An observational study of the dry period length and its relation to milk yield, health, and fertility in two dairy cow breeds

Abstract

This study evaluated associations between dry period length (DPL) in dairy cows and energy-corrected milk (ECM) production, health, and fertility, using a dataset involving 78 577 lactations in cows of two breeds, Swedish Red (SR) and Swedish Holstein (SH). Herds with at least 20 cows and at least 20 % purebred SR and at least 20 % SH during the year 2015/2016 were included in the dataset. Cows were divided into parity groups 2 and 3 or older and DPL was classified into six 10-day groups (30-39 to 80-89 d). Associations between DPL and the outcome variables were assessed with linear and generalized linear mixed models. Production of ECM at the first three test milkings and the 305-d lactation was highest in the 50-59 d and 60-69 d DPL groups, and lowest in the 30-39 d and 80-89 d groups (p

Keywords

Dry period length; Milk yield; Fertility; Mastitis; Breed; Parity

Published in

Preventive Veterinary Medicine
2020, volume: 175, article number: 104876
Publisher: ELSEVIER

SLU Authors

• Andrée O`Hara, Elisabeth

  • Department of Applied Animal Science and Welfare, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Holtenius, Kjell

  • Department of Applied Animal Science and Welfare, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Båge, Renee

  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• von Brömssen, Claudia

  • Department of Energy and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Emanuelson, Ulf

  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Clinical Science
Animal and Dairy Science

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2019.104876

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/105318