IMPROVED REPRODUCTIVE EFFICIENCY OF DAIRY COWS SUPPLEMENTED WITH OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS (PART II)

Effect of HI-FLAX® (protected n3 FA) on the days open of a commercial dairy herd

In order to evaluate the effect of a protected n3 FA (HI-FLAX®) on the reproductive performance of dairy cows in a commercial farm, 150 cows were separated into 2 groups. Both groups received the same TMR, with the only difference that in the CONTROL group (CTRL) each cow received 400 g/d of calcium soap (ME=2822 kcal/d) and in the HI-FLAX® group (HFLX) they received 446 g/d (ME=2824 kcal/d) of HI-FLAX®, therefore both diets were isoenergetic and isoproteic.

Cows that consumed n3 FA (HFLX) significantly reduced the number of days open (P = 0.05, HFLX 144 d, CTRL 184 d). This represents a reduction of more than 20% of days open in HFLX cows, compared to CTRL ones. This reduction was similar to that reported by Castro et al (2020) when supplementing with free flaxseed oil in dairy cows.

In this trial it was concluded that supplementation with n3 FA reduced days open, getting cows pregnant earlier as a consequence of a higher pregnancy rate. The reduction in the days open meant having fewer cows that repeated heat and consequently a significant saving of money by the farmer. All this improvement in reproduction was achieved without affecting the production or milk composition.

Take home message

Supplementing dairy cows with a source of protected n3 FA has numerous beneficial effects on health and reproductive performance. Significant reductions in days open can be achieved without modifying the composition of the milk. This allows the farmer to improve the production of his farm and the health of his cows.