Associations of reproduction and health with the performance and profit of dairy cows

Abstract

The objective of the study was to evaluate the associations of the variable intensity in culling of dairy cows and culling due to the movement disorders, mammary gland diseases, long calving interval, low fertility and postpartum complications with production, reproduction and economic parameters on 60 commercial dairy herds. The data encompassed 34 632 cow records from the Czech Republic 12 regions and were collected during a 1-yr period (2012). The milk yield during the production period was analysed relative to the reproduction and economic parameters. The main reasons for culling cows were fertility problems and movement disorders, followed by the low milk yield, mammary gland diseases, and postpartum complications. The analysis of fertility showed that the herds with the longest calving intervals (≥ 410 d) and the highest culling due to fertility (≥ 25% of the total) achieved the lowest milk yields. The average difference between the highest and lowest calving interval (≤ 389 d) groups was 721 kg/cow per yr. The lowest reported profitability of costs was for the longest calving interval and the highest postpartum complications groups. Although the reproductive performance directly affects the dairy farm profitability, the dairy cows’ production potential should be considered when making culling decisions in order to achieve the most profitable management strategy.

Association of rumination with milk yield of early, mid and late lactation dairy cows

“…According to Stone et al (2017) the neck activity would likely increase due to more frequent visits to the feed bunk by highyielding cows. As noted by Krpalkova et al (2016), animals have certain biological limits and any disruption of homeostasis in their bodies leads to difficulties in their future performance. According to Beauchemin (2018) the process of rumination plays a vital role; cows can voluntarily control their rumination and stop ruminating when disturbed or experiencing some discomfort (e.g.…”

“…Stone et al (2017) added that cows with greater MY have higher nutrient requirements and may spend more time on feed consumption and rumination. Krpalkova et al (2016) reported that some herds with high overall culling rate due to several illnesses had high milk yield performance. It means that the high-yielding cow may have a high milk yield and be profitable, but at the same time, the cow must maintain the healthy body condition.…”

DMXL1 could be a potential candidate gene for semen quality in Holstein Friesian bulls

“…The primary cause of reproductive challenges in dairy cattle often stems from the subfertility or infertility of the breeding bulls (Fair & Lonergan, 2018, Taylor et al, 2018 [5,24] . The overall profitability of a herd is directly linked to the reproductive efficiency or inefficiency of the bulls (Krpalkova et al, 2016) [9] . Thus, it is essential to assess semen quality before performing Artificial Insemination (AI) to prevent reproductive failures, especially considering that semen from one bull is used for inseminating multiple cows.…”

Effect of immunoprophylaxis on reproduction function of highly productive cows

“…It is the first actual barrier when a pathogenic agent enters the body, and it is on the state of this factor that the health and wellbeing of the herd depends. Adverse effect on animal body is reflected in hematological profile, indicators of which indicate state of nonspecific resistance of organism [10]. In this regard, special preventive and therapeutic methods should be used, certain veterinary and hygienic conditions of maintenance and operation, as well as animal feeding standards should be observed [11].…”