Cow-calf contact: a single-herd observational study of AMS yield during the first 100 days in milk.

An increasing number of dairy farmers plan to implement cow-calf contact (CCC) in their herd which necessitates descriptions of the cows` performance in different systems. The aim of the study was to describe (1) Automatic milking system (AMS) milk yield of cows in a CCC system during the first 100 days in milk (DIM) and (2) AMS milk yield before and after cow-calf separation. In a prospective study at a commercial Norwegian dairy farm, we included all calvings from Norwegian Red cows between January 2019 to April 2020. After calving, cow-calf pairs stayed in an individual calving pen during the first 5-6 d before they were moved to the loose housing unit with the remaining herd. Calves had whole-day (24 h/d) and full physical contact to the cows. Cows were milked in an AMS. From 14 individual cows of which one cow calved twice during the study period, we collected daily AMS yields from 15 different lactations, with parities ranging from 1 (n = 6), 2 (n = 5) and 3 (n = 4). Due to the sample size and structure of the data set, we only calculated descriptive statistics from DIM 7-100. All data is shown separately for primiparous and multiparous cows. Mean (± SD) calf age at (fence-line) separation was 52 d ± 14.8 beyond which suckling was prevented. Our data indicates great individual variation in the AMS milk yield. Prior to separation, primiparous cows` AMS yields ranged from 11.0 to 25.9 kg/d while that of multiparous cows ranged from 4.8 to 28.8 kg/d. Once calves were no longer allowed to suckle, the yield increased gradually. During the week after separation, AMS yields ranged from 17.3 to 30.4 kg/d for primiparous cows and 8.7 to 41.8 kg/d for multiparous cows and these yields increased in DIM 93-100 (26.5 to 34.3 and 20.6 to 38.3 kg/d respectively). This study is limited by a low sample size from a single-herd but may provide useful descriptions of AMS milk yield in a whole-day, full contact CCC system during the first 100 days of lactation.

Sentinels in a climatic outpost: Endoparasites in the introduced muskox (Ovibos moschatus wardi) population of Dovrefjell, Norway.

We assessed the occurrence of endoparasite eggs, cysts, oocysts and larvae in the muskox population of Dovrefjell, Norway, during June and August 2012. This population originates from 13 calves translocated from Eastern Greenland during the 1950s. A total of 167 faecal samples were collected, of which 49% came from identified individuals: 165 were examined by the Baermann and 95 by McMaster techniques and 167 by immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT). Lungworm larvae recovered in the Baermanns were identified as Protostrongylidae (82%) and Dictyocaulus sp. (76%) based on morphology. Further molecular analyses of the ITS-2 region of two protostrongylid larvae from two muskoxen as Muellerius capillaris. Larval prevalence and intensity differed significantly between samples collected from the different age groups in June and August, with increasing prevalence and intensity in calves during the course of their first summer, whereas intensity decreased in adults from June to August. McMaster test and IFAT were used to determine the occurrence of infections with intestinal strongyles (84%), Moniezia spp. (24%), Nematodirus sp. (2%), Eimeria spp. (98%), Cryptosporidium sp. (14%) and Giardia duodenalis (7%). Molecular analyses of three isolates of Cryptosporidium and Giardia were identified as Cryptosporidium xiaoi and G. duodenalis assemblage A. Although infection intensity of all these intestinal parasites tended to be low, the high level of polyparasitism, together with the other challenges faced by this population living at the edge of their climatic range, means that these infections should not be ignored. The potential that M. capillaris, Cryptosporidium and Giardia infections derive from other sympatric host species (sheep and reindeer) is discussed.

Is a midwife's continuous presence during childbirth a matter of course? Midwives' experiences and thoughts about factors that may influence their continuous support of women during labour.

OBJECTIVE: to gain an understanding about midwives' experiences of providing a continuous supportive presence in the delivery room during childbirth, and to learn about factors that may affect this continuous support. DESIGN/SETTING: qualitative study at a maternity unit in Norway, where about 4000 births take place each year. In-depth interviews were conducted with ten midwives working in two different maternity wards. The qualitative data were analysed using systematic text condensation. FINDINGS: the analysis generated three main themes: relational competence, the midwife's ideology, the culture and philosophy of the maternity unit. The midwives identified being mentally present and actively developing mutual trust with the woman in labour as two very important factors for building a relationship with her. They suggested that the midwife's first encounter with the woman is a key opportunity for establishing rapport during labour. Successfully providing a continuous presence during labour fostered the midwives' perception of themselves as a 'good midwife'; this was considered a feature of holistic care and health promotion. The workload in the unit sometimes made it difficult for them to provide a continuous presence in the delivery room. The midwives experienced feelings of inadequacy when they felt that they had too little time available for the woman in labour. KEY CONCLUSIONS: midwives' skill in building a relationship with the woman in labour combined with their values and understanding of the midwifery profession are important factors influencing their decision to provide a continuous presence during childbirth. If it is policy that maternity units should provide continuous support to women in labour, managers should ensure that it is actually provided.