Suitability of rumination time during the first week after calving for detecting metabolic status and lactation performance in simmental dairy cows: a cluster-analytic approach

Figures & data

Figure 1. Workflow overview of the experimental setup for on farm data collection to unsupervised ML algorithm (k-means) analysis to cluster Simmental cows according to rumination time (RT) recorded in the first week after parturition (from 1 to 7 d) by Hr-Tags rumination loggers (Hr-LD; SCR by Allflex).

Table 1. Ingredient and nutrient composition of close-up (from −21 to parturition) and early lactation (from parturition to 30 d of lactation) diets fed to Simmental dairy cows.

	Close-up	Lactation
DM, %	86.35	59.65
Ingredient, % of DM
Alfalfa hay, second or later cuts	–	25.00
Grass hay	73.50	24.42
Corn grain, ground, dry	11.78	27.12
Commercial concentrate^1	14.71	22.04
Minerals and vitamins	–	1.42
Nutrient composition, % of DM
CP	11.16	15.05
Starch	11.12	23.09
Ether extract	2.22	2.80
Forage	75.02	52.23
NDF	49.08	36.87
ADF	25.40	21.94
ADL	3.74	4.29
NEL,^2 Mcal/kg of DM	1.46	1.63

¹ Contained: solvent-extracted flour of toasted soybean, solvent-extracted flour of sunflower, dried stillage corn, wheat bran, alfalfa flour, middling wheat, calcium carbonate, carob flour, fatty acid salts of palm oil, sodium chloride, molasses, phosphate dicalcium, sodium bicarbonate.

² According to NRC (NRC, 2001) and calculated using Razio-Best software of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Piacenza, Italy).

DM: Dry matter; CP: crude product; NDF: neutral detergent fiber; ADF: acid detergent fiber; ADL: acid detergent lignin; NEL: net energy for lactation.

Figure 2. Daily pattern of rumination time (LSM) from −30 to 30 d from parturition in Simmental primiparous and multiparous dairy cows categorised by k-means clustering analysis according to rumination time (RT) recorded between 1 and 7 d after parturition. Asterisks (*) represent differences at p ≤ 0.05 between High-RT and Low-RT cows within each time point across the transition period (−21 to 30 d relative to calving).

Figure 3. Milk yield in the first 42 d of lactation of Simmental primiparous (High-RT Pr and Low-RT Pr) and multiparous (High-RT Mu and Low-RT Mu) dairy cows categorised by k-means clustering analysis according to rumination time (RT) recorded between 1 and 7 d after calving.

Table 2. LSM of Milk yield (0 to 42 d) and quality (7 to 42 d) from Simmental primiparous (n = 10) and multiparous (n = 15) dairy cows categorised by k-means clustering analysis (unsupervised ML algorithm) according to rumination time (RT) between 1 and 7 d after parturition.

	Primiparous		Multiparous			p Values
Item	High RT	Low RT	High RT	Low RT	SEM^1	Cluster^2	Parity^3	Day^4	Cluster × Day	Cluster × Parity	Cluster × Parity × Day
Milk yield, kg/d	18.15^c	17.90^c	25.45^a	21.06^b	1.90	< .05	< .05	< .05	.18	< .05	.92
Fat, %	3.75	3.70	3.69	4.16	0.33	.26	.28	< .05	<.05	.18	.81
Protein, %	3.24	3.28	3.41	3.41	0.27	.85	.09	< .05	.71	.77	.86
Lactose, %	4.88	4.89	4.85	4.72	0.08	.20	<.05	< .05	.98	.11	.78
BHB, mM	0.05^ab	0.03^b	0.04^b	0.08^a	0.02	.42	.18	< .05	.32	<.05	<.05
Urea, mg/dL	28.49	24.81	27.55	23.65	3.43	< 0.05	0.52	< 0.05	.65	.94	.79

¹ Greatest standard error of the mean.

