Innovations in Dairy Cattle Health and Nutrition Management

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 January 2026 | Viewed by 937

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės Str. 18, 47181 Kaunas, Lithuania
Interests: dairy cattle; rumen microbiology; metabolic diseases; nutrition; feed additives

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės Str. 18, 47181 Kaunas, Lithuania
Interests: dairy cattle; rumen fermentation and metabolism; biomarkers; feed additives

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The management of cattle nutrition constitutes one of the most crucial elements in commercial dairy farms, as it influences the milk yield and substantially affects animal health. However, dairying is complicated due to some form of metabolic disease afflicting up to 50% of dairy cows. Consequently, research has focused on the development of innovative nutritional management strategies, the optimization of metabolic disorder monitoring using various sensors (animal activity, feeding behaviour, rumen activity, etc.), and the evaluation of different biomarkers for the early diagnosis of these diseases.

The Special Issue of Life focuses on “Innovations in Dairy Cattle Health and Nutrition Management”, welcoming scientists and researchers from relevant fields to contribute by presenting original research papers and literature reviews on a wide range of topics related to the optimization of dairy cattle health through innovative nutritional management strategies, with a particular focus on the study of ruminal fermentation and microbiota, as well as various biomarkers acting as valuable tools for the early diagnosis of metabolic diseases. Additional topics related to milk production in the context of the optimal management of dairy cattle health and nutritional status will also be considered.

Prof. Dr. Rasa Želvytė
Prof. Dr. Ingrida Monkevičienė
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • innovations
  • dairy cattle
  • health
  • nutrition
  • rumen
  • metabolism
  • biomarkers

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

23 pages, 938 KiB  
Article
Impact of Blood Metabolic Profile and Ingestive Behaviours Registered with Noseband Sensor on Methane Emission During Transition Period in Dairy Cows
by Justina Krištolaitytė, Karina Džermeikaitė, Arūnas Rutkauskas, Greta Šertvytytė, Gabija Lembovičiūtė, Samanta Arlauskaitė, Akvilė Girdauskaitė, Violeta Juškienė, Remigijus Juška, Walter Baumgartner and Ramūnas Antanaitis
Life 2025, 15(5), 760; https://doi.org/10.3390/life15050760 - 9 May 2025
Viewed by 318
Abstract
This study investigates the relationship between methane emissions and physiological, behavioural, and haematological parameters in dairy cows during the transition period. Methane emissions were monitored alongside variations in rumination, feeding behaviour, and blood markers three weeks before calving, on calving day, and three [...] Read more.
This study investigates the relationship between methane emissions and physiological, behavioural, and haematological parameters in dairy cows during the transition period. Methane emissions were monitored alongside variations in rumination, feeding behaviour, and blood markers three weeks before calving, on calving day, and three weeks post-calving. Cows were retrospectively classified into low, medium, and high rumination groups according to their average daily rumination duration to investigate the effects of behavioural influences. During the prepartum period, the methane concentration was moderately positively correlated with drinking time (r = 0.41, p < 0.01) and weakly negatively correlated with chews per minute (r = −0.358, p < 0.05). Significant negative correlations were noted with chloride (r = −0.42, p < 0.01) and glucose levels (r = −0.41, p < 0.01). Following calving, methane emissions showed a positive correlation with haematocrit (r = 0.41, p < 0.01) and a negative correlation with haemoglobin (r = −0.47, p < 0.01). A haematological analysis revealed a notable negative correlation with platelets during calving (r = −0.64, p < 0.05). Individual dry matter intake (DMI) was recorded for each period, showing a significant drop on calving day. This intake fluctuation coincided with a significant rise in methane yield on calving day (p < 0.001). In the low rumination time group, methane was moderately negatively correlated with rumination chews (r = −0.52, p < 0.05), while in the high rumination group, a moderate negative correlation was observed with drinking gulps (r = −0.42, p < 0.05), and a weak negative correlation was observed with bolus events (r = −0.37, p < 0.05). Despite behavioural variations, methane emissions showed no substantial differences among groups with low, medium, and high rumination times, suggesting a minimal direct influence on rumination duration. These findings emphasise the complex interactions between feed intake, metabolism, and methane emissions, underscoring the importance of integrating behavioural and physiological indicators to develop targeted strategies for enteric methane mitigation while providing baseline data from healthy cows that could guide future research on methane emissions in cows undergoing postpartum metabolic disorders. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovations in Dairy Cattle Health and Nutrition Management)
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