Prevalence and risk factors for stillbirths in Holstein cows in a hot environment

Mellado, Miguel; Chávez, Marı́a Isabel; Macías‐Cruz, Ulises; Avendaño‐Reyes, Leonel; Carrillo, Evaristo; García, José Eduardo

doi:10.5424/sjar/2017152-10293

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…In AY, GU, JE, and MS, male calves had higher stillbirth rates (3.17–10.29%) than female calves (2.85–8.64%). Similar results were observed in Holstein cattle ( Meyer et al, 2001 ; Johanson and Berger, 2003 ; Heins et al, 2006 ; Cole et al, 2007a ; Berry et al, 2007 ; Dhakal et al, 2013 ; Mellado et al, 2017 ). Ghavi Hossein-Zadeh et al (2008) also reported greater odds of calf stillbirth for male calves as compared to female calves ( p < 0.001; OR = 2.10) in Iranian Holstein cows.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 85%

Genetic Evaluations of Stillbirth for Five United States Dairy Breeds: A Data-Resource Feasibility Study

Sigdel

Gaddis

et al. 2022

Front. Genet.

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Genetic selection has been an effective strategy to improve calving traits including stillbirth in dairy cattle. The primary objectives of the present study were to characterize stillbirth data and determine the feasibility of implementing routine genetic evaluations of stillbirth in five non-Holstein dairy breeds, namely Ayrshire, Guernsey, Milking Shorthorn, Brown Swiss, and Jersey. An updated sire-maternal grandsire threshold model was used to estimate genetic parameters and genetic values for stillbirth. Stillbirth data with the birth years of dams from 1995 to 2018 were extracted from the United States national calving ease database maintained by the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding. The extracted stillbirth records varied drastically among the five dairy breeds. There were approximately 486K stillbirth records for Jersey and more than 80K stillbirth records for Brown Swiss. The direct and maternal heritability estimates of stillbirth were 6.0% (4.5–7.6%) and 4.7% (3.3–6.1%) in Jersey and 6.8% (3.2–10.5%) and 1.1% (0.6–2.9%) in Brown Swiss. The estimated genetic correlations between direct and maternal genetic effects for stillbirth were −0.15 (−0.38 to −0.08) in Jersey and −0.35 (−0.47 to −0.12) in Brown Swiss. The estimated genetic parameters for stillbirth in these two breeds were within close ranges of previous studies. The reliabilities of predicted transmitting abilities in Jersey and Brown Swiss increased substantially, thanks to the substantial increase in available stillbirth data in the past 10 years. The stillbirth records for Ayrshire, Guernsey, and Milking Shorthorn, which ranged approximately between 3K and 12K, are insufficient to implement reliable routine genetic evaluations of stillbirth in these three dairy breeds. Estimated genetic (co)variances and genetic values deviated considerably from the reported ranges of previous studies, and the reliabilities of predicted transmitting abilities were low in these three breeds. In conclusion, routine genetic evaluations of stillbirth are feasible in Brown Swiss and Jersey. However, reliable genetic evaluations of stillbirth in Ayrshire, Guernsey, and Milking Shorthorn require further data collection on stillbirth.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 85%

Genetic Evaluations of Stillbirth for Five United States Dairy Breeds: A Data-Resource Feasibility Study

Sigdel

Gaddis

et al. 2022

Front. Genet.

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“…According to a recent study, the stillbirth rate for male calves (7.7%) was more than twice as high as that of female calves (3.7%) 60 . Mellado et al 61 found that calves with a birth weight of < 35 kg had the highest probability of stillbirth, which is in line with our findings.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…In utero hyperthermia negatively affects fetal growth and postnatal physiology of offspring, such as immune function and metabolic adaptation 76 – 78 . Cows that suffered from severe heat stress prenatally and at birth (THI > 83 units) were 1.3 more likely to stillbirth than cows with lower heat stress 61 . In the current study, a higher rate of stillbirths was observed in cows calving twins in summer than in other seasons.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification of cow-level risk factors and associations of selected blood macro-minerals at parturition with dystocia and stillbirth in Holstein dairy cows

Bahrami-Yekdangi

Ghorbani

Sadeghi-Sefidmazgi

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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A deeper understanding of the risk factors for dystocia and stillbirth could help farmers make decisions about dairy cow management. The objectives of this study were to investigate cow-level risk factors associated with dystocia and stillbirth in a relatively large sample of dairy cows using multivariable linear regression models. The data consisted of 51,405 calving records of 14,546 Holstein cows from 3 dairy herds in Isfahan Province, Iran, collected between April 2011 and September 2017. To investigate the association between selected blood macro-minerals and the incidence of dystocia and stillbirth, blood samples were collected at the time of parturition from a random subset of these cows, which included 1311 animals. The incidence of dystocia and stillbirths averaged 14.7% and 4.3%, respectively. Results showed that calving year, calving season, dry period length, BCS, parity, calf sex, calf birth weight, twin status, and stillbirth were significantly associated with the incidence of dystocia. According to the Random Forest (RF) classifier, we found that dry period length, calf birth weight, and parity were the most important cow-level risk factors for the incidence of dystocia. Calving year, calving season, parity, twin status, dry period length, calf birth weight, calf sex, and dystocia were significantly associated with the incidence of stillbirths. The most important risk factors identified by the RF classifier for stillbirths were twin status, parity, dry period length, and calf birth weight. Also, interactions between the cow-level risk factors associated with dystocia and stillbirth were identified. The incidence of dystocia was associated with the interactions of twin status × calf birth weight and twin status × stillbirth. According to our analysis, the incidence of stillbirth is caused by interactions among several factors, such as twin status × length of dry period, twin status × calving season, and twin status × parity. The highest incidence of dystocia (21.3%) and stillbirths (5.4%) was observed in hypo-calcemic cows. In conclusion, twin status seems to be a determining factor for the incidence of stillbirths but not for dystocia. Finally, the results of this study may help the dairy industry make management decisions aimed at reducing dystocia and stillbirth rates.

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Prevalence and risk factors for stillbirths in Holstein cows in a hot environment

Cited by 2 publications

References 53 publications

Genetic Evaluations of Stillbirth for Five United States Dairy Breeds: A Data-Resource Feasibility Study

Genetic Evaluations of Stillbirth for Five United States Dairy Breeds: A Data-Resource Feasibility Study

Identification of cow-level risk factors and associations of selected blood macro-minerals at parturition with dystocia and stillbirth in Holstein dairy cows

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