² Cluster = overall effect of RT group (High-RT vs Low-RT).

³ Parity = overall effect of parity (primiparous vs multiparous).

⁴ Day = overall effect of d from calving (−21, −7, 1, 3, 14, 28).

^a–b Different superscripts within a row and specific variable indicate that means differ at p ≤ 0.05.

Figure 4. Effect of Cluster (High-RT vs Low-RT) on milk fat percentage (A), and effect of Cluster × Parity × Day on milk BHB (B) in the first 42 d of lactation of Simmental primiparous (High-RT Pr and Low-RT Pr) and multiparous (High-RT Mu and Low-RT Mu) dairy cows categorised by k-means clustering analysis according to rumination time (RT) recorded between 1 and 7 d after calving. Asterisks (*) represent differences at p ≤ 0.05 between High-RT and Low-RT cows within each time point. Different letters (a–c) indicate significant differences among groups within each time point (p ≤ 0.05).

Figure 5. Effect of Cluster (High-RT vs Low-RT) on plasma haptglobin (A), bilirubin (B), and creatinine (C) across the transition period (from −21 to 28 d relative to parturition) in Simmental dairy cows categorised by k-means clustering analysis according to rumination time (RT) recorded between 1 and 7 d after calving. Asterisks (*) represent differences at p ≤ 0.05 between High-RT and Low-RT cows within each time point.

Figure 6. Effect of Cluster (High-RT vs Low-RT) on plasma BHB (A), NEFA (B), and fructosamine (C) across the transition period (from −21 to 28 d relative to parturition) in Simmental dairy cows categorised by k-means clustering analysis according to rumination time (RT) recorded between 1 and 7 d after calving. Asterisks (*) represent differences at P ≤ 0.05 between High-RT and Low-RT cows within each time point.

Figure 7. Effect of Cluster (High-RT vs Low-RT) on plasma albumin (A), retinol (B), and tocopherol (C) across the transition period (from −21 to 28 d relative to parturition) in Simmental dairy cows categorised by k-means clustering analysis according to rumination time (RT) recorded between 1 and 7 d after calving. Asterisks (*) represent differences at p ≤ 0.05 between High-RT and Low-RT cows within each time point.

Table 3. Plasma biomarkers (LSM) during the close-up (from −21 d to parturition) and fresh (from 1 to 28 d after calving) periods in Simmental primiparous (n = 10) and multiparous (n = 15) dairy cows categorised by k-means clustering analysis (unsupervised ML algorithm) according to rumination time (RT) between 1 and 7 d after parturition.

