Body condition and metabolic stability as the basis for high milk yield and undisturbed fertility in dairy cows--a contribution for deduction of reference values
Staufenbiel, R.; Arndt, G.; Schroder, U.; Gelfert, C.C.
Deutsche Tierärztliche Wochenschrift 111(5): 214-220
2004
ISSN/ISBN: 0341-6593 PMID: 15233343 Document Number: 570134
The following study describes the interactions between body condition and various descriptors of yield and fertility. It aimed to identify an optimal conditional range to be used in herd management, which combines high milk yield with acceptable fertility traits and general health. For this purpose, backfat thickness was measured by ultrasound at 46 111 dairy cows on 78 different farms and was subsequently related to production variables. Negative energy balance is becoming more intense and prolonged with increasing milk yield. However a conditional nadir below 10 mm leads to decreased milk production. To reach a high production level without an increasing incidence of health disorders, conditional nadir should not decline below 13 mm backfat thickness on herd average. Lower values only lead to negligibly higher milk yield but cause a distinctively higher risk of fertility problems and culling. High herd yields do not have to be targetted at the expense of reproductive performance and can be achieved without extreme body condition losses. An efficient herd management can offset the depression in fertility, which commonly is combined with increasing milk yield. The use of a standard curve for backfat thickness throughout lactation is suggested for dairy herd management.