Loading...
 

UVB shining of backs of cows increased both milk production and Vitamin D in milk – Jan 2025


Effects of UV-B light exposure during automatic milking on vitamin D levels in Holstein Friesian cows

Front Vet Sci. 2025 Jan 15:11:1433230. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1433230
Jaka Jakob Hodnik 1 2, Marko Jankovec 3, Jožica Ježek 1, Žiga Krušič 4, Stefan Mitterhofer 3, Jože Starič 1

Image
Vitamin D is essential for cattle and can be synthesized in the skin under ultraviolet irradiation. This study investigated the effects of narrow-band UV-B irradiation during automatic milking on blood vitamin D concentration and the influence of hair and black skin areas on cutaneous vitamin D synthesis in Holstein Friesian cows. Fifty-one cows were stratified by milk yield, days after calving, and percentage of black skin, then divided into three groups: shaved and irradiated (80 J/m2), unshaved and irradiated (129-305 J/m2), and a control group. A custom UV-B light (peak radiation at 295 nm) was installed in the milking robot. Blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels were measured at baseline, and 7, 30, and 60 days post-exposure using an enzyme-linked fluorescent assay. UV-B exposure significantly (p < 0.001) increased 25(OH)D levels in shaved (13.4 ng/mL), unshaved (10 ng/mL), and control groups (5.1 ng/mL). Despite receiving less than half the UV-B dose, the shaved group had superior 25(OH)D synthesis compared to the unshaved group (p < 0.05), highlighting hair's role in reducing UV-B absorption. Cutaneous synthesis correlated with black skin area in shaved cows but not in unshaved cows. UV-B irradiation also increased daily milk production by 2.2 kg (shaved) and 2.9 kg (unshaved) compared to controls (p < 0.001). UV-B exposure during automatic milking offers a novel, non-disruptive method for enhancing vitamin D levels in dairy cows.
 Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki


18 minutes of UVB daily from LEDs, just on the backs– probably better if also shine UVB to the sides

VitaminDWiki - 13 studies in both categories UV and Vet.

This list is automatically updated

Attached files

ID Name Comment Uploaded Size Downloads
22234 Milk yield.webp admin 31 Jan, 2025 39.12 Kb 20
22233 UVB Cow milk production_CompressPdf.pdf admin 31 Jan, 2025 321.65 Kb 6