	Primiparous		Multiparous			p Values^3
Item^1	High RT	Low RT	High RT	Low RT	SEM^2	Cluster^3	Parity^4	Day^5	Cluster × Day	Cluster × Parity	Cluster × Parity × Day
BHB, mmol/L	0.50^b	0.47^b	0.50^b	0.74^a	0.12	.07	<.05	< .05	< .05	<.05	.69
NEFA, mmol/L	0.33	0.34	0.31	0.45	0.09	.12	.36	< .05	<.05	.21	.21
Glucose, mmol/L	3.99	4.08	3.72	3.70	0.17	.64	<.05	<.05	.28	.48	.78
Fructosamine, μmol/L	289.25	288.77	286.85	276.67	14.15	.54	.41	<.05	<.05	.58	.67
Creatinine, mmol/L	105.95	113.43	116.31	114.64	5.89	.42	.12	<.05	<.05	.21	.81
Urea, mmol/L	6.45	6.24	6.20	5.88	0.82	.47	.42	< .05	.54	.89	.09
Total protein, g/L	75.19	75.10	77.03	78.21	3.05	.76	.17	<.05	.26	.72	<.05
Albumin, g/L	35.85	36.89	36.30	35.48	1.13	.83	.35	<.05	<.05	.08	.17
Globulin, g/L	40.81	38.49	41.42	42.67	2.98	.81	.29	<.05	.18	.43	.38
PON, U/mL	77.36	93.42	71.54	67.12	9.04	.39	<.05	<.05	.08	.14	.15
Cholesterol, mmol/L	3.00	3.19	3.25	2.84	0.27	.50	.75	<.05	.18	.07	.05
Haptoglobin, g/L	0.22	0.21	0.25	0.38	0.16	.26	<.05	<.05	<.05	.16	.32
Ceruloplasmin, μmol/L	2.21	2.08	2.19	2.38	0.27	.89	.51	<.05	.08	.44	.12
Bilirubin, μmol/L	2.73	2.92	3.22	4.10	0.92	.19	.05	<.05	<.05	.39	.24
β-Carotene, mg/100 mL	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.03	0.01	.60	.48	<.05	.61	.75	.43
Retinol, μg/mL	30.15^ab	34.59^a	32.15^a	25.99^b	3.38	.63	.07	<.05	<.05	<.05	.80
Tocopherol, μg/mL	1.82	1.66	2.09	1.56	0.24	<.05	.58	<.05	<.05	.25	.54
Ca, mmol/L	2.47	2.41	2.44	2.44	0.09	.24	.90	< .05	.64	.22	.97
Mg, mmol/L	0.94	0.88	0.94	0.90	0.05	<.05	.56	<.05	.69	.59	.96
Zn, μmol/L	13.51	12.60	11.73	11.95	1.33	.58	.06	<.05	.58	.37	.72
P, mmol/L	2.06	2.07	1.79	1.79	0.22	.99	<.05	<.05	.91	.95	.28
ROM, mg of H2O2/0.1 L	15.72	15.06	14.66	15.30	1.92	.99	.79	<.05	.42	.67	.06
MPO, U/L	393.03	396.67	406.55	427.97	41.22	.61	.36	<.05	.25	.71	.28
AOPP, μmol/L	32.45	30.19	36.57	29.60	3.87	<.05	.43	< .05	.77	.30	.59
SHp, μmol/L	258.24	295.38	275.96	274.49	20.98	.12	.89	<.05	.08	.09	.42
FRAP, μmol/L	161.55	148.80	165.41	159.00	15.21	.21	.36	.32	.61	.68	<.05

¹ BHB: beta-hydroxybutyrate; NEFA: non-esterified fatty acids; PON: paraoxonase; ROM: reactive oxygen metabolites; MPO: myeloperoxidase; AOPP: advanced oxidation protein products; SHp: protein thiol groups; FRAP: ferric-reducing ability of plasma.

² Greatest standard error of the mean.

³ Cluster = overall effect of RT group (High-RT vs Low-RT).

⁴ Parity = overall effect of parity (primiparous vs multiparous).

⁵ Day = overall effect of d from calving (−21, −7, 1, 3, 14, 28).

^a–b Different superscripts within a row and specific variable indicate that means differ at p ≤ 0.05.

Figure 8. Effect of Cluster × Parity × Day on plasma cholesterol (A), total protein (B), and FRAP (C) across the transition period (from −21 to 28 d relative to parturition) in Simmental primiparous (High-RT Pr and Low-RT Pr) and multiparous (High-RT Mu and Low-RT Mu) dairy cows categorised by k-means clustering analysis according to rumination time (RT) recorded between 1 and 7 d after calving. Different letters (a–b) indicate significant differences among groups within each time point (p ≤ 0.05).

Figure 9. Effect of Cluster × Parity on liver functionality index (LFI) calculated with data obtained at 3 and 28 d after calving for albumin, cholesterol, and bilirubin in Simmental primiparous (High-RT Pr and Low-RT Pr) and multiparous (High-RT Mu and Low-RT Mu) dairy cows categorised by k-means clustering analysis according to rumination time (RT) recorded between 1 and 7 d after calving. Different letters (a–b) indicate significant differences among groups (p ≤ 0.05).

Data availability statement

Data available on request from the authors.