairy cows), cows
were milked 3 times daily in double-20 parallel and
double-24 herringbone parlors, respectively. On farm 3
(2,700 dairy cows), cows were milked cows 4 times daily
during the early postpartum period in a double-32 parallel parlor. All farms used natural ventilation and had
fans on their pens and holding area before the milking
parlor for heat abatement. During the study period, the
average daily milk yields per cow were 36, 29, and 35
kg/d for farms 1, 2, and 3, respectively.
Body condition score (5-point scale with 0.25-unit
increments; Ferguson et al., 1994) and locomotion score
(LS, 1 = sound, 2 = mildly lame, 3 = moderately to
severely lame; as described by Walker et al., 2008) were
assessed at −14 ± 3, 14 ± 3, and 28 ± 3 d relative to
calving. This study was conducted from August 2016
through February 2018. The procedures described below were reviewed and approved by The Ohio State
University Institutional Animal Care Use Committee.
Health Events, Milk Yield, Culling, Cyclicity,
and Reproduction
Data pertaining to diseases (retained placenta, mastitis, pneumonia, and digestive disorders) within the
first 30 DIM, culling within 60 DIM (CULL; cows sold,
Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 102 No. 4, 2019
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PIÑEIRO ET AL.
slaughtered, or dead within 60 DIM), and reproductive performance (pregnancies up to 300 DIM) were
obtained from on-farm records (DairyComp 305, Valley
Agricultural Software). Farm personnel responsible for
the health program received training by G. M. Schuenemann (on-farm workshop followed by hands-on demonstrations) on case definitions of health events and
recording before the start of the study. Briefly, farm
personnel performed a health screening of early postpartum cows (within the first 4 wk after calving) every
morning after the first milking. Clinical examination
included changes in milk yield (first morning milking),
assessment of vaginal discharge, presence of fetal membranes outside the vulva, and signs of dehydration such
as sunken eyes, attitude, and rumen fill. Lactating cows
experiencing any observed sign of illness such as a sudden drop in milk yield or abnormal vaginal discharge
were subject to a thorough hands-on examination (assessment of rectal temperature, rectal palpation, and
abdominal and thoracic auscultation and percussion).
Retained fetal membranes was defined as the failure to
expel fetal membranes 24 h after calving. Left displaced
abomasum was defined as the translocation of the abomasum to an abnormal position on the left side of the
abdomen characterized by a “ping” sound at auscultation while performing digital percussion. All cows were
examined at 7 ± 3 DIM for metritis by the research
team. Metritis was defined as a fetid, watery, red-brown
uterine discharge with or without pyrexia (Sheldon et
al., 2006). Lactating cows experiencing cases of clinical mastitis (abnormal milk secretion with presence
of flakes or clots with or without swollen udder) were
identified by farm milkers during the milking routine.
Blood samples were obtained from all heifers and
cows for determination of BHB at 7 ± 3 and 14 ±
3 DIM after calving, respectively. Cows having serum
concentrations of BHB ≥1.2 mmol/L from at least one
blood sample (7 ± 3 or 14 ± 3 DIM) were classified
as having ketosis. Blood samples were collected via
coccygeal venipuncture using 8-mL evacuated tubes by
2 members of the research team (J. M. Piñeiro and
B. T. Menichetti) and farm personnel. To control the
confounding effect of health status when assessing the
association of LT with culling, cyclicity, milk yield,
and reproduction, lactating dairy cows were classified
into 1 of 4 groups with regards to their health status,
as described in the companion paper (Piñeiro et al.,
2019): (1) nondiseased (cows without ketosis or any
other diagnosed health conditions; ND, n = 613); (2)
cows diagnosed with only ketosis (KET, n = 152); (3)
cows experiencing ≥1 health conditions, but without
ketosis (SICK, n = 198); or (4) cows with KET plus at
least 1 health condition (KET+, n = 61). Prepartum
Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 102 No. 4, 2019
or postpartum LS were not included in the criteria to
classify the health status of postpartum cows.
Data pertaining to milk yield (kg/d) from the first
monthly DHIA test were obtained from on-farm records
for farms 1 and 3 (DairyComp 305, Valley Agricultural
Software, Tulare, CA). Because farm 2 was not enrolled
in DHIA, individual daily milk weights (kg/d) were
recorded, and the average milk weights from 15 to 21
DIM after calving were obtained. The average DHIA
test day of farms 1 and 3 was 18 DIM. Therefore, we
chose to use an average milk yield from 15 to 21 DIM
(18 ± 3 DIM) because the estimate would be more
precise than only using the 18 DIM value, which would
be subject to daily variation. Transrectal ultrasound
was performed on cows at 28 ± 3 and 42 ± 3 DIM
to assess ovarian structures [presence or absence of a
corpus luteum (CL)]. Lactating cows having a CL at
28 ± 3, 42 ± 3 DIM or both were classified as cycling
(CYC). Only cows without a CL at both 28 ± 3 and 42
± 3 DIMwere classified as noncycling. Data for health
events, milk yield, CULL, CYC, and reproductive
performance were exported into an Excel spreadsheet
(Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA) for further analyses.
