Effect of growth and development during the rearing period on the subsequent fertility of nulliparous Holstein-Friesian heifers

Brickell, J. S.; Bourne, N.; McGowan, M. R.; Wathes, D C

doi:10.1016/j.theriogenology.2009.03.015

Cited by 90 publications

(109 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Heifer fertility was higher than cow fertility but the two were strongly related as the genetic correlation with conception rate to first service in the first lactation was 0.39. These values accord with those found in our prospective study of 428 Holstein-Friesian heifers from 19 UK herds in which the overall first service conception rate was 67%, with younger heifers at first breeding having the best fertility (Brickell et al 2009b). The importance of early growth was highlighted by the finding that higher BW and girth measurements at only 1 month of age were associated with a significantly lower age at first breeding and at calving (Brickell et al 2009b).…”

Section: Heifer Fertilitysupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Variability in growth rates within groups of animals on the same farm can lead to a large spread in the age at which dairy heifers are actually bred for the first time (Ettema and Santos, 2004;Brickell et al, 2009b). Increasing the average daily weight gain (ADG) from birth to conception from 0.68 to 0.82 kg/day reduced the age at conception by 32 days (Bar-Peled et al, 1997).…”

Section: Heifer Fertilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Heifer fertility and carry over consequences for life time production in dairy and beef cattle

Wathes

Pollott

Johnson

et al. 2014

Animal

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141

116

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The rearing period has a key influence on the later performance of cattle, affecting future fertility and longevity. Producers usually aim to breed replacement heifers by 15 months to calve at 24 months. An age at first calving (AFC) close to 2 years (23 to 25 months) is optimum for economic performance as it minimises the non-productive period and maintains a seasonal calving pattern. This is rarely achieved in either dairy or beef herds, with average AFC for dairy herds usually between 26 and 30 months. Maintaining a low AFC requires good heifer management with adequate growth to ensure an appropriate BW and frame size at calving. Puberty should occur at least 6 weeks before the target breeding age to enable animals to undergo oestrous cycles before mating. Cattle reach puberty at a fairly consistent, but breed-dependent, proportion of mature BW. Heifer fertility is a critical component of AFC. In US Holsteins the conception rate peaked at 57% at 15 to 16 months, declining in older heifers. Wide variations in growth rates on the same farm often lead to some animals having delayed first breeding and/or conception. Oestrous synchronisation regimes and sexed semen can both be used but unless heifers have been previously well-managed the success rates may be unacceptably low. Altering the nutritional input above or below those needed for maintenance at any stage from birth to first calving clearly alters the average daily gain (ADG) in weight. In general an ADG of around 0.75 kg/day seems optimal for dairy heifers, with lower rates delaying puberty and AFC. There is some scope to vary ADG at different ages providing animals reach an adequate size by calving. Major periods of nutritional deficiency and/or severe calfhood disease will, however, compromise development with long-term adverse consequences. Infectious disease can also cause pregnancy loss/abortion. First lactation milk yield may be slightly lower in younger calving cows but lifetime production is higher as such animals usually have good fertility and survive longer. There is now extensive evidence that as long as the AFC is > 23 months then future performance is not adversely influenced. On the other hand, delayed first calving > 30 months is associated with poor survival. Underfeeding of young heifers reduces their milk production potential and is a greater problem than overfeeding. Farmers are more likely to meet the optimum AFC target of 23 to 25 months if they monitor growth rates and adjust feed accordingly.

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Section: Heifer Fertilitysupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Heifer Fertilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Heifer fertility and carry over consequences for life time production in dairy and beef cattle

Wathes

Pollott

Johnson

et al. 2014

Animal

Self Cite

141

116

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Smith et al (1976) reported that correlations between BW gains and puberty indicated that increased growth rate Archbold, Shalloo, Kennedy, Pierce and Buckley of heifers reduced the age at puberty. Similarly, a more recent study by Brickell et al (2009) involving 13 UK dairy herds showed increased BW gain to be favourably associated with age at first breeding. This study concluded that suboptimal growth associated with increased age at first calving could be alleviated by improved monitoring of replacement heifers during the rearing period.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Influence of age, body weight and body condition score before mating start date on the pubertal rate of maiden Holstein–Friesian heifers and implications for subsequent cow performance and profitability

