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Acta Prataculturae Sinica ›› 2017, Vol. 26 ›› Issue (11): 104-112.DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2017050

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Effects of feeding compound herbal additives on immunity status and lactation performance in Holstein cows

ZHANG Chun-Gang1,2, SU Xiao-Shuang1, LIU Guang-Lei2, WU Tian-You2, ZHAN Jin-Shun1, ZHAO Guo-Qi1,*   

  1. 1.College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China;
    2.Shanghai Bright Holstan Co., LTD., Shanghai 200436, China
  • Received:2017-02-17 Revised:2017-05-04 Online:2017-11-20 Published:2017-11-20

Abstract: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of compound Chinese herbal additives (CHA) on immune function and lactation performance in dairy cows. Four mid-lactation Holstein cows were used in a 4×4 Latin square design with 28-d treatment periods. The four treatments were randomly distributed as an addition of 0 (control), 30, 50 and 80 g/d to the base diet. The results showed: 1) White blood cell count, percentage of neutrophil cells, and platelet count values increased significantly (P<0.05), while serum biochemical indices were not significantly changed (P>0.05) after adding the CHA. 2) Levels of malondialdehyde decreased significantly (P<0.05) after adding the CHA. The content of serum immunoglobulin M and the activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase increased significantly (P<0.05) with 30 g/d CHA dietary supplementation. 3) The levels of growth hormone and prolactin were higher for treated animals than for the control group, with statistical significance (P<0.05) observed with 30 g/d CHA dietary supplementation. 4) Compared to the control group, milk production was increased 10.18%, 6.79%, 5.19% respectively, for 30, 50, and 80 g/d CHA supplementation, but these data trends were not significant (P>0.05). Similar non-significant data trends were seen for milk component and somatic cell count data. In conclusion, the CHA can regulate immune function and enhance antioxidant activity, and the most effective concentration was 30 g/d per cow. Lactation performance of dairy cows was not affected.