Assessment of LT
Electronic data loggers (IceQube, IceRobotics, Edinburgh, UK) were placed on a hind leg of prepartum
heifers and cows at 14 d before calving and removed
14 ± 3 DIM to assess their behavioral activity. Data
from individual animals were exported from IceManager software to an Excel spreadsheet. Lying time data
were summarized and reported daily (min/d or h/d).
For each individual lactating cow, the overall mean and
standard deviation of daily LT during the first 14 DIM
was computed. Then, the coefficient of variation (CV)
was obtained as the ratio of the standard deviation to
the LT mean and reported as an absolute value.
Statistical Analyses
Data pertaining to individual animals (e.g., parity,
health events, and parturition date) were exported from
DairyComp 305 into an Excel spreadsheet. Before data
analyses, dairy cows that met the exclusion criteria
(sold or died before the first clinical examination or did
not calve during the study period because of incorrectly
recorded conception date or abortion) were removed
from the analyses.
Association of LT and Health Status with Milk
Yield. The associations of daily LT during 0 to 14 DIM
and health status (KET, KET+, SICK, and ND) with
milk yield (kg/d) at first DHIA test were analyzed us-
POSTPARTUM LYING TIME AND REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE
ing mixed linear regression models (MIXED procedures
of SAS; SAS Institute, 2014). Milk yield was considered
the outcome variable, and the predictor variables offered to the model included lying time, health status,
parity, BCS and LS at enrollment, DIM at first DHIA
test, season (fall, winter, spring, summer), health status
(KET, KET+, SICK, and ND) within 30 DIM, LT during 0 to 14 DIM, as well as the interactions of parity
× health status and parity × LT during 0 to 14 DIM.
Nonsignificant variables were eliminated manually from
the model one at a time using the Wald statistic backward selection criterion (P > 0.15) because of their lack
of effect on the outcome variable. Because LT during 0
to 14 DIM was the predictor variable of interest, it was
forced in the model regardless of significance. The final
model included milk yield as the dependent variable,
and LT during 0 to 14 DIM, health status, DIM at
first DHIA test, and season as independent variables.
Herd was included as a random effect and DIM at
first DHIA test as a covariate. The differences in least
squares means (LSM) were computed by including
the PDIFF option in the LSMEANS statement. Mean
comparisons were carried out using the Tukey-Kramer
method. In addition, partial correlations between mean
LT during 0 to 14 DIM (min/d) and milk yield (kg/d)
at first DHIA test as well as between the coefficients
of variation (CV) of daily LT during 0 to 14 DIM and
milk yield at first DHIA test were performed using the
Pearson correlation coefficients (PROC CORR procedure of SAS; SAS Institute, 2014). Correlations were
adjusted by parity, season, health status, BCS and LS
at enrollment, and DIM at first DHIA test using the
PARTIAL statement.
Association of LT and Health Status with
CULL or CYC. The association of LT and health
(KET, KET+, SICK, and ND) with CULL and CYC
were analyzed using logistic regression analyses (GLIMMIX procedures of SAS; SAS Institute, 2014). For the
analysis, the mean LT during 0 to 14 DIM was grouped
by hour intervals (e.g., cows with a mean LT between
480 and 540 min/d were grouped together and then
reported as 8 h/d interval). Cows with mean LT <8
h/d or >16 h/d were coded as <8 and >16 h/d, respectively. For each outcome of interest (CULL and CYC),
models included parity (lactations 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or
≥7), BCS and LS at enrollment, season, health status,
and mean LT during 0 to 14 DIM as predictor variables. Nonsignificant variables were eliminated from
the model one at a time using the Wald statistic backward selection criterion (P > 0.15). Herd was included
as a random effect. The final models for each outcome
of interest (CULL and CYC) included the effect of parity, health status, and season to obtain the adjusted
LSM (±SEM). Using this model, a linear and quadratic
3365
(LT × LT) association of LT during 0 to 14 DIM with
each outcome of interest was assessed. The differences
in LSM of fixed categorical variables were computed by
including the PDIFF option in the LSMEANS statement. Mean comparisons were carried out using the
Tukey-Kramer method. Least squares means and standard errors of the means (SEM) are reported. A P <
0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Association of LT and Health Status with
Pregnancy. The associations of LT and health status
with time to pregnancy up to 300 DIM were assessed
using regression analysis of survival data based on the
Cox proportional hazards models (PHREG procedures
of SAS; SAS Institute, 2014). Primiparous (lactation
= 1) cows were divided in 3 different groups using the
mean LT during 0 to 14 DIM ± 1 SD of ND cows as
referent values: <8 h/d, 8 to 11 h/d (reference values
for primiparous cows), or >11 h/d. Similarly, the LT
during 0 to 14 DIM of multiparous cows (lactation ≥
2) were grouped into 3 time intervals using the mean
LT ± 1 SD of ND cows as referent values: cows lying
<9 h/d, 9 to 13 h/d (reference values for multiparous
cows), or >13 h/d. Cox proportional hazard models
were used to assess the association of LT during 0 to
14 DIM and health status with time to pregnancy up
to 300 DIM, controlling for the effects of season, parity, and LS and BCS at enrollment, if significant. Herd
was included in the STRATA statement to account for
clustering effects. Data obtained from SAS output were
exported into Excel and plotted to graph the proportion
of cows pregnant over time. A P < 0.05 was considered
statistically significant and a P ≤ 0.10 was considered
a tendency to differ.
