Standard operation procedures for Japanease Black cattle related to management procedures

Association of Herd Size with Stillbirth and Dystocia Rates in Japanese Black Cattle

“…In this study, the effect of calving season, parity, and gestation length on the stillbirth rate and dystocia rate was consistent with a previous study [ 4 ], but the effect of herd size was not: herd size was associated with the dystocia rate but not with the stillbirth rate. This is because stillbirth is mainly due to biological factors, whereas dystocia is mainly the consequence of anthropogenic factors such as calving management and the frequency of calving assistance and observation by a veterinarian, which reportedly differ among herd sizes of Japanese Black cattle [ 7 ]. Therefore, the difference in the dystocia rate among different herd sizes would be affected by calving management.…”

“…This difference may be due to farmers being conscious of the calving risks and the frequency of calving assistances and observations. Our previous study reported that a higher proportion of large farms had remote censors, such as vaginal temperature sensors and automated monitoring devices, to predict calving times than small farms [ 7 ]. The application of ICT devices can decrease the accident rate at calving from 2.2% to 0.3% [ 14 ], and calving devices are effective for predicting the calving time and reducing the risk of fetal death [ 15 ].…”

“…The incidences of stillbirth and dystocia would be associated with management procedures. In the United States [ 6 ] and Japan [ 7 ], large variations in calving and calving management among different herd sizes were reported for beef cattle. In particular, Japanese Black herd sizes and the number of cows per farm have been increasing since 2005, when the mean number of cows per farm was 16, until in 2020, where it reached 40 [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ] and proper management procedures in large herds should be constructed.…”