The milk production has developed rapidly the last years. The milk production per cow is increasing and the production units are larger with an increasing number of animals and a decreasing number of workers. Many milk producers invest in automatic milking systems (AM) to meet this change. In these systems the cows can voluntary decide milking frequency and usually the milking frequency are higher than two times per day. But how does the milking frequency effect the composition of the milk? The aim of the present study was to study the effect of milking frequency on the milk composition and the milk fat quality.

After parturition the energy demand for milk production is greater then the energy provided from the diet. The cow mobilises therefore body tissues to compensate for the energy loss. Live weight and body condition scores decreases as a consequence of the mobilisation. The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between body condition score, live weight and subcutaneous fat depth measured by ultrasound and the changes during the lactation. Possible differences between Swedish Holstein (SLB) and Swedish Red and White Cattle (SRB) were also investigated.

The aim of the study was to install a biogas system consisting of three tubular polyethylene biogas digesters at a rural household in Malawi and to evaluate the constructed biogas system with regards to relevant system parameters. The purpose was to evaluate if the technology is a possible solution to reduce deforestation and support Malawi in climate change mitigation and adaptation. The study was carried out in the southern part of Malawi in cooperation with the University of Malawi. Locally available materials were used to construct and install the system. Three different feed materials, cow, goat and a mix of cow and goat manure, were used in order to determine which one was best suited to utilise as a digester substrate. After the installation, measurements of temperature, pH, biogas production, biogas composition and system functionality were made. The results of the study show that a biogas system with tubular polyethylene biogas digesters can be successfully installed at a rural household and that the most suitable feed material is a mix of cow and goat manure.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect on growth of foals on two different diets, either a forage-based diet or a diet containing approx. 40 % concentrate. The report also includes a review of the pertinent literature on the effects of diet on mares? milk and growth of horses. The hypothesis of the study was that a forage based diet will result in a similar growth pattern as a diet including more concentrates if the diets contain the same amount of energy, crude protein, lysine, calcium and phosphorous.

The heterosis effect and breed group effect of crossbreds between Swedish Holstein (SH) and Swedish Red (SRB) was estimated in this study. Observations on cows born between 1990 and 2012 were used to estimate the heterosis effect and breed group effect for several traits included in the Nordic breeding goals: production, fertility, udder health, calving performance, survival and other diseases. Breeding within the Holstein dairy breed has earlier been focused on increased milk production and conformation. This, combined with an intensive use of individual animals, has resulted in a radical increase of milk yield in the Holstein dairy cow population all over the world. However, this breeding strategy has resulted in increased inbreeding and several functional traits have impaired.

Detta arbete behandlar mätteknik vid kontroll av dubbskadedjup på sågtimmer. Mätmetoder och mätverktyg har sammanställts och bedömts som lämpliga för olika mätsyften. Data rörande skadedjup från olika dubbtyper har sammanställts ifrån tidigare publicerade studier. Resultat från en egen kartläggning av dubbskadedjup på gran- och talltimmerstockar styrker en allmänt rådande uppfattning: Att de djupaste dubbskadorna uppstår närmast centrum av matarhjulens anliggningsyta mot timret om matarhjulen inte konstruerats med hänsyn till att utjämna matningskraften runt en så stor andel av stockens yta som möjligt. Eftersom heltäckande mätning av dubbskadedjup är tidsödande finns behov av att rationalisera mätproceduren.

In the latest edition of NRC (2007) the feeding recommendations for Ca and P to growing horses were increased with 35 and 25 %, respectively, based on results from a Canadian study showing that daily endogenous fecal losses of Ca and P were greater than previously suggested. A Ca absorption efficiency of 50 % is used for all horses. However, the true absorption efficiency might be as high as 70 % in young horses. P absorption efficiency is assumed to be higher for growing horses because their diets are often supplemented with inorganic P. Thus, an efficiency of 45 % is used for growing horses as compared to 35 % for mature horses.