RESULTS
A total of 1,024 Holstein heifers and cows were included in the final analyses. Twenty-eight cows were
excluded from the study [3 cows did not calve during
the study period because of abortion or wrong conception date, and 25 cows were sold (n = 9) or died (n =
16) before the first health screening at 7 ± 3 DIM]. Because dams were enrolled weekly (±3 d), only 9.8% of
dams out of 1,024 animals used in the study had 1 to 2
d of missing data due to calving earlier than expected.
The distribution of heifers and cows by parity, season,
and health status is available in the companion paper
(Piñeiro et al., 2019).
Associations of LT and Health Status with Milk Yield
Mean LT for the first 14 DIM after calving did not
have a significant effect on milk yield at first DHIA
test (Table 1). Overall, there was no significant corJournal of Dairy Science Vol. 102 No. 4, 2019
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PIÑEIRO ET AL.
relation between mean LT during 0 to 14 DIM and
milk yield at first DHIA test, but there was a weak
negative correlation between the CV of LT during 0 to
14 DIM and milk yield at first DHIA test (r = −0.16; P
< 0.0001, Figure 1). Season had a significant effect on
milk yield at first DHIA test on multiparous cows (P
= 0.01) and presented a tendency for primiparous cows
(P = 0.06, Table 1). During winter, multiparous cows
had significantly greater milk yield at first DHIA test
compared with during summer and fall. Health status
had a significant effect on milk yield at first DHIA test
(Table 1). Regardless of parity, ND cows produced more
milk at first DHIA test compared with KET+ cows.
In addition, primiparous ND and KET cows produced
significantly more milk at first DHIA test than KET+
and SICK cows.
Associations of LT and Health Status with Culling
The final model included the effect of LT during 0
to 14 DIM, health status, and parity as predictor variables. Lying time during 0 to 14 DIM had a significant
linear association with CULL (P = 0.02; Figure 2). For
Table 1. Association of lying time (LT), season, and health status
with milk yield (kg/d) at first DHIA test
Milk yield at first
DHIA test (kg/d)
Variable1
Mean LT, 0–14 DIM (h/d)
<8
8–8.9
9–9.9
10–10.9
11–11.9
12–12.9
13–13.9
14–14.9
>15
P-value
Season
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
P-value
Health status2
ND
KET
KET+
SICK
P-value
Primiparous
± 3.50
± 3.53
± 3.47
± 3.50
± 4.07
± 4.77
± 7.33
± 9.85
—
0.30
37.5 ± 2.24
36.5 ± 2.22
39.7 ± 2.02
36.9 ± 1.80
37.9 ± 1.75
38.0 ± 1.81
36.4 ± 2.02
38.3 ± 2.24
32.7 ± 2.76
0.36
28.2 ± 2.12
31.2 ± 2.13
31.4 ± 2.10
28.0 ± 2.18
0.06
36.3 ± 1.77b
39.5 ± 1.73a
36.9 ± 1.70ab
35.9 ± 1.79b
0.01
29.9 ± 1.96a
32.6 ± 2.55a
22.0 ± 2.79b
26.8 ± 2.03b
<0.0001
40.0 ± 1.58a
38.3 ± 1.75ab
33.5 ± 2.21b
36.6 ± 1.90ab
0.0005
Means within the same column with different superscript letters are
significantly different.
1
Least squares means (±SEM) are presented.
2
ND = nondiseased cows; KET = cows that experienced only ketosis;
KET+ = cows that experienced ketosis and at least another health
condition within 30 DIM; and SICK = cows experiencing any disease
other than ketosis during the study period.
Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 102 No. 4, 2019
Associations of LT and Health Status with Cyclicity
The final model included the effect of LT during the
first 14 DIM, health status, season, and parity as predictor variables. Lying time during 0 to 14 DIM did not
present a significant linear association with CYC (P =
0.43) but had a significant negative quadratic association on CYC (P = 0.01; Figure 3). In addition, KET+
cows tended to have a significant lower proportion of
cows cycling by 42 DIM compared with ND (P = 0.06)
and KET cows (P = 0.063; Table 2). Season had a
significant effect on CYC (P < 0.0001). A greater proportion of lactating cows were cycling during summer
and fall compared with winter and spring (Table 2).
Associations of LT and Health Status
with Pregnancy
Multiparous
31.4
28.8
28.7
29.3
31.5
24.4
33.8
29.1
a,b
every 1-h increment in LT during the first 14 DIM,
the percentage of cows culled within 60 DIM increased
by 1 percentage point. In addition, heath status had
a significant effect on CULL (P < 0.0001; Table 2).
Nondiseased cows had a lower proportion of cows culled
within 60 DIM compared with KET, KET+, and SICK
cows (Table 2). Parity had a significant effect on CULL
(P = 0.04; Table 2); lactating dairy cows in lactation
≥7 had increased CULL compared with cows in earlier
lactations (Table 2). Season did not have a significant
effect on CULL (P = 0.14).
