Associations between herd characteristics and reproductive efficiency in dairy herds.

Dairy herds worldwide are experiencing a decline in reproductive efficiency at the same time as management methods are changing. This study aimed to investigate the extent to which herd-level characteristics were associated with reproductive performance. Data from herds using artificial insemination (AI) in the Swedish Official Milk Recording Scheme that had more than 45 cows were included in the study (total of 2,728 herds). Reproductive performance was measured as the average for each herd for the calving interval, calving to first AI interval, calving to last AI interval, number of AI per animal submitted for AI, and culling attributed to reproductive problems. Herds with mainly Swedish Holstein cows had longer calving intervals, calving to first AI, and calving to last AI compared with herds with mainly Swedish Red and White cows. Large herds had shorter calving to first AI but a greater number of AI than small herds, whereas small herds had greater culling attributed to reproductive problems than large herds. Low-yielding herds had longer calving intervals, calving to first AI, and calving to last AI and had greater culling attributed to reproductive problems than high-yielding herds, whereas herds with high milk yields had a greater number of AI than low-yielding herds. Herds with automatic milking systems had shorter calving intervals, calving to first AI, and calving to last AI and had lesser odds for culling attributed to reproductive problems when compared with herds with ordinary pipeline milking systems. Herds that used Advanced Feed Advisory Services had shorter calving to first AI but a greater number of AI and greater culling attributed to reproductive problems. Herds using TMR had longer calving intervals and calving to last AI than herds that did not. Herds with tie stalls had longer calving intervals, calving to first AI, and calving to last AI, and organic herds had shorter calving intervals, calving to first AI, and calving to last AI compared with conventional herds. We found that herds with do-it-yourself inseminations had longer calving intervals and calving to first AI. Our study showed numerous associations between herd characteristics and reproductive performance. When allocating advisory service resources to improve reproductive performance, the focus should be on herd characteristics that are easy to influence, such as TMR and do-it-yourself inseminations.

[1]  J. Fetrow,et al.  Reproductive Health Programs for Dairy Herds: Analysis of Records for Assessment of Reproductive Performance , 2007 .

[2]  M. Thurmond,et al.  Comparison of Ketosis, Clinical Mastitis, Somatic Cell Count, and Reproductive Performance between Free Stall and Tie Stall Barns in Norwegian Dairy Herds with Automatic Feeding , 1997, Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica.

[3]  F. López-Gatius.  Is fertility declining in dairy cattle? A retrospective study in northeastern Spain. , 2003, Theriogenology.

[4]  J. Hyde,et al.  Investing in a robotic milking system: a Monte Carlo simulation analysis. , 2002, Journal of dairy science.

[5]  W. R. Butler,et al.  Nutritional interactions with reproductive performance in dairy cattle. , 2000, Animal reproduction science.

[6]  J. Mee,et al.  The effect of feeding and management practices on calving rate in dairy herds. , 2002, Animal reproduction science.

[7]  U. Emanuelson,et al.  Genetic and Environmental Correlations Among Female Fertility Traits and Milk Production in Different Parities of Swedish Red and White Dairy Cattle , 2001 .

[8]  M P L Calus,et al.  Influence of herd environment on health and fertility and their relationship with milk production. , 2005, Journal of dairy science.

[9]  G. Frazer,et al.  Reproductive performance in Ohio dairy herds in the 1990s. , 2003, Animal reproduction science.

[10]  P. Berger,et al.  Genetic and phenotypic parameters for 305-day yield, fertility, and survival in Holsteins. , 1998, Journal of dairy science.

[11]  S. Washburn,et al.  Trends in reproductive performance in Southeastern Holstein and Jersey DHI herds. , 2002, Journal of dairy science.

[12]  B. Mcdaniel,et al.  Heritabilities and correlations of lactation yields and fertility for Holsteins. , 1983, Journal of dairy science.

[13]  W Ouweltjes,et al.  Robotic milking and its effect on fertility and cell counts. , 2002, Journal of dairy science.

[14]  E. Strandberg,et al.  Genetic analysis of functional, fertility-, mastitis-, and production-determined length of productive life in Swedish dairy cattle , 2002 .

[15]  P. Garnsworthy,et al.  The effect of body condition of dairy cows at calving on their food intake and performance when given complete diets , 1982 .

[16]  A. Gordon,et al.  Fertility results after do-it-yourself and commercial company artificial insemination in dairy herds in Northern Ireland , 2006, Veterinary Record.

[17]  J. Mee,et al.  Insemination factors affecting the conception rate in seasonal calving Holstein-Friesian cows. , 2003, Reproduction, nutrition, development.

[18]  U. Emanuelson,et al.  Health of cows, calves and young stock on 26 organic dairy herds in Sweden , 2002, Veterinary Record.

[19]  Y T Gröhn,et al.  Epidemiology of reproductive performance in dairy cows. , 2000, Animal reproduction science.

[20]  J. Stevenson,et al.  Milking frequency, estradiol cypionate, and somatotropin influence lactation and reproduction in dairy cows. , 2006, Journal of Dairy Science.

[21]  P. Oltenacu,et al.  Relationship of fertility to milk yield in Swedish cattle. , 1991, Journal of dairy science.

[22]  J. Roche,et al.  Reproductive management of postpartum cows. , 2000, Animal reproduction science.

[23]  M. Lucy,et al.  Reproductive loss in high-producing dairy cattle: where will it end? , 2001, Journal of dairy science.

[24]  E. Ropstad,et al.  A comparative study of reproductive performance in organic and conventional dairy husbandry. , 1999, Journal of dairy science.

[25]  J. Krieter,et al.  Longevity of Swiss Brown cattle in different housing systems in Switzerland , 2006 .

[26]  L. Janson.  Studies on Fertility Traits in Swedish Dairy Cattle , 1980 .

[27]  E. Strandberg,et al.  Environmental effects on progesterone profile measures of dairy cow fertility. , 2006, Animal reproduction science.

[28]  C. Risco,et al.  Trends and seasonality of reproductive performance in Florida and Georgia dairy herds from 1976 to 2002. , 2005, Journal of dairy science.

[29]  L B Hansen,et al.  Consequences of selection for milk yield from a geneticist's viewpoint. , 2000, Journal of dairy science.

[30]  U. Emanuelson,et al.  Incidences and effects of diseases on the performance of Swedish dairy herds stratified by production. , 1998, Journal of dairy science.

[31]  R. S. Youngquist,et al.  Current therapy in large animal theriogenology , 2006 .

[32]  J. Dekkers,et al.  Estimation of economic values of indices for reproductive performance in dairy herds using computer simulation. , 1997, Journal of dairy science.

[33]  John Woolliams,et al.  Declining fertility in dairy cattle: changes in traditional and endocrine parameters of fertility. , 2000 .