Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
A health program for commercial dairy herds. 3. Changes in reproductive performance.
- Journal:
- Australian veterinary journal
- Year:
- 1978
- Authors:
- Morris, R S et al.
Plain-English summary
A health program was put in place on nine dairy farms for up to seven years to improve how well the cows were reproducing. After starting the program, the time it took for cows to get pregnant after giving birth was reduced by an average of 24 days, going from 119 days down to about 95 days. The time between calvings was also shorter by about 27 days, and the dry period (the time cows are not producing milk) was reduced by 20 days. Although there was a temporary issue with the length of lactation (the time cows produce milk) being too short, this was fixed later in the study. Overall, the program led to significant improvements in reproductive performance due to better detection of when cows were in heat, addressing nutritional needs, and treating reproductive health issues quickly.
Abstract
A health program service was implemented on 9 farms, for periods ranging up to 7 years. Reproductive performance was substantially improved, when performance indicators were compared with values for the herds prior to commencement of the service. On average, the mean calving to conception intervals for the herds were reduced by 24 days over their periods of participation in the program, from an initial value of 119 days. The intercalving interval was reduced by an average of 27 days. This improvement was associated with a reduction in the mean dry period length of 20 days, from an initial value of 117 days. There was a tendency for the lactation lengths to be reduced to an undesirable extent due to slow adaptation by management to the improvement in reproductive performance, but the problem was corrected late in the study. The improvement in performance was attributed to improved oestrus detection, correction of temporary nutritional deficiencies, and prompt treatment of genital tract disorders in individual animals. Results for a range of performance indicators related to reproductive function are reported in detail.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/687286/