Lying time during the first 14 DIM of primiparous
cows did not have a significant effect on time to pregnancy up to 300 DIM (P = 0.62; Figure 4). However,
multiparous cows with an LT of 9 to 13 h/d had a significantly increased probability of pregnancy compared
with cows lying >13 h/d (P = 0.03; Figure 5). Regardless of parity, KET+ and SICK cows had a significantly
increased time to pregnancy up to 300 DIM compared
with ND cows (P < 0.05; Figures 6 and 7).
DISCUSSION
The primary findings of the study, which differ from
what we hypothesized, are as follows. (1) Milk yield at
first DHIA test was not associated with LT during the
first 14 DIM but was negatively correlated with the CV
of LT during 0 to 14 DIM. (2) For every 1-h increment
of LT during 0 to 14 DIM (from 8 to 15 h/d), the
risk of culling within 60 DIM increased by 1 percentage point. (3) Lying time during the first 14 DIM had
a negative quadratic association with cyclicity at 42
DIM. (4) Multiparous cows with mean LT of 9 to 13
h/d during the first 14 DIM had a significantly greater
probability of pregnancy up to 300 DIM compared
POSTPARTUM LYING TIME AND REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE
3367
Figure 1. Partial correlations of milk yield at first DHIA test and mean lying time or coefficient of variation (CV) of lying time during 0 to
14 DIM for all cows adjusted by parity, season, health status, DIM at first DHIA test, and BCS and locomotion score at enrollment.
Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 102 No. 4, 2019
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PIÑEIRO ET AL.
Table 2. Association of culling within 60 DIM and cyclicity at 42 DIM
with parity, season, and health status
Variable
Figure 2. Association of culling within 60 DIM with lying time
(LT) of lactating Holstein cows during 0 to 14 DIM grouped by hour
intervals. The LSM of the proportion of cows culled by mean LT during 0 to 14 DIM grouped by hour intervals were obtained from the
model and exported to an Excel file (Microsoft Corp., Redmond,
WA) to show the significant linear association (P = 0.02). The LSM
(±SEM) of LT by hour intervals were obtained from the final model
and plotted against culling within 60 DIM.
Parity
1
2
3
4
5
6
≥7
P-value
Season
Fall
Spring
Summer
Winter
P-value
Health status2
KET
KET+
ND
SICK
P-value
Culling within
60 DIM
Cyclicity at
42 DIM1
9.5 ± 3.21b
10.8 ± 3.30b
9.5 ± 3.34b
11.8 ± 3.74b
9.2 ± 4.69b
7.1 ± 5.91b
30.26 ± 6.56a
0.04
50.0 ± 6.73b
70.2 ± 6.92a
67.1 ± 7.19a
72.2 ± 7.72a
60.2 ± 9.37ab
76.5 ± 11.52ab
47.0 ± 13.03ab
<0.0001
19.3 ± 4.13
20.7 ± 4.03
18.0 ± 4.25
16.2 ± 4.12
0.14
61.5 ± 6.81a
50.1 ± 6.43b
63.5 ± 6.85a
46.6 ± 6.56b
<0.0001
20.6 ± 4.15a
23.5 ± 4.90a
11.8 ± 3.94b
18.4 ± 3.23a
<0.0001
69.0 ± 7.33
50.9 ± 8.82
68.5 ± 6.62
65.1 ± 7.24
0.06
a,b
with cows with LT >13 h/d. (5) Lactating dairy cows
experiencing KET+ had the lowest milk yield at first
DHIA, the highest risk of being culled within 60 DIM,
Means within the same column with different superscript letters are
significantly different.
1
Cyclicity at 42 DIM was defined as the presence of a corpus luteum
by ultrasound at 28 ± 3 or 42 ± 3 DIM. LSM ± SEM are presented.
2
KET = cows that experienced only ketosis; KET+ = cows that experienced ketosis and at least another health condition within 30 DIM;
ND = nondiseased cows; and SICK = cows experiencing any disease
other than ketosis during the study period.
Figure 3. Association of cyclicity at 42 DIM with lying time (LT)
of lactating Holstein cows during 0 to 14 DIM grouped by hour intervals. The LSM of the proportion of cows cycling by mean LT during
0 to 14 DIM grouped by hour intervals were obtained from the model
and exported to an Excel file (Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA) to
show the significant quadratic association (P = 0.01). Cyclicity at 42
DIM was defined as the presence of a corpus luteum by ultrasound at
28 ± 3 or 42 ± 3 DIM. The LSM (±SEM) of LT by hour intervals were
obtained from the final model and plotted against cyclicity at 42 DIM.
and decreased probability of pregnancy up to 300 DIM
compared with ND cows.
Mean LT during early lactation (2 wk after calving)
did not have a significant effect on milk yield. Similarly,
Steensels et al. (2012) found no correlation between LT
and milk yield during early lactation. However, other
authors have suggested a positive correlation of milk
yield and LT of mid-lactation cows (Grant, 2007).