Fertility is of central interest in the dairy production but has during the last decades declined. Increased milk yield has resulted in high pressure on the metabolism of the dairy cows that are supposed to manage the transition from dry cows to lactating cows within a few weeks around the parturition. Much indicate that metabolism and fertility are closely linked, with insulin playing a substantial part. There are many studies suggesting that the main part of gestation loss can be found during the early embryo development, a period which can be studied in vitro. The aim of this study was to test the effect of insulin during maturation in vitro and to evaluate two different fluorescent stainings on oocytes and embryos; a nuclear stain and a staining of apoptotic cells through the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)-method. Bovine cumulus-oocyte-complexes (n=991) were aspirated from abattoir-derived ovaries.

Mastitis is an important disease in dairy cattle. It is very costly for the farmers and affects a large number of animals. Few studies have been made investigating the outcome of treatment for acute clinical mastitis under Swedish conditions, and it can be problematic to use the results in foreign studies since both the microbial flora as well as treatments may be different from the situation in Sweden. In this project we have investigated data on clinical mastitis and antibiotic treatment in the dairy herd at Jällaskolan, Uppsala based on recordings during the last ten years. The material includes both Swedish Red (SRB) and Swedish Holstein (SLB) breeds, which have been kept at the farm under similar conditions.

SAMMANFATTNING När man i tidigare undersökningar studerat betesgång för mjölkkor har klimatet på betet inte beaktats. En höglakterande ko producerar mycket värme som hon måste avge till sin omgivning för att kunna bibehålla sin kroppstemperatur. De sätt som djuret kan avge värme på är begränsade och påverkas av flera klimatfaktorer samt djurets genetiska och biologiska förutsättningar. Antalet dagar som registreringar gjordes under denna studie blev av flera olika anledningar få, 18 dagar. Klimatet utomhus under studien registrerat som globtemperatur varierade från 22,4 till 34,7ºC. Då djurskyddslagen skall främja djurens hälsa och djurets naturliga beteende fick en grupp 126 höglakterande kor möjlighet att välja uppehållsplats under tiden 26 juli till 11 augusti. 2004. Korna fördes ut på betet vid niotiden på förmiddagen och var därefter fria att gå in och ur stallet efter egen vilja tills de togs in för kvällsmjölkning omkring klockan tre påeftermiddagen.

Glycogen is the storage form of glucose and is used by the skeletal musculature as energy both for intense and endurance events. The glycogen content in the horse?s middle gluteal muscle is more than 600 mmol/kg dry weight, and almost 400 mmol/kg dry weight in the human?s Vastus lateralis. In some special occasions, for example in competitions with several moments on following days, there is a need of a fast muscle glycogen resynthesis. The feed intake is of importance for the velocity of the resynthesis.

Miljöledningssystems största vinst är inte ekonomisk utan den visar sig i form av en effektivare organisation, ökad miljömedvetenhet och engagemang hos ledningen och medarbetarna, besparingar, minimerade risker för framtida problem, bättre feed-back på miljöarbetet, större säkerhet för att fälja lagarna och så vidare. Men kostnaden för införandet och driften av miljöledningssystemet är hög..

Horse owner?s knowledge about horse feeding and nutrition is directly linked to the horse?s health and welfare. According to several studies, both Swedish and foreign, horse owners generally have inadequate knowledge about horse feeding. The housing systems and feeding routines of today differs in many ways from what horses have adapted to through evolution. Wild horses live in harem herds and roam on large open fields, spending about 60 % of the day grazing, mainly grass and herbs.

The purpose of this report was to obtain an overview of rabbit meat production in the world, in terms of breeding and feeding. It examines how different feed components contribute to the health of the rabbit as well as the quality of the carcass, and the breeding strategies that are most common in the major producing countries. The production of rabbit meat in Sweden is at present not very large, but it is gaining ground, and that is why this paper mainly deals with the rabbit production abroad. This report also examines the disease Rabbit Viral Haermorrhagic Disease (RVHD) in Sweden, where this disease can cause big problems. The rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is very special, both in its reproduction and digestion. There is no specific mating season and the digestive tract is designed to digest forage efficiently.

Festulolium (Festulolium) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) has not been grown inSweden over a longer period. So far there is no greater area cultivated, but the area isincreasing. Festulolium and tall fescue are expected to eventually replace meadowfescue in many leyseed mixtures to dairy cows in southern and central Sweden. Tallfescue has in recent years become popular again. Festulolium is a hybrid betweenryegrass and fescue.