Variability of Acetone in Milk in a Large Low-Production Dairy Herd: a Longitudinal Case Study

• Published in: The veterinary journal (1997) Vol. 161; no. 3; pp. 314 - 321
• Main Authors: HEUER, C., WANGLER, A., SCHUKKEN, Y.H., NOORDHUIZEN, J.P.T.M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2001
• Subjects: Acetone - metabolism; Acetone in milk; Animals; Cattle - physiology; Dairying; Female; Lactation - physiology; longitudinal case study; Longitudinal Studies; low producing herd; Milk - metabolism; Parity; Time Factors; variability; variance components; Weight Loss; variance components; Acetone in milk; longitudinal case study; variability; low producing herd
• ISSN: 1090-0233; 1532-2971
• DOI: 10.1053/tvjl.2000.0562

The objective of this study was to relate acetone in milk with cow and management factors in one low producing dairy herd (5260 kg milk per 305-day lactation). Milk acetone was measured in regular monthly milk samples one to three times within 100 days of lactation in 4433 lactations (2639 cows, 7800 measurements) from one herd over a period of 32 months (1988–91). Associations between milk acetone and cow factors and surrogate measures of management were evaluated by variance components of multiple fixed effect models. Lactation stage, calendar month of study, production groups and milk yield were strong, and percentage milk fat and parity were weak predictors of milk acetone. There was a trend of increasing body weight loss from the first to the second month of lactation with increasing milk acetone level. A substantial increase in milk production in 1991 was accompanied by an almost twofold rise in milk acetone. It was concluded that environmental parameters had strong relationships with milk acetone even in this low-producing herd.