Perhaps the increased milk yield reported in the later
study could be due to the stage of lactation (cows in
mid lactation) or the lack of the analytical control of
the confounding effect of parity. Multiparous cows had
greater LT and milk yield compared with primiparous
cows (Steensels et al., 2012); thus, the parity effect has
to be accounted for in the model. Conversely, Norring et
al. (2012) suggested a negative correlation of milk yield
with LT of lactating cows in wk 8 of lactation. Because
lactating cows in the later study might have been close
to the peak of lactation, greater DMI compared with
cows in early postpartum would be expected. Therefore,
it would be reasonable that high-producing cows would
spend more time eating instead of lying down. However,
in our study, lactating cows from 0 to 14 DIM would
have a reduced DMI compared with cows at their peak
of lactation and thus mobilize more body reserves to
Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 102 No. 4, 2019
POSTPARTUM LYING TIME AND REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE
support lactation. Therefore, it could be proposed that
no correlation exists between milk yield and LT early
in lactation. This might be partly explained by the increased mobilization of body reserves early in lactation
to support milk production, which could compensate
for any disturbance in lying time.
Interestingly, in the present study, the CV of LT during the first 14 DIM had a weak negative correlation
with milk yield at first DHIA test (r = −0.16). To
the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that
assessed the association of the CV of LT with milk
yield. The consistency of daily LT by assessing the CV
could provide valuable information about lactating cow
performance rather than merely evaluating weekly LT
means. Alterations in feed bunk management (e.g.,
feed availability), stall and lying surface maintenance
(e.g., bedding frequency and DM; Tucker et al., 2004;
Drissler et al., 2005), regrouping animals and stocking
density (Huzzey et al., 2006; von Keyserlingk et al.,
2008), cattle restraints for health screening (Cooper et
al., 2007), and heat stress (Cook et al., 2007) might all
have a detrimental effect on LT. However, changes in
management factors or weather conditions that may
alter LT patterns may be masked when assessing the
mean LT due to behavioral compensations. The CV
could identify these daily changes and reveal the LT
inconsistency due to management or environment as
opposed to assessing the mean LT behavior where
this effect could be masked. It has been shown that
cows compensate for their loss in LT after a period
3369
of deprivation (Metz, 1985). For instance, dairy cows
experiencing deprived LT on any given day (e.g., 6 h/d
due to wet bedding) will likely compensate the following day by increasing LT (14 h/d). Because the CV is
obtained as the ratio of the standard deviation to the
LT mean (e.g., 7 consecutive days) and reported as
an absolute value (CV = SD/mean LT), a cow experiencing inconsistent management could have a CV of
0.30 (or 30%), whereas another cow under consistent
management could have a CV of 0.07 (or 7%), while
both cows have similar mean LT of 12 h/d. Further
research is needed to assess the effect of management
practices or environmental conditions on the CV of LT
of cows and its implications on survival, health, and
performance.
The association of LT with culling within 60 DIM is
opposite to what was initially hypothesized. Increased
LT during the first 14 DIM was associated with increased risk of culling within 60 DIM. Although lying is
a strong behavioral need (Munksgaard et al., 2005), the
behavior of ND during early lactation is characterized
by a decrease of 1 to 2 h/d in LT compared with the prepartum period (Maselyne et al., 2017). These changes
in LT could be explained, at least in part, by time spent
in the parlor, increased competition for stalls due to regrouping, increased restraint time of animals for health
screenings early in lactation, increased feeding time
driven by the increased nutrient demands to support
milk production shortly after calving, or a combination
of these. Cows experiencing ketosis and other health
Figure 4. Survival curves for time to pregnancy of primiparous Holstein cows (n = 390) grouped by mean lying time (LT) during the first
14 DIM. Grouping was defined using the mean LT during 0 to 14 DIM (±1 SD) of nondiseased primiparous cows as reference values (8–11 h/d),
and cows with LT above (>11 h/d) or below (<8 h/d) those reference values. Adjusted hazard ratios (AHR; 95% CI) for pregnancy (P = 0.62)
were 0.89 (0.63–1.24) and 1.08 (0.81–1.43) for cows with LT >11 h/d and <8 h/d, respectively.
Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 102 No. 4, 2019
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PIÑEIRO ET AL.
Figure 5. Survival curves for time to pregnancy of multiparous (n = 634) Holstein cows grouped by mean lying time (LT) during the first
14 DIM. Grouping was defined using the mean LT during 0 to 14 DIM (±1 SD) of nondiseased multiparous cows as reference values (9–13 h/d),
and cows with LT above (>13 h/d) or below (<9 h/d) the reference values. Adjusted hazard ratios (AHR; 95% CI) for pregnancy (P = 0.05)
were 0.76 (0.59–0.97; P = 0.02) and 0.83 (0.63–1.10; P = 0.18) for cows with LT >13 h/d and <8.5 h/d, respectively.
events (KET+ cows) deviate from this normal behavior
and have greater LT during the first week after calving compared with ND cows (Kaufman et al., 2016).