Archbold

Shalloo

Kennedy

et al. 2012

Animal

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The aim of this study was to assess the influence of age, body weight (BW) and body condition score (BCS) of maiden Holstein-Friesian heifers before mating start date (MSD) on the rate of puberty, subsequent production and longevity and their implications with regard to farm profitability. Data were available on 871 Holstein-Friesian heifers from 48 herds. BW was recorded electronically and BCS was recorded by a single operator on a scale of 1 to 5. Heifer age was calculated as the number of days from birth to the day of visit. All of the independent variables of interest were grouped into three or four categories. Three age categories (thirtiles), four BW categories (quartiles) and four BCS categories (<2.75, 3.00, 3.25 and >3.50) were formed. Heifers with an identifiable corpus lutuem (CL) in the presence or absence of large follicles and peri-ovulatory signs and with a plasma progesterone (P4) concentration >1 ng/ml were classified as pubertal. In addition, heifers without an identifiable CL in the presence or absence of large follicles and peri-ovulatory signs but with a P4 concentration >1 ng/ml were also classified as pubertal. Age, BW and BCS at MSD were all found to be significantly associated with pubertal rate (P , 0.05). Age was shown to have no practical implications on subsequent cow performance. BW at MSD was favourably associated with subsequent calving date (P , 0.05), subsequent cow BW (P , 0.001) and potential (305 days) milk fat plus protein yield (P , 0.001). BCS at MSD was found to be favourably associated with milk fat plus protein yield potential (P , 0.05) and BCS (P , 0.001) during lactation. The economic analysis undertaken indicated that larger, well-grown heifers will be more profitable because of superior production potential, all else being equal. However, because of the finding of poorer reproductive efficiency in heifers grown to more than 343 kg at MSD, heifers at ,330 kg at MSD are deemed optimal. This will correspond to mature cow BW of ,550 kg.

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“…It is important for farmers to understand their costs of production to improve efficiency as this will influence the viability of their enterprise as a whole. On the other hand, economizing too much during this critical period is likely to be counter-productive in the long term, with previous studies showing that poor growth rates and illness in calves reduce their longevity and profitability as adult cows [30] [31]. It is therefore crucial that sufficient feed and a suitable housing environment are provided to ensure that calves get off to a good start.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Study of Dairy Heifer Rearing Practices from Birth to Weaning and Their Associated Costs on UK Dairy Farms

Boulton¹,

Rushton²,

Wathes³

2015

OJAS

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There are many inputs into the dairy replacement herd which impact not only on the cost of rearing heifers from birth to first calving, but also on their future longevity and production potential. This study determined the current cost of rearing dairy heifers in the UK through the calculation and analysis of individual costs on a subset of 102 UK dairy farms. Each farm was visited and an extensive heifer rearing questionnaire was completed. Current heifer rearing practices were recorded to provide insight into critical management decisions. A cost analysis workbook was developed to calculate the costs of inputs in the pre-weaning period for labour, calving, feed, housing, health treatments and vaccinations, waste storage, machinery and equipment, and utilities. The average age at weaning was 62 d. The mean cost of rearing from birth to weaning was £195.19 per heifer with a mean daily cost of £3.14 (excluding the opportunity cost of the calf). This ranged from £1.68 to £6.11 among farms, reflecting major differences in management strategies and efficiency. The highest contribution to total costs came from feed (colostrum, milk, starter and forage) at 48.5% with milk feeding making up the greatest proportion of this at 37.3%. The next major expenses were bedding and labour, contributing 12.3% and 11.2% respectively. Unsurprisingly, delaying age at weaning increased total cost by £3.53 per day. Total costs were on average 45% higher on organic farms than conventional due to higher feed costs and later weaning. Calving pattern also had a strong association with the total cost being lowest with spring calving, intermediate with autumn calving and highest in multi block and all year round calving herds.

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Effect of growth and development during the rearing period on the subsequent fertility of nulliparous Holstein-Friesian heifers

Cited by 90 publications

References 40 publications

Heifer fertility and carry over consequences for life time production in dairy and beef cattle

Heifer fertility and carry over consequences for life time production in dairy and beef cattle

Influence of age, body weight and body condition score before mating start date on the pubertal rate of maiden Holstein–Friesian heifers and implications for subsequent cow performance and profitability

A Study of Dairy Heifer Rearing Practices from Birth to Weaning and Their Associated Costs on UK Dairy Farms

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