Lactating cows with increased LT may have a dystocic
birth at calving, which could have increased the risk
of disease (e.g., metritis) and risk of culling within 60
DIM (Beaudeau et al., 2000). Barragan et al. (2017)
showed that lactating cows that experienced dystocia
had greater LT than cows with eutocic births (9.8 ± 0.3
h/d vs. 8.5 ± 0.3 h/d, respectively). Notably, KET+
cows had greater LT than ND cows and the highest
proportion of cows with dystocia (15%) compared with
the other health groups. Alternatively, these lactating
cows might have had a chronic disease that flared up
at calving or an infectious disease occurring shortly
after. The risk for IMI greatly increases during the last
phase of the dry period during colostrogenesis because
of the loss of the teat keratin plug (7 to 10 d before
parturition; Cousins et al., 1980), dilution of protective
factors (e.g., lactoferrin), and impaired leukocyte function (Bradley and Green, 2004). These diseases or other
health events (e.g., lameness) might have increased LT
during the first 14 DIM; thus, increasing the risk of
culling within 60 DIM.
The highest and lowest points in the quadratic curve
of LT during 0 to 14 DIM by CYC were reached when
lactating cows had an LT of 10 to 11 h/d and an LT of
>15 h/d, respectively (Figure 3). Considering that lactating cows were milked 3 times daily, which represents
about 2.5 to 3 h/d at the parlor, cows with LT >15 h/d
Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 102 No. 4, 2019
would have less than 6 h to allocate other important
behaviors such as feeding, socializing, or drinking water
(Gomez and Cook, 2010). Therefore, these lactating
cows likely had more time away from the feed bunk,
which could result in reduced feeding time, reduced
DMI, and an exacerbated negative energy balance
(NEB). Although health status was included in the
model to account for the confounding effect of diseases,
some cows could have experienced unmeasured health
events responsible for their increased LT and increased
energy demands, resulting in the observed detrimental
effect on cyclicity.
Multiparous KET+, KET, and SICK cows had greater LT during the first week after calving and greater
BCS loss compared with multiparous ND cows (Piñeiro
et al., 2019). Moreover, the most frequently diagnosed
disease in KET+ and SICK cows was metritis (71 and
76% of cows diagnosed with metritis, respectively).
The increased BCS loss and risk of ketosis and metritis
in cows with increased LT shortly after calving might
partially explain the reduced cyclicity in cows resting
>15 h/d. Uterine infections are commonly associated
with Trueperella pyogenes and gram-negative bacteria
(Escherichia coli, Fusobacterium necrophorum, and
Prevotella spp.; Sheldon, 2004). Severe inflammation
as a result of gram-negative bacterial infections leads
to increased concentrations of LPS in plasma and follicular fluids (Herath et al., 2007, 2009). In turn, LPS
decreases the release of GnRH and LH and activity of
aromatase, resulting in decrease follicular growth and
POSTPARTUM LYING TIME AND REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE
3371
Figure 6. Survival curves for time to pregnancy of primiparous Holstein cows grouped by health status. Primiparous dairy cows (n = 390)
were classified in 1 of 4 groups based on their health status within 30 DIM: ND = nondiseased cows (referent); KET = cows that experienced
only ketosis; KET+ = cows that experienced ketosis and at least another health condition within 30 DIM; and SICK = cows experiencing any
disease other than ketosis. Adjusted hazard ratios (AHR; 95% CI) for pregnancy (P < 0.007) were 0.53 (0.31–0.91; P = 0.02), 0.75 (0.59–0.97;
P = 0.02) and 1.32 (0.85–2.06; P = 0.21) for KET+, SICK, and KET cows, respectively.
decreased production of estradiol (Herath et al., 2009),
which would be detrimental for cyclicity. Vercouteren
et al. (2015) showed that lactating dairy cows that lost
more than 28 kg of BW within the first 2 wk after
calving, or experienced metabolic diseases, metritis,
or digestive problems were associated with reduced
cyclicity. Severe NEB results in decrease cyclicity due
to decreased blood glucose, insulin, IGF-1, and pulsatility of LH. In turn, the exacerbated NEB and decrease
of these metabolites and hormones early in lactation
impair follicular development, ovulation, cyclicity, and
reproductive performance (Beam and Butler, 1999;
Butler, 2003).
The decreased cyclicity of primiparous cows compared
with cows in greater lactations has been previously reported and might be due to an increased susceptibility
of the effects of NEB on the hypothalamus-pituitaryovarian axis controlling cyclicity (Santos et al., 2009;
Vercouteren et al., 2015). All 3 farms formulated and
fed prepartum, postpartum, and high-lactation diets.
Because all lactating cows were commingled after calving, the feeding management strategy might have been
unable to meet the nutritional requirements of firstlactation cows with the subsequent observed NEB and
reduced cyclicity. The inability of primiparous cows to
meet their energy requirement when commingled with
multiparous cows could be attributed, at least in part,
to the diet formulation, which is typically formulated
for the average cow within the group or their lower hi-
erarchical position, which could lead to decreased feed
intake due to displacements at the feed bunk (Grant
and Albright, 2001). The seasonal effect of increased
cyclicity during fall and summer observed in the present study has been previously reported (Santos et al.,
2009; Vercouteren et al., 2015). Other studies reported
increased cyclicity of cows calving during fall and spring
(Opsomer et al., 2000) or spring and summer (Dubuc
et al., 2012), but not during winter. It is possible that
photoperiod is affecting cows during fall and summer
because melatonin decreases as day length increases
and the secretion of melatonin suppresses IGF-1 (Dahl
et al., 2000), which in turn increases estradiol production and follicle growth (Butler, 2003).
Multiparous cows lying >13 h during the first 14
DIM had decreased probability of pregnancy up to 300
DIM compared with multiparous cows with LT of 9 to
13 h/d. This finding could be explained in part by the
decreased cyclicity observed in cows with LT >13 h/d,
which may be experiencing one or more health events
(Figure 3). Cyclicity early in lactation has been associated with improved reproductive performance (McCoy et al., 2006). Regardless of parity, lactating cows
experiencing ketosis and at least another diagnosed
disease during the first month after calving (KET+)
had decreased probability of pregnancy up to 300 DIM
compared with ND cows. This effect may be partly explained by the tendency (P = 0.06) observed in KET+
cows with decreased cyclicity at 42 DIM compared with
Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 102 No. 4, 2019
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PIÑEIRO ET AL.
ND cows (Table 2). Severe inflammation and deep NEB
during the early postpartum period negatively affects
cyclicity of lactating dairy cows (Dubuc et al., 2012).
Cows diagnosed with ketosis and other diseases (e.g.,
metritis, mastitis) have increased LT during the first
week after calving compared with cows with no diagnoseds adverse health event (Kaufman et al., 2016).
Uterine infections with recognized pathogens (Williams
et al., 2005) and other gram-negative bacterial infections lead to increased concentrations of LPS in plasma
and follicular fluids (Herath et al., 2007, 2009). In turn,
LPS inhibits the release of GnRH and LH and aromatase activity within ovarian follicles, resulting in decreased follicular growth and decreased blood estradiol
(Williams et al., 2007; Herath et al., 2009). Moreover,
cows diagnosed with infectious diseases (e.g., metritis)
early in lactation typically have increased serum concentrations of haptoglobin compared with nondiseased
cows (Stangaferro et al., 2016a,b,c; Barragan et al.,
2018). Dubuc et al. (2012) showed that cycling lactating cows at 21 DIM had reduced serum concentrations
of haptoglobin for the first 3 wk after calving compared
with anovular cows at 21, 35, 49, or 63 DIM.
Regardless of parity, ND lactating cows produced
more milk at first DHIA test than KET+ cows. In addition, primiparous ND and KET lactating cows produced more milk at first DHIA test than KET+ and
SICK cows. The detrimental effects of ketosis and infectious diseases (e.g., metritis, mastitis) on milk yield
have been reported previously (Fourichon et al., 1999;
Dubuc et al., 2011; McArt et al., 2012a). This reduction
in milk yield might occur due to the combined effect of
a reduction in DMI of lactating cows experiencing diseases and the increased glucose consumption because of
an acute response from the immune system. Previous
studies showed that lactating dairy cows that had metritis consume between 2 to 6 kg of DM/d less during
early lactation (Huzzey et al., 2007) and had increased
blood concentration of haptoglobin (Huzzey et al.,
2009). Haptoglobin is an acute phase protein produced
in the liver that increases in the event of acute response
of the immune system. In addition, postpartum cows
that experience retained placenta (Pohl et al., 2015)
or mastitis (Stangaferro et al., 2016b) have high serum
haptoglobin concentrations during early lactation compared with healthy cows. Acute immune responses due
to bacterial infections (e.g., E. coli) greatly increase
glucose utilization by the immune system, thus resulting in decrease milk yield (Kvidera et al., 2017).
Typically, cows experiencing ketosis and other concomitant diseases would have increased concentration
of serum haptoglobin compared with nondiseased cows,
as observed by Stangaferro et al. (2016a,b,c) and Piñeiro et al. (2019). This corresponds with the observed
decrease in milk yield in KET+ compared with ND
lactating cows. Acute inflammation response (increased
haptoglobin and decreased neutrophil count) associated
with infectious diseases, or metabolic and infectious
Figure 7. Survival curves for time to pregnancy of multiparous Holstein cows grouped by health status. Multiparous dairy cows (n = 633)
were classified in 1 of 4 groups based on their health status within 30 DIM: ND = nondiseased cows (referent); KET = cows that experienced
only ketosis; KET+ = cows that experienced ketosis and at least another health condition within 30 DIM; and SICK = cows experiencing any
disease other than ketosis. Adjusted hazard ratios (AHR; 95% CI) for pregnancy (P = 0.02) were 0.60 (0.38–0.93; P = 0.02), 0.73 (0.55–0.98; P
= 0.03) and 0.97 (0.77–1.23; P = 0.82) for KET+, SICK, and KET cows, respectively.
Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 102 No. 4, 2019
POSTPARTUM LYING TIME AND REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE
diseases combined, could have negatively affected milk
yield. However, lactating cows in KET did not differ
from ND cows in terms of milk production or reproductive performance. These results suggest that KET cases
without another concomitant metabolic or infectious
disease during early lactation might not have a detrimental effect on milk yield and reproductive performance. However, these results do not reflect the direct
effect of ketosis on milk yield of lactating cows. To assess the effect of ketosis on milk yield, a valid approach
is to control the variables preceding the exposure factor that could act as confounders but not analytically
control the intervening variables occurring after the
exposure factor (e.g., metritis, mastitis; Dohoo et al.,
2009). McArt et al. (2012b) found that cows experiencing subclinical ketosis produced 0.5 kg/d less milk for
the first 30 DIM for each 0.1 mmol/L increase in BHB
at the first positive test. Jawor et al. (2012) showed
that after controlling for the effect of other transition
diseases (e.g., metritis, mastitis), cows with subclinical
hypocalcemia within 24 h after parturition produced,
on average, 5.7 kg more milk in wk 2, 3, and 4 than
cows that did not have hypocalcemia. Similarly, cases
of ketosis that are not complicated with other diseases
early in lactation seem to not have a detrimental effect
on milk yield and reproductive performance.
Compared with ND cows, SICK, KET, and KET+
cows had higher risk of being culled within 60 DIM.
The effect of ketosis or other metabolic diseases and
infectious diseases (e.g., metritis, mastitis) have been
previously reported (Rajala-Schultz and Gröhn, 1999;
Beaudeau et al., 2000). Cows that presented ketosis,
displaced abomasum, or metritis within 30 DIM are
2.0, 6.8, and 2.5 times more likely to be culled during
the first month of lactation (Rajala-Schultz and Gröhn,
1999). Conversely to what we initially hypothesized,
lactating cows with increased LT during the first 14
DIM had increased risk of culling within 60 DIM and
decreased cyclicity and reproductive performance,
which may be due to the observed NEB and other
concomitant infectious diseases (Piñeiro et al., 2019).
A possible limitation of this study is that the health
screening of postpartum cows (e.g., retained fetal membranes, mastitis, displaced abomasum) was performed
by farm personnel, whereas only metritis, ketosis, and
locomotion and body condition scores were assessed
by our research team. Although disease diagnosis was
performed by trained farm personnel, the frequency of
screening and accuracy of diagnosis were not strictly
controlled by the researchers. Therefore, it is likely that
diseases such as pneumonia or mastitis were underdiagnosed in the present study. In addition, due to the
sampling scheme, some cases of metritis could have
occurred after clinical examination and some cases of
3373
ketosis could have occurred and resolved between the
first and second blood samples. Although there is a
possibility of potential misclassification biases, lactating cows diagnosed and classified as KET, KET+ or
SICK had similar performance (e.g., milk yield, culling,
cyclicity, and reproductive performance) as previously
reported (Rajala-Schultz et al., 1999; Beaudeau et al.,
2000).
Lying time could be used as an indicator of appropriate heat abatement (Cook et al., 2007), facility design
and maintenance (Tucker et al., 2004; Drissler et al.,
2005), and management practices (Cooper et al., 2007).
However, LT should be assessed with caution during
the early postpartum period when most health events
occur (LeBlanc et al., 2006) because increased LT is
also an indicator of cows experiencing diseases. To
overcome this complexity, other precision technologies
such as rumination time could be used simultaneously.
A recent study has shown that decreased rumination
time could be used to flag, with high sensitivity, lactating cows before they experience metabolic or digestive
disorders (Stangaferro et al., 2016a). In addition, it was
shown that dairy cows during early (40 ± 9 DIM) and
late lactation (276 ± 49 DIM) had approximately 12
h/d of lying time (Munksgaard et al., 2005), whereas
early postpartum cows had 1 to 2 h less compared with
mid-lactation cows (Maselyne et al., 2017). However,
there is scant information in the literature about the
behavioral need of LT for dairy cows in the early postpartum period. Results from our study suggest that
during the first 14 DIM, the optimum lying time, in
terms of reproductive performance, for multiparous
cows ranges from 9 to 13 h/d. Further research is needed
to determine the optimum LT of dairy cows during the
early postpartum period, taking into account housing
facilities and management practices.
CONCLUSIONS
The results from this study suggest that milk yield
early in lactation was not correlated with mean LT but
had a weak negative correlation with the CV of LT
during the first 14 DIM. In addition, LT early in lactation had a positive linear association with CULL and
a negative quadratic association with CYC. Additionally, both infectious and metabolic diseases decreased
milk yield and the probability of pregnancy up to 300
DIM. Furthermore, multiparous lactating cows housed
in freestall barns had an optimum range of 9 to 13 h/d
of LT during 0 to 14 DIM, in which reproductive performance was maximized. These findings suggest that
there is an optimum daily LT range for early postpartum dairy cows housed in freestall barns, which is different from that reported for mid-lactation cows, with
Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 102 No. 4, 2019
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PIÑEIRO ET AL.
the potential for improved survival, health, resumption
of cyclicity, and subsequent overall performance.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Collaborating dairy farms and their staff are greatly
appreciated for providing the animals used in this study;
we are also grateful to graduate and undergraduate students for their assistance during the project. Also, the
laboratory support from D. J. Wyatt (The Ohio State
University, Wooster) and D. Mollenkopf (The Ohio
State University, Columbus) as well as the valuable
suggestions from Greg Habing and Luciana da Costa
(The Ohio State University, Columbus) are greatly
appreciated. This project was partially supported by
Veterinary Extension at The Ohio State University,
College of Veterinary Medicine.
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Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 102 No. 4, 2019